Nations of Immigrants: Australia, the United States, and International Migration.

Abstract

Immigration has profoundly shaped the national development of countries like the United States and Australia, who were both founded as settler societies. They have both been transformed by successive waves of immigration, first from Europe, and then from every other part of the world. The policies that these countries have enforced regarding immigration, recruitment, and settlement have had as equally far-reaching consequences for the oppressed and hopeful peoples of the world. With the current ongoing changes in the international arena, Canada, Australia, and the United States are still the primary countries to which most migrate. Surprisingly, nothing has been written to compare these countries' immigration experiences and there is little evidence to exchange of government information on policies relating to the field. Nations of Immigrants bridges these academic and governmental gaps with the first comparison of immigration policy in Australia and the United States. The work is divided into four sections: immigration regulation and control, economic effects of immigration, settlement issues, and multiculturalism and conflict. Written by scholars and professionals from both shores of the Pacific, this work clearly identifies pertinent aspects in the comparison and investigates how policymakers might learn from one another. This work is also essential for students and scholars to better understand the changing dynamics of the immigration history and policies of these countries.