Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
Citizenship and Immigration Opportunities Imogen Turnbull September 2015
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Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
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Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
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Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
Citizenship and Immigration Opportunities By Imogen Turnbull My curiosity has motivated an inquiry into citizenship, immigration and how migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies. My inquiry is focused around responsibility, causation and perspective. Lots of people have become citizens like refugees, economic migrants, political migrants and asylum seekers. To explain the differences, a refugee is a person who flees for refuge or safety, especially to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval or war. An economic migrant is a person who moves from one region, place, or country to another in order to improve his or her standard of living. A political migrant is a person that flees from their homeland because of their political views being in opposition to the government and finally asylum seekers are people seeking a special legal status called asylum or refugee status to stay in another country because they fear persecution at home. This report focuses on citizenship and immigration opportunities. Firstly I will illustrate how citizenship varies between countries. I will then describe the ways in which migrants within the Commonwealth are given assistance to move from one country to another. Through interviews and reading of policy, I will explain what the New Zealand immigration policy is and why. Finally, I will explore what opportunities there are for people from 2nd and 3rd world countries to migrate to New Zealand and what issues may arise. People who live in 4
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
the host country (receiving migrants) have a responsibility to look after, and treat respectably the migrants that have come all this way, otherwise trouble could arise.
Does the process of citizenship vary between countries? Through looking at several websites, including wikihow (http://www.wikihow.com/Become-‐ a-‐Citizen-‐of-‐France and http://www.wikihow.com/Become-‐ a-‐British-‐Citizen), I gathered a greater understanding of the process of citizenship. I have been investigating the question: Does the process of citizenship vary between countries? To find out about this interesting question, I created flow charts that contain information about New Zealand, Britain and France and their citizenship process. In my research I have discovered a lot of information on that subject. In all these three countries an individual has to be resident for 5 or more years in order to become a citizen, unless you marry a citizen. For this you have to be 18 years or over. To be able to become a citizen of New Zealand or the United Kingdom through naturalization, you have to be able to speak English fluently. For all of the 3 countries, to become a citizen through naturalization you have to fill in an application and pay a certain fee (though the fees vary for each country). The United Kingdom is the only country that requires people to take a culture test in order to become a citizen, in contrast to the other two countries that don't. I have been a New Zealand resident for 2 and 1/2 years and I will be eligible to apply to become a citizen of New Zealand at the start of 2018. So this inquiry has been really useful for me because it has helped me to find out the process that I will have to go through at the start of 2018, like the ceremony I will have to participate in, to become a citizen. The way I will get my citizenship is through the process of 'grant', unlike the majority of you who will have got it through birth. The reason that I am not a citizen now is that I have to wait 5 years first, so that means that I will be in year 9 when I may be granted citizenship. http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ http://www.immigration.govt.nz/Migrant/Stream/AlreadyInNZ/Residents/BecomingACitize n/default.htm http://www.dia.govt.nz/Services-‐Citizenship-‐Citizenship-‐Fees-‐and-‐Charges?OpenDocument 5
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
Vivien Maidaborn-‐Executive Director of UNICEF https://www.gov.uk/becoming-‐a-‐british-‐citizen/check-‐if-‐you-‐can-‐apply http://www.expatica.com/fr/visas-‐and-‐permits/A-‐guide-‐to-‐French-‐citizenship-‐and-‐ permanent-‐residence_107626.html http://www.wikihow.com/Become-‐a-‐Citizen-‐of-‐France http://www.wikihow.com/Become-‐a-‐British-‐Citizen Paul Foster Bell-‐MP of Migration
Are migrants within the Commonwealth given assistance to move from one country to another? In discussion with Mike Turnbull (Former army officer) I found out about the history of migration within the Commonwealth. After the Second World War, many people in Britain's colonies felt they had earned the right to rule themselves independently. Starting with India in 1947, one by one the colonies were granted their independence, but many countries kept a link with Britain by joining the Commonwealth of Nations, a free association of ex-‐colonies with the Queen as its head. To replace the workers killed in the war, the British government encouraged people from the Commonwealth to move to Britain. On 22 June 1948, the ship Empire Windrush brought nearly 500 Jamaicans to start a new life in Britain. They were soon followed by immigrants from the rest of the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. Although many of the new migrants were highly skilled, many people were discriminated against, some were suspicious of people from another race, and some because they feared they would lose their jobs to the newcomers. This was the start of a more multicultural Britain, and the trend rapidly spread to the other Western countries of the Commonwealth, leaving us with the variety of people and cultures that make up our modern society. Today, people from the poorer countries of the Commonwealth are still making the journey to the richer countries, of which New Zealand is one, in search of a better life. But there is no special treatment for commonwealth citizens these days, immigration is often strictly controlled and designed to meet the needs of the host country. For those who are successful in their bid, it is the start of a new life with new possibilities. For those who are not, it can mean broken dreams and the shattering of a lifetime's ambition. Countries in the Commonwealth Country
