Illegal Immigration (non-USA)

[Seshat]

This is an offshoot of the other illegal immigration thread, which seems to be purely about illegal immigration as it applies to the USA.

I have some aspects of illegal immigration I'd like to talk about, which would get totally lost in the other thread, and figured some other non-US folks might have too.

So. Illegal immigration issues in Aussieland:
(Almost alliterative!)

Australia has a problem: we're a large land mass, but a very small amount of that land mass is suitable for dense human living, and we have severe limits on the amount of fresh water available. This produces strict limits on the population we can realistically support.

We currently have circa 20 million humans living on the continent. Our infrastructure supports about that, and ecologists have estimated our sustainable population at a reasonable quality of life (see the 'poverty' thread I started - reasonable is a bit above poverty as I define it) as between 10 million and 30 million, depending on which ecologist you talk to, and what their precise definition of 'reasonable quality of life' is.

Because of the limits on human population in Australia, and the limits of our infrastructure, we can't randomly absorb a million people here, another million there, whenever there's a war or a disaster. We try to control our immigration, to try to balance normal immigration, normal childbirth rates, and giving sanctuary to refugees.

Obviously, illegal immigration, 'queue-jumping' refugees, and surges in childbirth rates mess up this balancing act. That's Aussieland's biggest problem (as I see it) with any form of illegal immigration.

(We also often get pressure from the UN to take more refugees than we can actually absorb. People who see 'first world nation' and 'large land mass', not 'desert'.)

[ArenaBoy]

Pardon my ignorance on Aussie matters but I once heard (A looooooooonnnnnnnnngggg time ago) that immigrating there was tough and that your education was one of the things considered in order to become a citizen.

Many government agencies tend to not consider the details when it comes to these things such as the fact that Australia is a huge desert. All they see is a quick solution.

[Seshat]

Pardon my ignorance on Aussie matters but I once heard (A looooooooonnnnnnnnngggg time ago) that immigrating there was tough and that your education was one of the things considered in order to become a citizen.

Pardoned. There's no reason for most people to know details about random other-nations. (General stuff, yeah, but not details.)

Yes, education is one of the factors. To overgeneralise: to legally immigrate here, you need to be a genuine refugee, family (or fiancee) of someone here, or considered an asset to our society.

Many government agencies tend to not consider the details when it comes to these things such as the fact that Australia is a huge desert. All they see is a quick solution.

Pretty much, yes. That's why we've ended up with a reputation, among the refugee-management community, of being miserly with accepting refugees. Every so often one of the Aussies in the refugee-management community ends up exasperatedly saying 'what, you want us to dump them in the middle of the Outback with no water? We're a bleeding DESERT, mate!'

[IDrinkaRum]

I have a friend of mine who moved to Australia. He's a teacher there. I think he's part of the "protective" group people.

My friend is a homosexual. As one, in the United States, it's difficult for him to become a teacher because homosexuality is frowned on here (I'm going to keep this On Topic, trust me). He moved to Australia because there he can be homosexual and teach at the same time. He can also be open about it with any repercussions.

[Seshat]

He moved to Australia because there he can be homosexual and teach at the same time. He can also be open about it with any repercussions.

He can be homosexual and teach here, yes. 'Without any repercussions' - well, I hope so. If he can get work in the cities, or in the more cosmopolitan towns, he'll probably be fine. If he gets work in the bush - it'll depend on where in the bush.

The attitudes depicted in 'Priscilla: Queen of the Desert' are very real. It's a fantasy, but it's a distorted mirror of reality.




So.... we've covered (or are covering) Australia and illegal immigration. Anyone from other countries want to chime in?

[CancelMyService]

I'd like to hear some Canadians' opinions, as I understand there's a large (per capita) Hindu/Pakistani population up there. I often wonder why they'd choose Canada of all places. No slam to our touque sporting pals, but if you're in a relativly tropical area like India, what's the appeal of the frozen tundra? Is it one of those Commonwealth deals?

[Banrion]

I have seen and heard 2nd hand how hard it is to get into Oz. My best friend from HS did a semester abroad in Melbourne and fell in love with the city and a boy. She was lucky enough to get an educational visa for 2 years so that she could go to grad school in Melbourne. In the meantime, she got engaged to her super-cool Aussie man. Once out of school, she was able to get working papers and extend her visa, but once he is finished with his education in a year they will likely be coming here back to the US, because she has pretty much been told that she will never get citizenship there, and the best she can hope for is to get a permanent visa AFTER they get married which is scheduled for about 3 months AFTER her current visa expires.