The growing number of Iraqi refugees might soon have even fewer places to flee to, as Syria announced it would start introducing mandatory visas from September 10. Neighboring Jordan has essentially already closed down its borders to Iraqi migrants, though no similar visa scheme has been introduced. European countries have also all but replaced their borders with a wall, when it comes to Iraqis fleeing the hardship of ongoing civil war and military occupation. This newest Syrian initiative could also affect visa regulations for the United States, as the New York Times goes on to say: “The beginning of a visa program in Syria could present serious obstacles for the American program to resettle refugees in the United States because Iraqis are required to be interviewed by American immigration authorities outside Iraq. The United States is considering Iraqi candidates for refugee status from countries in the region, but the overwhelming majority are in Syria and Jordan.” More on this story can also be found in the Sept. 4 edition of the Financial Times.
- Ahead of the EU-Neighborhood Summit in Brussels, Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner has called for the creation of “mobility partnerships” to facilitate legal access to EU territories for migrant workers from countries that are a part of the official European Neighborhood Policy. She shared her thoughts at a speech at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg.
- The Center for Immigration Studies, a self-proclaimed “pro-immigrant, low-immigration think-tank which seeks fewer immigrants but a warmer welcome for those admitted” has published a new study, according to which the current level of net immigration (1.25 million a year) will add 105 million to the nation's population by 2060. While immigration makes the population larger, it has a small effect on the aging of society. In an article in the International Herald Tribune, Mark L. Haas is an assistant professor of political science at Duquesne University, looks at the effects a changing demographic landscape could have on future US policies and suggests that “To protect its international security, the United States needs to maintain its enviable demographic position. Specifically, it should reduce Social Security and Medicare payments to wealthier citizens, raise the retirement age to reflect increases in life expectancies, maintain largely open immigration policies, and, above all, restrain the rising costs of its healthcare system. A defining political question of the 21st century is whether American leaders have sufficient political will and wisdom to implement these and related policies. Failure to do so will significantly jeopardize future levels of America's global influence and safety.”
- The UNHCR has developed a range of teaching materials to help educators address the issues of refugees and migration with students.
- And finally, two pamphlets/books worth reading: The Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) has published two recent, topical publications on the issue of migration. First, Sergio Carrera and Elspeth Guild outline the main contents of the EU proposal to sanction employers of irregular migrants by looking at the obligations and sanctions applicable to the employer, the procedures foreseen for the presentation of complaints as well as the set of guarantees provided to the third country national worker. The authors analyze its added value and compatibility with some general principles of European Union law. In a Policy Brief, Carrera and Florian Geyer examine the compromise reached on the future of the EU Treaty from Justice and Home Affairs perspective. With the formal scrapping of the "pillar structure', this policy field will be among those most fundamentally changed by the new framework. By presenting these changes and highlighting the great number of exceptions and derogations, the authors assess the potentially serious implications of the Reform Treaty for the common EU Area of Freedom, Security and Justice and offer some suggestions to help avoid the inherent hazards.