Date They Joined
Their Status
Antigua and Barbuda
1981
Realm
Australia
1931
Realm
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Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
The Bahamas
1973
Realm
Bangladesh
1972
Republic
Barbados
1966
Realm
Belize
1981
Realm
Botswana
1966
Republic
Brunei
1984
Monarchy
Cameroon
1995
Republic
Canada
1931
Realm
Cyprus
1961
Republic
Dominica
1978
Republic
Fiji
1970 (rejoined in 1997 after 10 year lapse) Republic
Ghana
1957
Republic
Grenada
1974
Realm
Guyana
1966
Republic
India
1947
Republic
Jamaica
1962
Realm
Kenya
1963
Republic
Kiribati
1979
Republic
Lesotho
1966
Monarchy
Malawi
1964
Republic
Malaysia
1957
Monarchy
The Maldives
1982
Republic
Malta
1964
Republic
Mauritius
1968
Republic
Mozambique
1995
Republic
Namibia
1990
Republic
Nauru
1968
Republic
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Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
New Zealand
1931
Realm
Nigeria
1960
Republic
Pakistan
1947
Republic
Papua New Guinea
1975
Realm
Rwanda
2009
Republic
St. Christopher and Nevis 1983
Realm
St. Lucia
1979
Realm
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
1979
Realm
Samoa
1970
Republic
Seychelles
1976
Republic
Sierra Leone
1961
Republic
Singapore
1965
Republic
Solomon Islands
1978
Realm
South Africa
1931 (withdrew in 1961, rejoined in 1994) Republic
Sri Lanka
1948
Republic
Swaziland
1968
Monarchy
Tanzania
1968
Monarchy
Tonga
1970
Monarchy
Trinidad and Tobago
1962
Republic
Tuvalu
1978
Realm
United Kingdom
Realm
Uganda
1962
Republic
Vanuatu
1980
Republic
Zambia
http://www.royal.gov.uk/monarchandcommonwealth/commonwealthmembers/members ofthecommonwealth.aspx Ruth Brocklehurst. (2008). The Usborne History Of Great Britain. London: Usborne 8
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
What is New Zealand's immigration policy and why? In the late 18th century and early 19th century, New Zealand was seen as the most isolated country on Earth. By the time Captain James Cook arrived in 1769 there were fewer than 200 travelers in New Zealand. Europeans were discouraged to migrate to New Zealand because of the thought of the 100 day, dangerous journey with New Zealand's supposed bloodthirsty occupants. Sealers were amongst the first visitors to land and 'live' in New Zealand for 11 months. They came for the promised oil and fur for fur hats. These Europeans were the first non-‐Maori to 'live' in New Zealand. Most were temporary visitors but a few stayed, married Maori women and fathered children. As early as 1792, whalers started whaling of the coasts off New Zealand, who were also temporary visitors. Whales provided oil, bone for corsets and ambergris (a waxy substance used for perfume). Maori traditions say that a few of the whalers left their boats and set up on shore, to trade and live out the rest of their lives. Over the years that followed many people from many different cultures and countries migrated to New Zealand, resulting in the New Zealand that we have now. Migration is now controlled through policy that is decided by the government of the day. Through an in depth interview with Paul Foster Bell (The MP of Migration) with my exhibition group, I found out all the points that I needed know about National's immigration policy. National's immigration policy is a document with all the information about immigration and the rules around it. The main aim of an immigration policy is to keep that country safe. Immigration polices don't get changed that often but the government usually updates their immigration policy as a result of other countries changing theirs. The most recent immigration policy was rewritten in 2007 but it has been changed significantly before that. The immigration policy benefits New Zealanders because it enables skilled workers to move to N.Z. to work, which is good for the economy. The National government is currently focusing on 3 key areas: Targeting immigration to benefit New Zealand; Providing better refugee resettlement and Addressing people smuggling. Under each topic there are several other actions related to that subject. Some points under the title ‘Targeting immigration to benefit New Zealand’ are: • Attracting migrants with the skills and talent we need to grow the economy • Attracting international students to study in New Zealand Some points under the title ‘Providing better refugee settlement’ are: 9
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies • •
Resettling the interpreters who supported our troops in Afghanistan before New Zealand's withdrawal Better outcomes for the 750 refugees we take each year, under the world-‐leading Refugee Resettlement Strategy
Some points under the title ‘Addressing people smuggling’ are: • Providing authorities with the legal framework and other tools they need to manage a mass arrival of asylum seekers should one occur In order to achieve these immigration targets, the National government plans to do the following: • Set up job fairs for New Zealand employers in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, to recruit skilled Kiwis to contribute to New Zealand's economic growth • Roll out the Immigration Online service, which will see all visa applications moved online • Continue to look at ways to encourage high value tourism, international students, and business visitors to New Zealand through sensible immigration policies • Support refugees through resettlement and into jobs • Continue to reduce the number of over-‐stayers in New Zealand and work with regional partners to deter people-‐smuggling New Zealand's main aim to get out of the immigration policy (as is said earlier in the report) is to keep New Zealand and New Zealanders safe. All of the points above are for this reason, to keep its inhabitants safe. Paul Foster Bell-‐MP of Migration http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-‐of-‐immigration
What opportunities are there for people from 2nd-‐3rd world countries to migrate to N.Z. and what issues can arise? Through several interviews, but the main ones being with Susan Turnbull and Jane Eom, I gathered a deeper understanding of migration from 2nd and 3rd world countries to New Zealand.
