Immigration is the international movement of people into a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle or reside there, especially as permanent residents or naturalized citizens, or to take up employment as a migrant worker or temporarily as a foreign worker.
What are some of the questions you have about immigration? What do you know about immigrants and refugees? Are there any things that make it difficult for them to live in your country, like language barriers, lack of job skills, or medical issues?
In this, we will learn more about immigration terminology and some common questions people have regarding this topic.
Table of Contents
Immigration: Terminology
These are some important terms that you should understand to speak about Immigration properly:
Asylum seeker – A person who seeks safety from persecution or serious harm in a country other than his or her own and awaits a decision on the application for refugee status under relevant international and national instruments.
Immigration – A process by which non-nationals move into a country for the purpose of settlement.
Migration – The movement of a person or a group of persons, either across an international border or within a State. It
Naturalization – Granting by a State of its nationality to a non-national through a formal act on the application of the individual concerned.
Refugee – A person who, “owing to a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinions, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.
Trafficking in persons – “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
Xenophobia – At the international level, no universally accepted definition of xenophobia exists, though it can be described as attitudes, prejudices, and behavior that reject, exclude, and often vilify persons, based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners to the community, society or national identity.
Immigration Discussion Questions
These are four sets of Immigration Discussion Questions
Set #1: Immigration Questions
This is the first set of immigration questions
- Why do people immigrate to other countries?
- Do you know any immigrants?
- Do you think that immigrants are treated well in in most countries?
- Do you think there is a relation between immigration and crime?
- What should be done with the illegal immigrants entering a country?
- Should the country of origin of illegal immigrants be held responsible?
- Should employers who employ illegal immigrants be penalized?
- Should illegal immigrants be deported?
Set #2: Immigration Questions
This is the second set of immigration questions
- Why are we challenged by the arrival of migrants in our country?
- Aren’t there terrorists among the migrants who arrive?
- How can we fight smuggling and trafficking of Human Beings?
- Should migrants not stay in their own countries?
- How do we integrate migrants?
- Will migrants steal our jobs?
- Will migrants and refugees will take away our pensions?
- Is inter-religious dialogue necessary when migrants have a different religion to the host country’s?
Set #3: Immigration Questions
This is the third set of immigration questions
- When is immigration helpful to a country and when is harmful?
- Do you think your country needs more or less immigrants?
- What nationalities are most immigrants who come to your country?
- What would happen if we erased all country borders and let people live wherever they wanted?
- Does your country have strict immigration laws? Should the laws be less strict or stricter?
- Do illegal immigrants pay taxes?
- What is the best method to slow or stop immigration?
- How do immigrants help a country’s economy?
Set #4: Immigration Questions
This is the fourth set of immigration questions
- Are illegal immigrants driving down wages?
- Are today’s immigrants different from 100 years ago?
- Why don’t immigrants come here legally?
- Why don’t immigrants want to learn English?
- Are illegal immigrants taking jobs?
- Do illegal immigrants commit a disproportionate amount of crime, apart from the act of living illegally?
- Do illegal immigrants collect public benefits?
- Are illegal immigrants contributing to the health care crisis?
Immigratio Questions and Myths
Prepare six workstations around the room. Place a sheet of poster paper at each workstation.
Write one of the immigration myths below on the top of the poster paper
Workstation 1: Most immigrants are here illegally.
Workstation 2: It’s easy to enter the country legally. My ancestors did; why can’t immigrants today?
Workstation 3: Immigrants take good jobs from citizens.
Workstation 4: “The worst” people from other countries are coming and bringing crime and violence.
Workstation 5: Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes and burden the national economy.
Workstation 6: Banning immigrants and refugees from majority-Muslim countries will protect our country from terrorists.
