Jason Teoh, FCPHR 🏳️‍🌈’s Post

Another learning day Extract-'You're not welcome here': Australia’s treatment of disabled migrants With a third of its population born abroad, Australia has long seen itself as a “migration nation” - a multicultural home for immigrants that promises them a fair go and a fresh start. The idea is baked into its identity. But the reality is often different, especially for those who have a disability or a serious medical condition. It is one of few countries that routinely rejects immigrants’ visas on the basis of their medical needs - specifically if the cost of care exceeds A$86,000 ($57,000; £45,000) over a maximum of 10 years. New Zealand has a similar policy but Australia's is much stricter. The government defends the law as necessary to curb government spending and protect citizens' access to healthcare. It says these visas aren’t technically rejected. But neither are they granted. Some can apply for a waiver, although not all visas allow it. They could also appeal the decision but the process is lengthy and expensive. Campaigners see this as discriminatory and out of step with modern attitudes towards disability. And after years of fighting for it, they are hoping for change in the coming weeks, with an official review of the health requirements under way… Australia has form when it comes to its strict immigration policies. It had its own version of “stop the boats”, which sent people arriving by boat to offshore detention centres in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific Island of Nauru and made controversial headlines in recent years. It was only in the 1970s that it entirely rid itself of the “White Australia” policy that started in 1901 with the Immigration Restriction Act, which limited the number of non-white immigrants. The disability and health discriminations, which also date back to 1901, are still in place, says Jan Gothard, an immigration lawyer: "We still treat people with disability in the same way as we did in 1901 and we think they're not people who are welcome in Australia.” She is part of Welcoming Disability, an umbrella group that’s been pressuring the government to overhaul the law. Surprisingly, Australia's Migration Act is exempt from its own Disability Discrimination Act. Put simply, it doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived in Australia, if you were born in Australia, if you have private health insurance or even if you can pay for the support yourself - if you are deemed too much of a financial burden, you will fail the health requirement… https://lnkd.in/enUDsk_z

A different perspective on immigration: A clause considering disability and the cost of supporting a disabled person could potentially impact visa approvals n Australia #immigration #visas #disability #perspective

Finding work can be hard. Finding work can be even harder when you are a person with a disability. Learn what to consider when looking for work, including when to disclose your disability to a potential employer. Webinar: Disclosing Your Disability to Potential Employers July 8 | 3 pm | Online | https://ow.ly/WlN150Snqzx Presented Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre in partnership with Neil Squire Society, Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disability, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada / Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada and WelcomeBC.

We're excited to see that IPL's research on barriers to #naturalization in New York was cited in a recent decision to expand access to citizenship for low-income #immigrants! Together with the NY State Office for New Americans and over 20 nonprofits, IPL designed and implemented a multi-year statewide voucher program called #NaturalizeNY that helped more than 11,000 immigrants obtain citizenship and allowed us to measure the impact of high application fees, information provision, and application paperwork on naturalization rates. In the program’s first year alone, those who received a voucher for the application fee were twice as likely to apply for citizenship—78 percent compared to only 37 percent of enrollees who didn’t receive one. Now, federal fee waivers for eligible applicants have been expanded from households earning 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines to 400%, putting citizenship—and the significant benefits and protections it brings—within reach for many more low-income immigrants. Congratulations to the research team and a big thank you to our many partners and funders Robin Hood and New York Community Trust who made this work possible. Hispanic Federation, Dominicanos USA (DUSA), New Americans Campaign (NAC). https://lnkd.in/d_4DQe5K

👏🏻👀🗞️Let’s compare and contrast two articles today for nuance v sensationalism; humanity v prejudice. Quoting academic studies, economists and refugees’ lived experience, Jade Wilson in The Irish Times reports research that as asylum seekers are allowed to work, their contribution to countries outweighs costs. “In the UK, which imposes some of the strongest restrictions on the right to work for people applying for asylum compared with other European nations, a study showed that allowing people seeking asylum the right to work would increase tax revenue by £1.3 billion (€1.5 billion)” writes Jade Wilson. “It would also reduce government expenditure by £6.7 billion, increase GDP by £1.6 billion and improve the wellbeing of those individuals, the study by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) showed. “Similarly, a 2017 The World Bank report estimated that increasing immigration by a margin equal to 3 per cent of the workforce in developed countries would generate global economic gains of $356 billion (€327 billion).” “The State, instead of paying social welfare to highly educated people, should come up with better policies to allow refugees to integrate and contribute,” concludes Manizha, former dean of dentistry at a university in #Afghanistan, now working as a dentist in Cork having been given refugee status in Ireland. … Meanwhile the front page of today’s Daily Telegraph in the UK presents a rather more xenophobic slant as anyone familiar with the paper may expect (see comment below 👇). “CHANNEL MIGRANTS GIVEN RIGHT TO WORK IN UK” splashed the front page - as if exposing a massive scandal, adding in smaller letters - “Home Office grants asylum seekers route to employment in care, construction and farming” - which has been the policy in the UK for several years now. While asylum seekers in #Ireland can apply for a work permit after waiting for an initial decision for half a year, in the #UK, only if asylum seekers have been waiting over a year through no fault of their own can they apply to work in certain shortage occupations. This policy has been in place since 2010, yet the Telegraph manufactures new outrage in a front page only referencing dismay from Nigel Farage and some Conservative MPs obsessed with deterring immigrants. “This is the opposite of a deterrent” complains Miriam Cate of the right wing anti-immigrant New Conservatives grouping of MPs. ➡️Should nations whip up xenophobic policies to make asylum seekers as miserable as possible in a vain attempt to deter them? ➡️Or should we, as Manizha suggests, stop scapegoating refugees and help them contribute to our economies? #immigration #refugees #work #employment #humanresources #humanity

