Immigration News: April, 2005 - Volume 12

THE AMERICAS

Unauthorized, Immigration Agencies

Demographer Jeff Passel estimated that there were 10.3 million unauthorized foreigners in the US in March 2004, up from 8.4 million in 2000,

Bush: Unauthorized, Guest Workers

President Bush in January 2005 urged Congress to enact immigration reforms: "whether or not you agree with the solution or not, we have a problem in

Congress, States

When the 109th Congress convened, the Republican chairs of the committees dealing with immigration announced their opposition to "amnesty."

Mexico: Migrants, Mexicans in US, Economy

The Mexican government published a 31-page "Guide for the Mexican Migrant" in January 2005 that advises Mexicans how to enter the United States

Jobs, Social Security

The US economy added 2.2 million jobs in 2004, the most since 1999, and average hourly earnings were almost $16. The unemployment rate remained at

H-Work Visas, Students

In order for US employers to get immigrant visas or green cards for workers, they must prove that qualified US workers are not available, a process

Canada: Ministers, Integration

Immigration minister Judy Sgro resigned in January 2005 after Indian immigrant Harjit Singh alleged that she promised him asylum in Canada in

Latin America

The Inter-American Development Bank estimated that remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean were $45.8 billion in 2004, exceeding foreign

ASIA

China: Migrants, Farms

In 2005, the Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival fell on February 9,there were some two billion trips by car, bus, train, boat or airplane,

Japan; Entertainers, Demography

Japan approved a new law aimed at combating trafficking in humans, and one side effect is expected to be a reduction in the number of entertainer

Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand

Malaysia. Malaysia has 10 to 20 percent foreign workers, with the uncertainty due in part to the large number of illegal workers; there are a

India: Remittances, High-Tech

India receives more remittances from migrant workers than any other country, $23 billion in 2004, compared to $17 billion sent to Mexico. As in

EUROPE

EU: Migration, Services, Employment

EU Justice, Freedom and Security Commissioner Franco Frattini on January 12, 2005 recommended that the EU rather than national governments regulate

Germany: Visas, Labor, Asylum

Visas. There were calls for Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, leader of the Green Party and the most popular German politician in most polls, to

UK: Elections, Admissions, Ireland

Elections. Immigration became a major issue in elections slated for May 5, 2005. In some polls, a quarter of likely voters said that immigration was

Spain, Portugal, Italy

Spain reported that 450,000 foreigners moved into the country in 2004, bringing the immigrant population to 3.5 million, eight percent of residents.

France, Benelux

French interior minister Dominique de Villepin released a report in February 2005 that concluded that France needed immigrants and also needed to

Russia, Northern, Eastern Europe

Russia. Russia had 129,000 registered migrant workers in 1994, and 378,000 in 2003. There are an estimated three to four million unauthorized

OTHER

Australia: Immigration

Australia received 111,000 immigrants in 2003-2004, up from 91,000 in 2002-03. The leading country of origin was the UK, with 18,000 immigrants,

Middle East

Israel received only 21,000 immigrants in 2004, the lowest number since 1989. Between 1990 and 2001, a million immigrants from the ex-Soviet Union

Africa: Migrants, Jobs, Customs

Migration to US. Since 1990, about 50,000 legal African immigrants a year have arrived in the US, tripling the number of sub-Saharan African US

Global Trends: Migration, Population, Development

The Global Commission for International Migration (GCIM) is an effort supported largely by Sweden and Switzerland to examine ways to put

Skilled Migrants

Two centuries ago, the dominant economic theory was mercantilism, which held that governments should amass large quantities of gold and silver by