Immigrants: dreamers, doers

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339213667_Immigrants_-_Dreamers_DoersPublished versionPublished versio

Labour market performance of immigrants in smaller regions of western countries: some evidence from Atlantic Canada

Despite recent interest in regionalization of immigration in host nations, most studies have analyzed immigrants’ economic performance by largely focusing on their overall national performance. A regional analysis is necessary because changing geographic distribution of immigrants can affect their economic performance positively or negatively. Present paper focuses on Atlantic Canada whose share in annual Canadian immigrant inflows has been traditionally low, but where recent policy initiatives have resulted in greater attraction and retention of immigrants. Immigrants are found performing better than non-immigrants in regional labour market. The importance of regional analysis of immigrants’ economic performance and contribution in host nations is highlighted

Massachusetts Immigrants by the Numbers: Demographic Characteristics and Economic Footprint

Massachusetts Immigrants by the Numbers: Demographic Characteristics and Economic Footprint is the first ILC-commissioned study that looks across the contributions that immigrants make in all their roles as members of the Massachusetts community. It is a groundbreaking study that provides basic and new data about Massachusetts immigrants including pioneering compilations of data about immigrants as tax payers and consumers. This one report provides a comprehensive picture of immigrants' characteristics and their contributions as well as challenges to their effective integration into the economic and social life of the state. The ILC hopes that this study will reinforce its continuing mission to raise the visibility of immigrants as assets to America

Attitudes towards immigration in Europe

This paper examines attitudes towards immigration across a range of countries in Europe. In line with the current literature we find evidence that both economic and non-economic factors shape attitudes towards the arrival of immigrants. However, we also show that the relative importance of these factors depends crucially on the race of the arriving immigrants. We find that economic considerations are more likely to shape attitudes towards the arrival of same race immigrants, while immigrants of a different race are perceived to have a negative impact on the country´s culture. Moreover, educated natives perceive labour market competition from arriving immigrants of the same race only

Genetic algorithms with memory- and elitism-based immigrants in dynamic environments

Copyright @ 2008 by the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyIn recent years the genetic algorithm community has shown a growing interest in studying dynamic optimization problems. Several approaches have been devised. The random immigrants and memory schemes are two major ones. The random immigrants scheme addresses dynamic environments by maintaining the population diversity while the memory scheme aims to adapt genetic algorithms quickly to new environments by reusing historical information. This paper investigates a hybrid memory and random immigrants scheme, called memory-based immigrants, and a hybrid elitism and random immigrants scheme, called elitism-based immigrants, for genetic algorithms in dynamic environments. In these schemes, the best individual from memory or the elite from the previous generation is retrieved as the base to create immigrants into the population by mutation. This way, not only can diversity be maintained but it is done more efficiently to adapt genetic algorithms to the current environment. Based on a series of systematically constructed dynamic problems, experiments are carried out to compare genetic algorithms with the memory-based and elitism-based immigrants schemes against genetic algorithms with traditional memory and random immigrants schemes and a hybrid memory and multi-population scheme. The sensitivity analysis regarding some key parameters is also carried out. Experimental results show that the memory-based and elitism-based immigrants schemes efficiently improve the performance of genetic algorithms in dynamic environments.This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) of the United Kingdom under Grant EP/E060722/01

