The countries that do not want immigrants, and the one that welcomes them with open arms

Many countries are debating how to balance these interests, when a solution that is becoming more and more popular is to treat immigration as a dual track: temporary work immigration – by definition for economic needs, and immigration for settlement needs under completely different criteria. While other countries in the world, such as Spain, continue to receive permanent immigration from all over the world. Which model will succeed? Not yet clear.

U.S

Struggling with the question of who is an American

In recent years, the US has been changing its face in many ways, with the most notable being probably its immigration policy. The hostility towards what was perceived as excessive immigration and a dramatic change in the US’s tone led to a backlash and a push towards closing borders.

Beyond taking decisive actions against illegal immigration, the United States is now also working to limit legal immigration. According to the new policy, applicants for permanent residence in the United States (“Green Card”) will be required to return to their countries of origin to apply through an American consulate. Immigration officials told CBS News that the memorandum would force “temporary visa holders, as well as those who entered legally but overstayed their visas, to leave the country before attempting to obtain a green card through the sponsorship of a US citizen spouse or employer.”

According to Rotem Org-Kliski, an expert in American politics, “The Trump administration has recognized immigration as an issue that can be politically exploited. It is an issue that meets people at several different points: in terms of economic security, because immigrants allegedly take jobs and are a burden on the welfare state. In terms of personal security, if they bring drugs and crime, and they also change the character of the community.”

Still, the United States was founded as a country of immigrants, and it remains so to this day: according to the Pew Institute, out of about 340 million Americans, about 15% were born outside the United States. The main road into the US is through the green card route, through which over a million immigrants pass each year. In addition, tens of millions come to the US every year temporarily with work, study or tourism visas. The most difficult number to trace is that of illegal immigrants. But the estimates are that about 14 million illegal immigrants are currently in the US.

The question of immigration hides an even deeper question for the US: who is an American, and how can one become an American? The US, historically, is a civil nation-state. But there are those who want to change that: Org-Klisky explains that “JD Vance recently said that in his opinion, those whose ancestors fought in the American Civil War have a greater part in the American story than those who immigrated later.” On the other hand, he comments, “Vance himself is also married to an immigrant, and Trump is ‘only’ a third generation in the USA.”

Japan

The goal: permanent residency

Japan is probably one of the most distinct ethnic nation states in the world. Over 98% of Japan’s residents are ethnic Japanese, and Japan’s immigration policy is designed to preserve the situation. On the other hand, the country is in a severe demographic crisis and desperately needs workers to fill the ranks in certain professions. The right-wing government of the new Prime Minister Takaichi decided to further tighten the conditions for permanent residency in Japan (there is nothing to speak of about citizenship), while at the same time facilitating the arrival of temporary workers.

Prof. Rotem Kovner, an expert on Japan from the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Haifa says that “the only way to become a Japanese citizen is to marry a Japanese person. And actually, even that is not enough: you have to live in Japan for 10 years, which is an increase from 5 years before, and you have to prove payment of taxes and social security.” Otherwise, he emphasizes “it’s simply impossible. Foreigners can live for decades in Japan and not get citizenship. There are few exceptions, but they require an achievement at the level of a Nobel Prize.”

Therefore, the real debate in Japan is about permanent residency. A status that allows you to stay in Japan indefinitely, but even then: “I know Israelis who have been in Japan for 25 to 30 years, and still fear their fate. You can lose residency because of late payment of taxes or even a traffic violation.”

The treatment of Indonesian immigrants, for example, is particularly harsh: “They receive 3-year contracts, and they work in fishing, factories and agriculture. But as soon as they finish the contract, they are sent home and cannot return to Japan as workers ever.” In addition, every foreign worker in Japan must register with a local sponsor, usually the employer, called a “granto”. Any problem the worker makes will also involve his sponsor, such as crime, problems paying taxes and even delay in paying rent.

United Arab Emirates

Majority of non-citizen residents

The Gulf principalities are a completely unique case in the world. These are the only countries where the majority of residents are not citizens, but temporary workers without permanent status. In the United Arab Emirates, for example, about 88% of the population was born outside the country. This creates a situation in which the country itself is diverse and international, and it is very easy to arrive, work and invest in it – but the ability to truly immigrate and obtain permanent and stable status is almost non-existent.

“As the development of oil progressed, it became necessary to build a lot of physical infrastructure,” says Dr. Nahum Shilo, an expert on the Gulf countries and Yemen at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University. This resulted in a massive influx of “replaceable labor. If 100 workers die while building a stadium, no big deal. We send a request for another 100 in their place.”

In the past, the conditions for the immigrants were extreme: “The foreign worker was subject to a specific employer. You could only work for the person who brought you into the country. The employer would take your passport, and you were not even allowed to leave the country without finishing the work contract. In many cases, this crossed the line into human trafficking,” says Dr. Sheila.

In recent years, not only manual workers have been arriving, but also “a layer of educated people, academics. Including high-tech workers, and of course the fattening and fattening of the rich investors who are trying to attract with various gold visas.” And accordingly, educated and sought-after workers receive much greater freedom than manual workers.

In any case, none of this is an opening to citizenship or even permanent residency: according to Dr. Sheila, “They want the citizens to remain local Arabs.” The status of anyone who arrives is necessarily temporary and the state is not afraid for a moment to deport people. This creates a unique situation in which there is a majority of immigrants from the population, but they cannot demographically threaten the hard core of the permanent citizens.