Is immigration good or bad?
On one side, Grubel (et al) argue that the benefits of immigration are dwarfed by the financial costs.
...the welfare state, which is characterized by progressive income taxes and the universality of access to social services. It is well documented that the average incomes of immigrants are well below the average of the native population. Immigrants, therefore, pay less taxes than everyone else. At the same time, immigrants are entitled to virtually all the benefits provided by the welfare state, such as free education, health care and other benefits.
The same authors that argue that immigrants impose financial burdens on the receiving state are the same ones that argue that Canada should close its doors to immigrants and refugees.
The economic and social costs just discussed do not make the case against all immigration but make the case for the selection of immigrants with prospects for economic success that are high enough to eliminate the fiscal burden and the admission of immigrants in numbers small enough to prevent the risk of creating the substantial redistribution of income, the establishment of ethnic enclaves, the threat of jihadist terror and the problems associated with substantial and rapid population increases.
Others argue that migration has positively shaped our world and will determine our future.
...Research at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco concluded that “immigrants expand the economy’s productive capacity by stimulating investment and promoting specialization, which produces efficiency gains and boosts income per worker”.
Research on the net fiscal impact of immigration shows that immigrants contribute significantly more in taxes than the benefits and services they receive in return.
...
...Globally, the population is ageing. There were only 14 million people over the age of 80 living in 1950. There are well over 100 million today and current projections indicate there will be nearly 400 million people over 80 by 2050. With fertility collapsing to below replacement levels in all regions except Africa, experts are predicting rapidly rising dependency ratios...
...that management must come with the recognition that migration has always been one of the most important drivers of human progress and dynamism. Immigration is good. And in the age of globalization, barriers to migration pose a threat to economic growth and sustainability.
...
As an immigration lawyer, and the son of immigrants, I've got a natural bias towards the latter argument as opposed to the former. In my practice, I encounter hard working, skilled individuals that will contribute to the multicultural fabric of this country. Others I have come across seek a better future for themselves and their children, which is a universal and understandable drive. Obviously there must be balancing of competing priorities and tensions. Multiculturalism and integration. Security and free movement of peoples. The funding of our social programs and the demands that newcomers may place on them. On the whole, Canada seems to be striking the right balance.
Comments