Bypassing Civil Gideon: A Legislative Proposal

Eighty-four percent of immigrants appearing before immigration judges are unrepresented. Immigration judges are overwhelmed with the dual role of adjudicating cases and serving as counsel to pro se individuals appearing before them. In addition, due to the rising costs of retaining a lawyer, immigrants are turning to immigrant consultants. These incompetent and unscrupulous individuals are preying on vulnerable immigrants and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. In addressing unmet legal needs for immigrants, most advocacy efforts for immigrants regarding the acquisition of competent representation focus on persuading the courts that immigrants appearing before an immigration judge have a constitutional right to government-paid counsel. This tactic has repeatedly failed. This Article, however, explores an alternative strategy -- expanding immigrants’ access to qualified and trained nonlawyer representatives. Increasing access to these accredited representatives would provide immigrants with accurate counsel and advice about the availability of immigration relief; reduce backlog and delay in the immigration agencies; and ensure the individual has a competent advocate demanding fair adjudication of his or her application for immigration relief. In order to accomplish these objectives, the Article puts forth a federal legislative proposal on how to expand the current number of nonlawyer representatives so that every indigent immigrant in need of representation is guaranteed a government-funded representative; creates an interagency taskforce to investigate and federally prosecute individuals who are defrauding immigrants; and makes engaging in the unauthorized practice of law a federal crime. The proposal also provides a plan for funding this new initiative including establishing a dedicated immigrant victim rights fund. Eighty-four percent of immigrants appearing before immigration judges are unrepresented. Immigration judges are overwhelmed with the dual role of adjudicating cases and serving as counsel to pro se individuals appearing before them. In addition, due to the rising costs of retaining a lawyer, immigrants are turning to immigrant consultants. These incompetent and unscrupulous individuals are preying on vulnerable immigrants and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. In addressing unmet legal needs for immigrants, most advocacy efforts for immigrants regarding the acquisition of competent representation focus on persuading the courts that immigrants appearing before an immigration judge have a constitutional right to government-paid counsel. This tactic has repeatedly failed. This Article, however, explores an alternative strategy -- expanding immigrants’ access to qualified and trained nonlawyer representatives. Increasing access to these accredited representatives would provide immigrants with accurate counsel and advice about the availability of immigration relief; reduce backlog and delay in the immigration agencies; and ensure the individual has a competent advocate demanding fair adjudication of his or her application for immigration relief. In order to accomplish these objectives, the Article puts forth a federal legislative proposal on how to expand the current number of nonlawyer representatives so that every indigent immigrant in need of representation is guaranteed a government-funded representative; creates an interagency taskforce to investigate and federally prosecute individuals who are defrauding immigrants; and makes engaging in the unauthorized practice of law a federal crime. The proposal also provides a plan for funding this new initiative including establishing a dedicated immigrant victim rights fund. Eighty-four percent of immigrants appearing before immigration judges are unrepresented. Immigration judges are overwhelmed with the dual role of adjudicating cases and serving as counsel to pro se individuals appearing before them. In addition, due to the rising costs of retaining a lawyer, immigrants are turning to immigrant consultants. These incompetent and unscrupulous individuals are preying on vulnerable immigrants and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. In addressing unmet legal needs for immigrants, most advocacy efforts for immigrants regarding the acquisition of competent representation focus on persuading the courts that immigrants appearing before an immigration judge have a constitutional right to government-paid counsel. This tactic has repeatedly failed. This Article, however, explores an alternative strategy -- expanding immigrants’ access to qualified and trained nonlawyer representatives. Increasing access to these accredited representatives would provide immigrants with accurate counsel and advice about the availability of immigration relief; reduce backlog and delay in the immigration agencies; and ensure the individual has a competent advocate demanding fair adjudication of his or her application for immigration relief. In order to accomplish these objectives, the Article puts forth a federal legislative proposal on how to expand the current number of nonlawyer representatives so that every indigent immigrant in need of representation is guaranteed a government-funded representative; creates an interagency taskforce to investigate and federally prosecute individuals who are defrauding immigrants; and makes engaging in the unauthorized practice of law a federal crime. The proposal also provides a plan for funding this new initiative including establishing a dedicated