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Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
For poor and unskilled people getting from a 2nd or 3rd world country like New Guinea to New Zealand, would be very hard because they would be unlikely to be able to get a visa, which is needed to enter New Zealand legally. Some people may try and immigrate illegally but this is very difficult because of the size of the Pacific Ocean, which stops people crossing by sea. There is a problem of people being smuggled into New Zealand and made to work and live in horrible conditions after being promised a better life. People smuggling is wrong but plenty of poor 2nd and 3rd world country dwellers see it as a ticket to a better quality life. These people are normally people trying to escape poverty or hardship but are commonly poor and uneducated, so they aren't usually qualified to immigrate or meet the requirements to immigrate legally. These people go to a people smuggler and receive their fake passport and papers. They then get transported by either land, air or water and when they reach their destination they will go to their organized home and promptly flush all their fake papers and passports down the loo never to be seen again, well at least hopefully. But many of these people that have been smuggled are found out and are taken to the authorities. But the selection of people that were smuggled but have not been found out, send an application to the government to seek asylum. Only some of these people are granted asylum, which means that they are officially allowed to stay in that country that they sought asylum in. New Zealand is very much a multi-‐cultural country that has people of many races, but most of these people from 2nd and 3rd world countries (like China and India) were very rich in their own country, so could afford the trip. But the poor people, that don't have the money to pay for the trip naturally struggle. These people want a better life and in their eyes people smuggling is the only way around it, so they do it. These people know that the journey but they think that the risk will be worth it in the end. In my opinion, this is a regional problem that needs a regional resolution. People in 2nd and 3rd world countries that are skilled in an area that New Zealand is lacking, may be actively encouraged to migrate to New Zealand. The reason for this is New Zealand wants to grow its economy and to be able to do that they need to have the people that can do all the jobs that New Zealand needs them to do. New Zealand has a skills shortage list that lets the government know what expertise we are lacking. This list is called The Long Term Shortage List. 11
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
People from 2nd and 3rd world countries also have the opportunity to study in New Zealand. Thousands of young adults wishing to gain diplomas or degrees move to New Zealand each year to study. Many of them are able to successfully get jobs in New Zealand after finishing their qualifications, which may lead to residency and citizenship in the future. However, in order to study in New Zealand you need to have enough money to pay your education fees as well as $15,000 a year to live off. So this would stop poorer people from 2nd and 3rd world countries from being able to study in New Zealand. Education New Zealand is a government organization that manages the process of international education in New Zealand. Education New Zealand has staff members in over 18 countries who are responsible for business development, education diplomacy and marketing activities. Education New Zealand brings in 2.5 billion dollars a year into New Zealand and the government wants to increase that to 5 billion dollars a year by 2025. People moving from a 2nd or 3rd world country to a 1st world country like New Zealand may encounter some of these issues. For starters they may not speak English, so they have to learn it, which is much harder for the adults, because adults naturally use more complex words than children, so these new comers have to learn English and these big complex words. 1st world country dwellers have a very different life style to 2nd and 3rd world country dwellers. Take Korea, for example they have under floor heating, they have no beds, so they use mattresses and they have no other furniture than just those mattresses. This means that they have to adapt to life in New Zealand. Another life style difference is our showers, let's keep using Korea for an example, most houses didn't have showers, they had baths, which the adults used, so the children had to go to a public bath place and pay, like you would to go to a swimming pool. So coming to New Zealand and living in a normal New Zealand house would be so unusual for them. 2nd and 3rd world country dwellers normally look different than 1st world country dwellers, which we are now used to, but back some years, people were very discriminative, so people that looked different from white men, were joked at and made to feel unwelcome. These issues can make these people feel very uncomfortable and make it difficult for them to settle in New Zealand, so people should try to make them feel more comfortable and more welcome, by not joking at them and introducing them to our language and our life style. Vivien Maidaborn-‐Executive Director of UNICEF Mrs. Wood-‐Humanitarian Teacher QMC Paul Foster Bell-‐MP of Migration QMC Year 9s Amanda Calder-‐Funder of the Refugee Reunification Trust Phillippa Middleton-‐Hairdresser 12
