Immigration News: June, 2002 - Volume #9

NORTH AMERICA

INS: EBSVERA, Visas, Border
The Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act (EBSVERA) of 2001 was signed into law in May 2002.

Labor: Social Security, H-1B
The unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to six percent in April 2002, its highest level since 1994

Politics, California-Census
President Bush is winning the favor of Hispanics.

Canada: Immigration Up, Border
A March-April 2002 poll found that Canadian satisfaction with the current level of immigration returned to pre-September 11 levels

Mexico: Policy, Labor
Mexican President Fox has so far failed to achieve his major foreign policy initiative, progress toward a borderless North America.

Latin America
The distribution of income in Latin America is sharply unequal.

ASIA

China: Migrants, Hong Kong
China has a "floating population" of 150 million to 200 million rural residents who have migrated to cities to take low-paying jobs that urbanites shun

North Koreans in Japan, South Korea
North Koreans continue to try to enter foreign embassies and consulates in China, and then negotiate passage to South Korea.

Southeast Asia
There is a mountain of unfunded and unredeemable debt in Asia; borrowers are unable to repay some $2 trillion.

EUROPE

EU: Illegal Immigration, Labor
Spain and the UK plan to present a series of proposals at the June 20-21, 2002 EU summit in Seville to step up the fight against illegal migration.

France, Netherlands: Le Pen, Pim Fortuyn
Europeans in May 2002 discussed anti-immigrant extremism

UK: Asylum, Labor
Prime Minister Tony Blair outlined a plan to "regain the initiative" on asylum and immigration.

Northern Europe
An agreement was reached with the right-wing Danish People's Party on a new law to establish stricter rules for obtaining permanent residence and Danish citizenship

Southern Europe
Spain has adopted a "hospitality with responsibility" policy.

Germany: Campaign, Labor
Edmund Stoiber, the Prime Minister of Bavaria, in May 2002 said that Turkey should not be admitted to the EU.

Eastern Europe
The 12 million Roma, the Gypsies of Europe, are trying to unite to fight what they see as their increasing marginalization in Eastern Europe

OTHER

Australia, New Zealand
Australia announced that it would accept 105,000 immigrants a year for the next four years, up from 93,000 in the June 2001-02 fiscal year.

Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Israel
Saudi Arabia, with about seven million foreigners, deports more than 700,000 illegal migrants each year

South Africa
A new immigration bill was rushed through Parliament in May 2002 in order to meet a June 2, 2002 constitutional court deadline for its enactment.

Elderly, Seafarers
About 10 percent or 620 million of the world's 6.2 billion residents are over 60