immigrant victim rights fund. Eighty-four percent of immigrants appearing before immigration judges are unrepresented. Immigration judges are overwhelmed with the dual role of adjudicating cases and serving as counsel to pro se individuals appearing before them. In addition, due to the rising costs of retaining a lawyer, immigrants are turning to immigrant consultants. These incompetent and unscrupulous individuals are preying on vulnerable immigrants and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. In addressing unmet legal needs for immigrants, most advocacy efforts for immigrants regarding the acquisition of competent representation focus on persuading the courts that immigrants appearing before an immigration judge have a constitutional right to government-paid counsel. This tactic has repeatedly failed. This Article, however, explores an alternative strategy -- expanding immigrants’ access to qualified and trained nonlawyer representatives. Increasing access to these accredited representatives would provide immigrants with accurate counsel and advice about the availability of immigration relief; reduce backlog and delay in the immigration agencies; and ensure the individual has a competent advocate demanding fair adjudication of his or her application for immigration relief. In order to accomplish these objectives, the Article puts forth a federal legislative proposal on how to expand the current number of nonlawyer representatives so that every indigent immigrant in need of representation is guaranteed a government-funded representative; creates an interagency taskforce to investigate and federally prosecute individuals who are defrauding immigrants; and makes engaging in the unauthorized practice of law a federal crime. The proposal also provides a plan for funding this new initiative including establishing a dedicated immigrant victim rights fund. Eighty-four percent of immigrants appearing before immigration judges are unrepresented. Immigration judges are overwhelmed with the dual role of adjudicating cases and serving as counsel to pro se individuals appearing before them. In addition, due to the rising costs of retaining a lawyer, immigrants are turning to immigrant consultants. These incompetent and unscrupulous individuals are preying on vulnerable immigrants and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. In addressing unmet legal needs for immigrants, most advocacy efforts for immigrants regarding the acquisition of competent representation focus on persuading the courts that immigrants appearing before an immigration judge have a constitutional right to government-paid counsel. This tactic has repeatedly failed. This Article, however, explores an alternative strategy -- expanding immigrants’ access to qualified and trained nonlawyer representatives. Increasing access to these accredited representatives would provide immigrants with accurate counsel and advice about the availability of immigration relief; reduce backlog and delay in the immigration agencies; and ensure the individual has a competent advocate demanding fair adjudication of his or her application for immigration relief. In order to accomplish these objectives, the Article puts forth a federal legislative proposal on how to expand the current number of nonlawyer representatives so that every indigent immigrant in need of representation is guaranteed a government-funded representative; creates an interagency taskforce to investigate and federally prosecute individuals who are defrauding immigrants; and makes engaging in the unauthorized practice of law a federal crime. The proposal also provides a plan for funding this new initiative including establishing a dedicated immigrant victim rights fund. Eighty-four percent of immigrants appearing before immigration judges are unrepresented. Immigration judges are overwhelmed with the dual role of adjudicating cases and serving as counsel to pro se individuals appearing before them. In addition, due to the rising costs of retaining a lawyer, immigrants are turning to immigrant consultants. These incompetent and unscrupulous individuals are preying on vulnerable immigrants and engaging in the unauthorized practice of law. In addressing unmet legal needs for immigrants, most advocacy efforts for immigrants regarding the acquisition of competent representation focus on persuading the courts that immigrants appearing before an immigration judge have a constitutional right to government-paid counsel. This tactic has repeatedly failed. This Article, however, explores an alternative strategy -- expanding immigrants’ access to qualified and trained nonlawyer representatives. Increasing access to these accredited representatives would provide immigrants with accurate counsel and advice about the availability of immigration relief; reduce backlog and delay in the immigration agencies; and ensure the individual has a competent advocate demanding fair adjudication of his or her application for immigration relief. In order to accomplish these objectives, the Article puts forth a federal legislative proposal on how to expand the current number of nonlawyer representatives so that every indigent immigrant in need of representation is guaranteed a government-funded representative; creates an interagency taskforce to investigate and federally prosecute individuals who are defrauding immigrants; and makes engaging in the unauthorized practice of law a federal crime. The proposal also provides a plan for funding this new initiative including establishing a dedicated immigrant victim rights fund