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
I have done a quick street survey of whether people are citizens or not. We surveyed people at the train station and along the way. The results were very interesting and intriguing. I interview a total of 25 people, 13 female and 12 male. 11 of the 13 females said they were a citizen, and 2 said they were not. 7 of the 12 males said they were citizens, and 5 said they were not. So as you can see more males said they were not citizens and more females said they were citizens. I have graphed my results below to make it easy:
This report investigated citizenship and immigration opportunities under the central idea 'human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies'. During my investigation I found that citizenship has varying processes depending on where you are in the world, though there are similarities between the systems. I researched what the National Party is doing to help immigration and the reasons that we have an immigration policy, which is to keep New Zealand and New Zealanders safe, otherwise anyone could come into NZ, whether they were good or bad. Through interviews with a number of different people, including Vivien Maidaborn and MP Paul Foster Bell. I found that opportunities for people from 2nd and 3rd world countries vary depending on their circumstances. For example if they are in education and have enough money, they may be able to move to New Zealand to finish their studies. For poor or unskilled people, there are few ways to get to New Zealand apart from being people smuggled. People who are skilled in areas that we are lacking such as hairdressing, or construction, may be able to move here as we need people to do those jobs. However, there are some issues with moving from a 2nd or 3rd world country including cultural differences, different peoples' looks, and language. Human migration can provide opportunities for migrants such as new jobs, better education and a better lifestyle. Host countries also benefit from human migration because they get the skilled people that they need to grow the economy. Human migration can also 13
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
provide challenges for societies such as housing shortages, job shortages and over population. In conclusion I believe that human migration is inevitable for good or for bad, because people are always trying to seek a better life for themselves and their families. I think that migration on the whole is a good thing, but people should not migrate to just one country, otherwise over population will occur and lead to difficulties in that country.
Bibliography:
Iris, Teichmann. (2002). Immigration and Asylum. Belgium: Franklin Watts. http://www.dia.govt.nz/New-‐Zealand-‐citizenship http://www.immigration.govt.nz/ http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/search/teara?keys=immigration http://search.carrot2.org/stable/search?query=immigration+citizenship+new+zealand&res ults=100&source=web&algorithm=lingo&view=foamtree&skin=fancy-‐ compact&EToolsDocumentSource.language=ALL&EToolsDocumentSource.country=ALL&ET oolsDocumentSource.safeSearch=false http://www.immigration.govt.nz/Migrant/Stream/AlreadyInNZ/Residents/BecomingACitize n/default.htm http://www.dia.govt.nz/Services-‐Citizenship-‐Citizenship-‐Fees-‐and-‐Charges?OpenDocument Vivien Maidaborn-‐Executive Director of UNICEF https://www.gov.uk/becoming-‐a-‐british-‐citizen/check-‐if-‐you-‐can-‐apply http://www.expatica.com/fr/visas-‐and-‐permits/A-‐guide-‐to-‐French-‐citizenship-‐and-‐ permanent-‐residence_107626.html http://www.wikihow.com/Become-‐a-‐Citizen-‐of-‐France http://www.wikihow.com/Become-‐a-‐British-‐Citizen Mrs. Wood-‐Humanitarians Teacher QMC Paul Foster Bell-‐MP of Migration QMC Year 9s http://www.royal.gov.uk/monarchandcommonwealth/commonwealthmembers/members ofthecommonwealth.aspx 14
Imogen Turnbull: Human migration can provide opportunities and challenge societies
Amanda Calder-‐Funder of the Refugee Reunification Trust http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/history-‐of-‐immigration Phillippa Middleton-‐Hairdresser Ruth Brocklehurst. (2008). The Usborne History Of Great Britain. London: Usborne
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