The individuals who espouse racist sentiments and propagate misinformation about immigrants must be subject to thorough investigation and legal consequences. These people a blight on the Country many of whom we know have lived off the state for decades and have never contributed to society in anyway! It has become evident that these groups, under the guise of "concerned citizens," are exploiting this issue to advance their personal agendas. These groups, as we have seen are often led by individuals involved in criminal activities, are known to manipulate social media platforms with the sole aim of financial gain by propagating hate and fear on the back of many in need. Regrettably, the continuous dissemination of falsehoods and bigotry by these groups has stifled constructive dialogue on immigration in Ireland. Genuine efforts to address the needs of immigrants and foster inclusive communities are hindered by their divisive rhetoric. It is imperative to recognize that immigrants undergo thorough vetting processes, and their contributions to our society are invaluable. By continually pushing hard and fear against these people it feeds into an increased agenda of hate against Irish people of colour or different nationalities, I can personally attest to this! Furthermore, the failure of the government to effectively utilize available resources, such as vacant accommodations, exacerbates the challenges faced by those in need. Addressing homelessness requires comprehensive support systems, and exploiting this issue to perpetuate racism only exacerbates the problem. It’s interesting to note that when we as a country had full accommodation and employment we still had homelessness! It is essential to acknowledge that immigrants comprise diverse individuals who given the chance contribute significantly to various sectors of society, including healthcare, education support, customer service, social care, and the workforce. As a country we need now and into the future need immigration. Discrimination based on race, nationality, or religion not only undermines the dignity of individuals but also weakens the social fabric of our nation. It is incumbent upon us to combat xenophobia and promote inclusivity to ensure the well-being of all members of our community. We need to address the area whilst taking on those eager to push a hateful and untruthful agenda.

The unauthorized immigrant population in the United States grew to 11.0 million in 2022, according to new Pew Research Center estimates based on the 2022 American Community Survey, the most recent year available. The increase from 10.5 million in 2021 reversed a long-term downward trend from 2007 to 2019. This is the first sustained increase in the unauthorized immigrant population since the period from 2005 to 2007. However, the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. in 2022 was still below the peak of 12.2 million in 2007. https://lnkd.in/gfQ5vduN #unauthorized #immigrants #living #unitedstates #pewresearchcenter #data

CRER White Paper: The Origins and Destinations of Chattanooga's Young Adult Migrants This paper uses a unique dataset on the migration of young adults between commuting zones to analyze the most common origins and destinations of Chattanooga’s young adult migrants. Many more young adults moved into Chattanooga than moved out of it, but Chattanooga’s net in-migration rate was much lower than those for large areas such as Nashville and Atlanta. Generally, there was a hierarchy of migration according to area size: Chattanooga received many more young adult migrants from small areas nearby but sent many more to large areas both near and far away. Parental income was strongly related to the likelihood of migration and the destinations and origins of Chattanooga’s young adult migrants. https://lnkd.in/gJA_kBVy

An inspiring example of research making a difference in federal policy and the lives of millions of people: In 2016, IPL conducted the first experimental study on access to citizenship in the United States in the form of a lottery for the chance to have the naturalization application fee ($680 in 2016 and $725 in 2017) waived. The study demonstrated the ways the application fee, a lack of information, and overly complicated paperwork discourage applicants, especially those with lower incomes or English skills. Now, the federal government has announced it is expanding its fee waiver program to enable more low-income immigrants to enjoy the rights, protections, and opportunities citizenship offers.  #citizenship #naturalization #datadriven #immigrationpolicy

I'm excited to see these new rules released by DHS and proud that our research is cited as evidence in the Federal Register. At IPL, we wanted to understand effective ways to reduce the barriers to naturalization and found that cost prevents people from applying for citizenship. Now, DHS is making it easier for low-income immigrants to apply for citizenship by codifying previous guidance and expanding the partial fee waiver. Our paper on simplifying the fee waiver is a great example of why design matters for access. Make forms easier! Make government more user-friendly! https://lnkd.in/eZBMUaqf