Immigration
Every year, millions of people around the world attempt to move from one country to another in order to create a better life for themselves and their families, to improve their work/financial situation and to find a safer place to live. However, no one can legally move (immigrate) into another country without permission from the government of the country.1 Therefore, every country has immigration laws that help regulate when, how long and under what conditions a person can enter and remain in a certain country. These laws are known as immigration laws. These laws are set out to determine the legal status of immigrants in their new homes; yet on the other hand these laws can get complicated and result in very lengthy processes. There are different types of statuses that may be granted, each with different rights, conditions and visas (permission to enter a certain country.) 1 For example, a business visa allows a person to remain in a country for a limited amount of time while a settlement visa allows for a person to live in another country for good. 1 Some less developed countries also control emigration (leaving one’s home country permanently.) This is because developing countries do not wish to lose their skilled workers who would be able to seek better opportunities and money elsewhere. 1 More developed countries are more concerned about managing who can enter as opposed to who can leave. A large reason for immigration to Canada in the past decade is the reuniting of families, which is now recognized by the Canadian government as a basic human right. 1Today, one of the few ways of applying for immigration is to apply to join a close family member who is already a permanent resident in the country. Canada offers family reunion visas because the government believes that immigrants will be better able to live a new life when they have the support of their family instead of turning to the government for financial support. Marriage visas are another way to be allowed to live in Canada permanently (marriage of a person who is a Canadian citizen.) 1 However, it is not unusual for a person to arrive on a temporary visa, get married, and then apply to stay in the government permanently. In order to avoid scams and marriage being and easy route for a legal settlement, a very strict test is applied before the immigration application is accepted. 1 Nevertheless, this process can be very complicated and take years to gain Canadian citizenship. 1 During these past few years with all the violence and tragedy between nations taking place, many refugees have been trying to find a home here in Canada. The Refugee Convention defines “refugees” as people who have left their country and fear persecution if they return because of their race, sex, nationality, religion or political opinion. 1 This definition is important because it allows the government to decide whether or not a person is a refugee, but also means that the government can give recognized refugees a proper immigration status. 1
Being recognized as a refugee is known as an asylum. 1 There are domestic asylum laws that describe what the process is to receive an asylum and under what circumstances people can apply for one.1 These domestic asylum laws state what support asylum seekers may have while they wait for a decision. How long this decision takes, and what will happen if a person’s asylum application is successful or refused is also stated in the law. 1 However, once a person has been allowed to apply for asylum, they will be interviewed by an authority figure and the applicant’s human rights situation in his or her home country will be examined as well as any evidence the applicant has, to prove that he or she fears returning home. 1 These applicants also have to prove that the government of their home country is personally persecuting them. 1 For example, people fleeing from a war zone but not directly targeted by the government are