Blogging from Prague #6

In comparing the immigration and refugee policies from various countries, there are always interesting tidbits that stand out to those of us who regularly view these issues through a United States lens.

In Greece, 11 percent of the total population is immigrant. More than half come from Albania, followed by Bulgarians. The main objective of an immigration law enacted in early 1990s was concerned with restricting migration—to prevent the entrance of undocumented immigrants and facilitate the expulsion of those already present in Greek territory, by means of simplifying the expulsion procedures. The law gave a certain degree of autonomy to local police and judiciary authorities and also penalizing undocumented alien stay in the country.  Some changes in the past decade favor employment visas. Employer who are interesting in hiring a foreign worker can apply to their local prefecture who can issue a work invitation to a specific foreign citizen to obtain a visa. Also a stay permit for a person who makes a financial investment of at least 300,000 euros (about $400,000) is possible. An important feature of Greek migration policy has been the distinction between immigrants of Greek descent and others. Those of Greek descent (e.g., many Albanians) receive preference.

I’ve written extensively about Ireland for comparative purposes in my book Ethical Borders — NAFTA, Globalization, and Mexican Migration. However, here’s a few noteworthy items. Ireland became an immigrant receiving country after it’s membership in the EU became official. The two main groups driving many recent changes are refugees (because of Refugee Convention obligations) and labor migrants (primarily from other parts of the EU). Until 2005, a child who was born in Ireland was automatically an Irish citizen, and his/her parents were granted residency as well. Now, In order to become an Irish citizen at birth, one of the parents must have been legally resident in Ireland for three years.

In Portugal, the largest immigrant group is from Cape Verde. But interestingly, the migration of Brazilians to Portugal has created interesting actions. The penetration of the Brazilian culture in Portugal, especially through TV programs and soap operas, has played a role in the relative knowledger of the Brazilian way of life. This has contributed, together with the reasonable level of education shared by the average Brazilian national in Portugal, to a phenomenon of mixed integration-assimilation in the Portuguese society. The dark side is the increase in women trafficking reaching Portugal. But prostitution is not defined as a crime in Portugal. Brazilian immigrants with at least three years of legal residence in Portugal may request the “status of equality,” which includes either plain civil rights and duties or political rights.

bh