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An immigration policy is any policy of a state that affects the transit of
persons across its borders, but especially those that intend to work and to
remain in the country. Immigration policies can range from isolationism, where
no migration at all is allowed, to free immigration, where most forms of
migration are allowed.
Immigration policy is often closely related to other policies:
Tax, tariff and trade rules that determine what goods they may bring with them,
what services they may perform while temporarily in the country, and etc.and who
is allowed to remain, e.g. the European Union has no immigration restrictions
within it, any resident of any of the signatory nations may move and seek work
anywhere within.
investment policy that permits wealthy immigrants to invest in businesses in
exchange for favorable treatment, early issuance of passports and permanent
resident status.
agricultural policy that may make exemptions for migrant farm workers, who
typically enter a country only for the harvest season and then return home to a
developing nation (such as Mexico or Jamaica which often send such workers to US
and Canada respectively).
An important aspect of immigration policy is the treatment of refugees, more
or less helpless or stateless people who throw themselves on the mercy of the
state they enter, seeking refuge from some poor treatment in their country of
origin.
With the rise of terrorism worldwide, another major concern is the national
security of nations that let masses of people across their borders. These
concerns often lead to intrusive security searches and tighter visa
requirements, which discourage all forms of immigration, and even discourage
temporary visitors to a great degree.
There is often pressure on nations to loosen immigration policy or inspections
to enable tourism and relocation of businesses to a country, from a destabilized
region.
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