Search

The terrorist attacks of September 11 and their immediate aftermath along the US-Canadian and US-Mexican borders focused attention on border management strategies in ways previously unimaginable. Suddenly confronted by the fact that existing systems and processes were not particularly effective either at protecting security or facilitating legitimate traffic, the United States, in conjunction with the Canadian and Mexican Governments, demonstrated an uncharacteristic willingness to reconceptualize its approach to physical borders. While initiating a series of internal policy adjustments to secure themselves against terrorist threats, the US, Canadian, and Mexican Governments also signed two bilateral agreements — the 12 December 2001 United States-Canada Smart Border Declaration and the 22 March 2002 United States-Mexico Border Partnership Agreement. These agreements represent an important development in the US's relationship with each of its North American neighbours, acknowledging not only the deep economic, social, and cultural ties, but also the new reality that the United States cannot attain the additional security it desires through unilateral actions alone. Thus, while September 11 forced a reassessment of vulnerabilities, it simultaneously provided the United States an opportunity to work more systematically with its contiguous neighbours for security benefits, a realization likely to flow into other areas where the benefits of cooperation eclipse those of unilateralism. This paper analyses the first year of the two border accords, tracking their implementation and evaluating their successes and failures. Most importantly, the paper outlines outstanding challenges, highlights steps that the governments should take to achieve additional border security and efficiency, and draws conclusions regarding factors likely to make their efforts more, or less, successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using publicly available data, this article aims to understand how immigration policies in Canada and the United States have affected the flow and utilization of highly‐skilled migrants from China and India. Reviewing existing literature on the policies about, and utilization of, human capital among highly‐skilled migrants, and describing the policy contexts in both receiving countries, we present detailed empirical evidence to show that in spite of their higher education attainment than the general population and the total foreign‐born population, China‐ and India‐born migrants are not immune from the brain waste phenomenon. This is especially so among the India‐born. We end the article with policy implications for both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study compares the US and Canada on the gap in earnings between Chinese immigrants and native‐born whites. Canada and the US are arguably more alike than most possible country pairings, yet they differ in significant ways in their approaches to immigration and integration. The primary difference between Canada and the US regarding immigration policy is that Canada selects a larger proportion of economic immigrants – that is, those admitted based on their ability to contribute to the economy – than the US's focus on family reunification. Canadian immigration and multicultural integration policy does not appear to improve Chinese immigrant earnings in the way that might be predicted from Canada's skilled‐based immigrant selection policy and welcoming social context. In spite of a more laissez‐faire approach to immigrant integration and a less skill‐selective immigration policy, we show that Chinese immigrants are earning relatively more in the US than in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies to reveal that immigrants in Canada and the United States make over $200 less per month than native-born workers. In the United States, immigrants disproportionately work in low-wage occupations, leading to large mean national differences between immigrants and native workers. The wage differential disappears after accounting for education and cognitive skills, indicating policies must focus on reducing education and skill gaps in the United States. In Canada, an immigrant wage gap persists in nearly all occupational fields, suggesting that the better skilled and educated immigrants in Canada are not receiving the same wage premium as native workers. We close with implications for policy and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Selective migration policies are proliferating worldwide as governments try to attract scientists, highly skilled engineers, medical professionals and information technology professionals. Selective migration policies can be grouped into three ideal-typical models: the Canadian 'human capital' model based on state selection of permanent immigrants using a point system; the Australian 'neo-corporatist' model based on state selection using a point system with extensive business and labour participation; and the market-oriented, demand-driven model based primarily on employer selection of migrants, as practised by the US. After providing an overview of each model, the article compares the three models in terms of policy outcomes as measured by various metrics and then explains how Canadian, Australian, and US governments have recently adopted policies from one another and deviated from their respective selective migration policy models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares Canadian and US recruitment of highly skilled workers, defined by educational, skill, and occupational criteria. Analysis shows that Canada disproportionally recruits skilled workers as legal permanent residents whereas family reunification dominates in the US. But such contrast ignores the large temporary skilled worker flows to the US and the on-going reliance on them, or the growing use of temporary labour in Canada, including skilled workers. Data is presented on the admission of skilled migrants; recent and future policy developments are discussed. Comprehensive immigration reform is back on the US agenda with potential to increase the migration of skilled immigrants, to utilize a point system for some, and to continue the role of employers in the H1B visa programme. Canada has recently moved to a model of high skill labour recruitment that is characterized by decentralized selection mechanisms, and is demand driven and employer instigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, I use cross-national comparative and ethnographic methods to explore how religion influences the incorporation of Haitian immigrants into the US, Quebec and France. First, I explore the ideological, legal and institutional forces that shape religion-state differentiation in the US, Quebec and France. Using census and immigration data from each site as well as interviews with Haitian leaders and government officials in Miami, Montreal and Paris, I show that the general pattern of consensual differentiation between religion and state in the US favours the more successful symbolic and socio-economic incorporation of Haitians in Miami, whereas secular nationalism in Quebec and assertive secularism in France weaken the incorporation of Haitian immigrants in Montreal and Paris, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative study uses data collected in 1990 and 1991 to examine the remittance behavior of Brazilians who had recently arrived in Canada and the United States. These data permit an examination of remittance activity among immigrants relatively soon after their arrival in a pair of host destinations. Prior to contrasting the remittance activity of these newly arrived immigrants, we first document the high degree of similarity between the two groups at their time of arrival; a point that becomes important when contrasting their divergent outcomes. Next, this study contributes to the research literature on micro-level remittance patterns and behaviors by focusing on three policy relevant dependant variables. More specifically, multivariate analyses are undertaken to examine those individual-level factors that best determine: (1) who remits, (2) how much they remit, and (3) when funds are remitted for productive purposes. Because the data analyzed were collected with the same instrument, results are then contrasted for the two destinations. One major finding to emerge from this cross-national study was that even immigrants who are extremely similar on all socio-economic measures at time of arrival may soon manifest divergent outcomes due to their distinctive country of destination experiences. Consequently, although some common predictors were found in both locales, there were far fewer than expected. For example, family obligation variables were usually significant in the predicted directions for the United States data, while this was almost never the case for the Canadian data. Furthermore, some variables often assumed to predict remittance behavior were insignificant in both locations. This study concludes by considering possible explanations for these results, as well as discussing the need for additional theoretical work and data collection in the area of immigrant remittance activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the author considers the impact of gender on migration habits of populations in the West Indies. At issue is the movement of West Indians to the United States Canada and to Great Britain in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In comparing immigrant streams to three different destinations the author seeks to illustrate a number of questions including their reception in host countries and the role of immigration in forming attitudes about gender differences among West Indian immigrants.