This thesis examines the visa mechanism deployed by governments on state borders. I take the Canadian temporary residence visa system experienced by Chinese applicants as my working example. Though the visa system is generally regarded as something essential and efficient for border control, I argue that it only gains its power to judge people’s admissibility from the government’s routinized authority and deemed expertise to deploy the border control mechanisms. The visa system is a realm where governments practise their power on the bordering population and visa applicants are made into subjects of the visa regime. Didier Bigo’s (2005) model of ban-opticon is used as my theoretical model to analyze the Canadian temporary resident visa system in this thesis. Mirroring Bigo’s description of the ban-opticon, I first analyze how the legitimacy of visa system is constructed by the discourse of in-securitization of migration, which, by rendering the migrating population inherently dangerous to the sovereign states, legitimates and necessitates the deployment of border control mechanisms. Also, I argue that the legislation surrounding the Canadian temporary resident visa system not only regulates the operational procedure, but also naturalizes the Canadian government’s expertise in selecting admissible people. Lastly, from the Canadian visa application experience of 9 Chinese applicants, I analyze how the applicants’ admissibility is decided by the visa officers based on their interpretation of the applicants’ identity documents and prediction of the applicants’ future behaviour. Though some means of negotiation are embedded in the mechanism, their existence actually proves that the evaluation system itself is not determinate. As I conclude, the discourse of in-securitization of migration, the related legislation of the visa system, as well as the real-life practices in the process, as the three elements of the ban-opticon on the border, are all at play in the visa regime, jointly making visa applicants into subjects of the government’s power practice on the border. / Thesis (Master, Sociology) -- Queen's University, 2009-10-15 09:56:48.306

The purpose of this research is to understand and measure the integration experiences of Korean immigrants in Manitoba in terms of their social, political, education and employment domains. The primary theory used in this research is social capital. Theories of acculturation, ethnic economy, power and stratification are also used to situate my research. Data was collected using mixed methods comprising a survey of 260 Korean Canadians living in Winnipeg and qualitative interviews with 12 respondents. The analysis shows, among other things, high levels of racism felt by Korean immigrants in Winnipeg. While this perception and daily encounter of discrimination in the community would impede Korean immigrants’ integration into Canada, there also is a strong will to succeed in the community through accessing existing social capital and a willingness to invest in social capital. The contributions made in the development and operationalization of social capital in terms of willingness to invest and social capital mindset are documented. Several program ideas are offered for policy-makers and future research areas have been identified. The development of a political engagement index provides justification for observations made by the social capital theory and immigrant integration literature.

Immigrants, like everyone else, age. Given that well over 13 million immigrants have arrived in Canada since 1901 (Statistics Canada, 2001), it is surprising that researchers have largely failed to examine their mental health in later life. This thesis utilizes data from the Canadian Community Health Survey—Healthy Aging (2010) to compare the mental health of immigrants to that of Canadian-born among the population over the age of 60. Anthony Giddens’ (1984) structuration theory provides a theoretical framework which facilitates examination of the complex relationship among various structural and behavioural independent variables. Findings show that connecting immigrant women with health care providers, encouraging healthy behaviours among immigrant men, ensuring nutritional needs are met in Canada, and boosting opportunities for social support are all ways that we can increase life satisfaction and decrease mood and anxiety conditions in our society.

This thesis will provide an argument against the use of immigration detention for asylum seekers. The thesis will critically analyse the law and policy of immigration detention in Canada. It will argue that the current policy of immigration detention in Canada does not comply with international human rights and obligations. The current policy of immigration detention does not reflect the values enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedom, and the policy of mandatory detention should be abolished immediately. Immigration Detention should be a last resort, only enforced after alternatives to detention have been considered. There should be regular reviews of detention, equally applicable to all immigrants, and detention should last for as brief a period as possible.

Immigrants, like everyone else, age. Given that well over 13 million immigrants have arrived in Canada since 1901 (Statistics Canada, 2001), it is surprising that researchers have largely failed to examine their mental health in later life. This thesis utilizes data from the Canadian Community Health Survey—Healthy Aging (2010) to compare the mental health of immigrants to that of Canadian-born among the population over the age of 60. Anthony Giddens’ (1984) structuration theory provides a theoretical framework which facilitates examination of the complex relationship among various structural and behavioural independent variables. Findings show that connecting immigrant women with health care providers, encouraging healthy behaviours among immigrant men, ensuring nutritional needs are met in Canada, and boosting opportunities for social support are all ways that we can increase life satisfaction and decrease mood and anxiety conditions in our society.

