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Immigration Havens - European Country Tops the List
Published on: Mon, 06 Feb 2006 17:29:26 GMT
The complex and often controversial issue of immigration is once again near the top of the political agenda in many industrialized countries. Witness, for example, the recent riots in Australia or the U.S. debate over illegal immigration. We wonder: Which of the following countries experienced the highest rate of net migration between 2000 and 2005? A. Australia, B. Spain, C. Canada, D. United States.
A. Australia is not correct.
Between 2000 and 2005, Australia's net migration rate averaged 5.1 people a year per 1,000 of its population. The net migration rate is defined as the balance between the number of persons entering and leaving the country, including illegal immigrants.
Australia's dynamic economy has attracted many immigrants in recent years, many of them from Asia. Still, immigration has long been a contentious issue in a country that, until the 1950s, severely restricted immigration by non-whites -- with tensions culminating in the December 2005 riots in Sydney.
B. Spain is correct.
Spain experienced the highest net migration rate of the four countries between 2000 and 2005 -- with 9.7 people per 1,000 of its population, according to data by the U.N. Population Division.
Morocco accounts for the largest share of foreigners residing in Spain, with many immigrants also coming from South American countries (such as Ecuador, Colombia and Argentina) and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria and Romania). In 2005, some 700,000 illegal immigrants used a three-month amnesty program to register with Spanish authorities.
C. Canada is not correct.
Between 2000 and 2005, Canada had a net migration rate of 6.7 per 1,000 of its population. This openness to foreign newcomers reflects the country's long history as an immigrant destination as well as its willingness to accept foreign refugees and its embrace of multiculturalism.
However, like many other industrialized countries, Canada has sought to attract more skilled immigrants to fill the needs of Canada's growing economy.
D. United States is not correct.
With four immigrants coming to U.S. shores each year on a net basis per 1,000 of the country's population, the United States has a lower rate of net migration than Australia, Canada or Spain.
In the most recent year, 2005, the net migration rate into the United States is estimated at 3.3 per 1,000 of population -- less than the rate of the 25 European Union member countries, which stood at an estimated 3.7 per 1,000 population in 2005.
SOURCE: The Globalist
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