Immigration in the Age of Trump and Brexit and What Potential Immigrants Can Do

Immigration after Trump and Brexit

The landscape for immigration changed dramatically with the election of President Trump in the United States and the Brexit Vote in the United Kingdom.

From being a “land of milk and honey” and an “immigrant’s dream destination”, the United States has now become insular and protectionist with talk of “walls” visible and invisible.

Indeed, the “America First” rhetoric has meant that the United States is no longer welcoming immigrants and instead, is now focusing on the domestic population alone with even the immigrants already living there being threatened by deportations and visa revoking as well as stricter curbs on visa renewals.

Similarly, the United Kingdom, which was one of the destinations for poorer European countries people and the South Asian immigrants has now turned inward with the Brexit vote aimed at leaving the European Union and scaling down immigration.

Indeed, the United Kingdom which in earlier decades, boasted of Kebabs as the most popular dish among its residents, now has Fish and Chips and other native delicacies as the preferred food choices.

This culinary metaphor illustrates how far the United Kingdom has come from being the destination of choice for Asian and African immigrants to a place where even the Europeans are not welcome anymore.

Australia and New Zealand Tightening the Rules

Moreover, even Australia and New Zealand that have welcomed immigrants in the past are no longer rolling out the “welcome mat” by making it harder for less skilled immigrants to enter their countries.

In addition, they have also put in place restrictions on the foreign students who are welcome to study but not linger on later after their degrees.

In other words, while their money for education is welcome, they now have to find jobs after graduation quickly or else they are sent back.

Potential Immigrants, Please Note

Thus, the implications of all these trends mean that potential immigrants from Asian and African countries have to think twice before embarking on immigrating to such nations in the hope that once they land there, they can find jobs.

Instead, now they have to have concrete job offers in hand before they can migrate which means that they are on their own in case they do not have a confirmed job and are hoping that “something would turn up” once they are there.

Moreover, the fact that like in earlier decades, where immigrants could expect to receive monetary benefits in the form of unemployment allowance or the “dole”, they can no longer afford to be without a job and expect to continue to stay there.

This means that the carefree days of immigrating first and finding jobs after that is no longer the case.

Further, the fact that highly skilled immigrants are preferable than lower skilled ones means that the higher you are up on the value to the destination country hierarchy, the more welcome you are.

In other words, there is a method of excluding lower-skilled immigrants at work, and hence, if you are planning to immigrate, you better have a concrete job offer, have skills of value to the destination country, and do not expect to receive any benefits in case you are in trouble.

Even High Skilled Immigrants Have to Beware

The higher skilled migrants are also being targeted in the United States where recent changes have meant that even Software Professionals and other high skilled migrants would find it harder to renew their visas or even enter the country in the first place.

Further, even when your own employer sponsors you, chances are that you might find it difficult to stay there for extended periods or bring your family as the recent rules specify that there is not going to be any preferential treatment for immigrants hoping to add value through their skills.

Some Steps Potential Immigrants can take

While the discussion so far might seem depressing if you are a potential immigrant, the reality is that all this is happening and real and hence, it is better to be prepared or better to be “safe than sorry”.

Indeed, the fact that potential immigrants have to look towards other countries rather than the traditional destinations is clear from the recent trends in the US, the UK, and Australia and New Zealand.

Also, it is advisable for you to look for exemptions and exceptions in the immigration laws so that you can decide accordingly. This means that you must find a decent immigration attorney and a consultancy that is not a “fly by night operator” and instead, is reputed and reliable to process your immigration application and your visas.

This means that countries such as Canada and to some extent, Germany, should be your choice for immigration given their policies in recent times when they have actively sought to welcome immigrants.

Moreover, these countries also have enough opportunities since their economies are humming along nicely and hence, you can expect to land a job there. Having said that, it must also be noted that the days of unemployment assistance in these countries is over and hence, you cannot expect the same.

There is a points system in place in Canada and Germany as well as in the UK and Australia and New Zealand wherein your skills are rated on points-based system that would allow the destination countries to process your application.

Thus, determine where you stand on this system and then, choose a competent immigration attorney and a reputed consultancy and then, you can hope for some positive news.

To conclude, while all is not yet lost for immigrants, the writing on the wall is clear and that it is tougher for immigrants now.


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The article is Written By “Prachi Juneja” and Reviewed By Management Study Guide Content Team. MSG Content Team comprises experienced Faculty Member, Professionals and Subject Matter Experts. We are a ISO 2001:2015 Certified Education Provider. To Know more, click on About Us. The use of this material is free for learning and education purpose. Please reference authorship of content used, including link(s) to ManagementStudyGuide.com and the content page url.


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