Dreams and Schemes in Queens, New York: Immigrant Struggles to Find Work and Get Status in the Face of Consumer Fraud

This report documents the systemic nature of consumer frauds committed against immigrants and offers solutions for improved laws, policies, and enforcement mechanisms to better protect immigrants. While this research focuses on the experience of Latino immigrants in one area of Queens, our findings speak to a larger problem affecting New York City and the rest of the country

The labor market impact of immigration in Western Germany in the 1990’s

In this article we measure the effects of recent immigration on the Western German labor market looking at both wage and employment effects. Refining administrative data for the period 1987-2001 to account for ethnic German immigrants and immigrants from Eastern Germany, we find that the substantial immigration of the 1990’s had very little adverse effects on native wages and on their employment levels. Instead, it had a sizable adverse employment effect as well as a small adverse wage effect on previous waves of immigrants. These asymmetric results are partly driven by a higher degree of substitution between old and new immigrants in the labor market. In a simple calculation we show that the largest aggregate effect of new immigration on natives and old immigrants comes from the increased costs of unemployment benefits to old immigrants. Those costs could be eliminated in a world of wage flexibility and no unemployment insurance in which immigration would not have any negative employment effect but only moderate wage effects

Barriers to English Language Learners in the Chicago Metropolitan Area

Immigrants from all over the world are continuing to move to Illinois in large numbers. As they settle into an increasingly diverse range of communities within metropolitan Chicago, this expansion of ports of entry creates new challenges for the state and local communities in assessing and meeting their needs.In 2000-2001 the Center for Impact Research (CIR) conducted research to address the following questions:-- Where are immigrants in northeastern Illinois moving and how does the migration pattern today differ from previous trends?-- How many immigrants are in need of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction? Where do these immigrants reside?-- What barriers can be identified that prevent or make it difficult for immigrants to learn English?-- What are the employment patterns of immigrants that might affect their ability to have time or access to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)?Methodology: CIR analyzed demographic data, primarily to establish the communities in northeastern Illinois that needed to be targeted for further investigation. Material consisted of Census data from 1990 and 2000, Current Population Surveys from 1994-1998, as well as information from academics, demographers, and community leaders who were able to provide more accurate and up-to-date information about immigration patterns and trends.To determine experiences with, and barriers to ESOL instruction, CIR conducted 76 interviews with immigrant service organizations and ESOL providers in the Chicago metropolitan area. In addition, CIR conducted 37 interviews with Mexican and Polish immigrants throughout the region and with Chinese immigrants in Chicago to confirm or validate information from social service providers and to further identify barriers and issues around ESOL instruction. Lastly, McHenry County College, at our request, administered a written survey in Spanish to 200 immigrants in ESOL classes at the college.This report presents the findings from this research. As ESOL providers work to meet the needs of their students while maintaining the integrity and professionalism of their instruction, the thoughts and opinions of ESOL students and other immigrants in the Chicago metropolitan area enrich the discussion of issues under consideration by policy makers, funders, and ESOL learning centers

Immigration and the U.S. labour market

Over the last several decades, two of the most significant developments in the U.S. labor market have been: (1) rising inequality, and (2) growth in both the size and the diversity of immigration flows. Because a large share of new immigrants arrive with very low levels of schooling, English proficiency, and other skills that have become increasingly important determinants of success in the U.S. labor market, an obvious concern is that such immigrants are a poor fit for the restructured American economy. In this chapter, we evaluate this concern by discussing evidence for the United States on two relevant topics: the labor market integration of immigrants, and the impact of immigration on the wages and employment opportunities of native workers. In these dimensions, the overall labor market performance of U.S. immigrants seems quite favorable. U.S. immigrants have little trouble finding jobs, and this is particularly true of unskilled immigrants. Most U.S. immigrants experience substantial earnings growth as they adapt to the American labor market. For most immigrant groups, the U.S.-born second generation has achieved socioeconomic parity with mainstream society; for some Hispanic groups, however, this is not the case. On the whole, immigration to the United States has not had large adverse consequences for the labor market opportunities of native workers. Therefore, with regard to the economic integration and labor market impacts of immigration, it is not obvious that the seemingly haphazard nature of U.S. immigration policy has led to unfavorable outcomes