The purpose of this research is to understand and measure the integration experiences of Korean immigrants in Manitoba in terms of their social, political, education and employment domains. The primary theory used in this research is social capital. Theories of acculturation, ethnic economy, power and stratification are also used to situate my research. Data was collected using mixed methods comprising a survey of 260 Korean Canadians living in Winnipeg and qualitative interviews with 12 respondents. The analysis shows, among other things, high levels of racism felt by Korean immigrants in Winnipeg. While this perception and daily encounter of discrimination in the community would impede Korean immigrants’ integration into Canada, there also is a strong will to succeed in the community through accessing existing social capital and a willingness to invest in social capital. The contributions made in the development and operationalization of social capital in terms of willingness to invest and social capital mindset are documented. Several program ideas are offered for policy-makers and future research areas have been identified. The development of a political engagement index provides justification for observations made by the social capital theory and immigrant integration literature.

No description available.

This discussion looks at immigration through philosophical debates of democracy, coercion, and autonomy. There seems to be a fundamental contradiction between democratic state's border control and democratic legitimacy. First, I discuss the democratic legitimacy and the need for democratic justifications with the invasion of autonomy.Then, I discuss Arash Abizadeh's argument that border control is coercive and invades personal autonomy, and David Miller's response that border control does not amount to coercion, but is prevention. I conclude border control invades autonomy even if it is not coercive, and thus, democratic justifications are needed. Ultimately, I suggest that open borders should be encouraged because it is the better alternative to what is required of democratic justification for close borders.

The political reform process that gathered momentum in eastern and south-eastern Europe during 1987 and 1988 was accompanied by a growing exodus of ethnic and cultural Germans (Aussiedler) who sought resettlement in West Germany. The Aussiedler were welcomed enthusiastically by Chancellor Kohl as fellow German compatriots who would be a benefit to the economy. The opposition SPD voiced its concerns over the government's motives for maintaining the open-door Aussiedler immigration policy and over the likely integration difficulties. The government sought to respond to public concerns in 1988 by reassessing its Aussiedler policy. It decided firstly to continue the open-door Aussiedler policy (as a constitutional right), secondly to implement an Aussiedler integration assistance programme and thirdly to seek to persuade potential Aussiedler not to emigrate to West Germany. The thesis adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to analysing the government's open-door Aussiedler policy during the period 1988 to 1992, formulating the political and public concerns over the Aussiedler policy into three main research questions. These questions analyse: 1. Whether the government's declared motives for maintaining the open-door Aussiedler policy were justified. 2. Whether the government's optimism over the ability of Aussiedler to successfully integrate into the employment market was justified. 3. Whether the government's policy of seeking to persuade potential Soviet Aussiedler to remain in their country, by negotiating on the re-creation of an autonomous German Volga republic, was viable. The findings for these three main questions allow for an assessment of government Aussiedler policy for the period 1988 - 1992. The thesis argues that there was evidence during the period of study to support the argument that the Aussiedler group was to a degree instrumentalised by the government to serve its own political, economic and nationalistic purposes. Government confidence concerning Aussiedler employment integration proved to be too optimistic, as Aussiedler had specific causes of unemployment. Furthermore, the attempt to negotiate the re-creation of an autonomous German republic in Russia was unsuccessful. The exodus has continued.

Singapore is a country built entirely by migrants. The topic of migration thus forms a very important part of the history of Singapore, in which much research has been done. However, one aspect of the modern migration history of Singapore has not been wellstudied, and that is illegal immigration. Since centuries ago, people have been smuggled on the very waterways that modern Singapore owes its prosperity to. Today, people are still entering and exiting the country clandestinely using the same waterways. However, as technology develops, the methods by which these people use to enter Singapore clandestinely are constantly changing. Regardless of the change in methods, such clandestine migration often involves great danger and hardship for those who dare to embark on the journey, just as the way it was in the past. This is even more so as Singapore turns from a colony to an independent country, and as the independent government increasingly exercises more control on the type of immigrants it allows into its borders to help take the country to greater heights in terms of prosperity. Immigration policies and laws thus become fine-tuned and people who are deemed ??undesirable?? are filtered out. The strict laws did not, however, deter some people from entering the country in search of a good job and a better life. As Singapore gears itself to receive more legal migrants, it must also be prepared to take measures against illegal immigrants. Illegal immigration is therefore a continuous battle between the authorities and the illegal migrants. Through the use of official and unofficial documents and public resources, some of which are not easily obtainable, this thesis traces the development of illegal immigration from a historical context and explores the life of the illegal migrants in Singapore so as to fill in the gaps on an under-studied topic, as well as the change in mindsets migrants-turned-citizens have towards new migrants, in an attempt to use a historical approach to explain the issue of the social phenomenon of illegal migration to Singapore.