The power of language cannot be underestimated; precise wording is essential for meaningful discourse. To engage in a productive conversation about fair and sustainable immigration policies, we must establish clear definitions.
From the perspective of the host country, there are three primary categories of immigrants. Among these, only those classified as "Economic Immigrants" according to the strictest and most narrow definition have tangible advantages for society:
(A) At present, there are over 100 million individuals seeking protection globally as asylum seekers and refugees. The objective here is to assist these individuals in avoiding persecution, a distinct goal that should be differentiated from economic migration.
(B) Welfare immigration arises from the desire of immigrant populations to access the host country's infrastructure, labour market, and social welfare systems, without possessing the necessary skill sets to be net contributors to the country's taxes. Occupations such as shelf stockers, taxi drivers, Deliveroo couriers, waitstaff, and the like do not generate sufficient contributions to warrant immigration into the country. It is estimated that around one billion people would seek to immigrate to Western nations solely for welfare benefits.
(C) Economic immigrants: Economic immigrants are individuals who offer their skills and expertise in exchange for the opportunity to immigrate to a country in need. The host country's demand for these skills drives economic immigration. To qualify, economic immigrants must make a measurable positive impact on the host society that covers the full cost of immigration, including housing, healthcare, education, and infrastructure improvements. At some point, the influx of immigrants into the country will reach a limit, as the necessary criteria for entry continue to rise. This will effectively deter mass immigration from occurring in the first place.
In discussions about immigration, these three categories are often confused, either due to lack of knowledge or intentional misinformation. For example, when an immigrant has a low-paying job, it may be praised as a contribution to the community. However, unless each immigrant is contributing more than they are taking from the system, this falls under welfare and not economic immigration. To put it in perspective, in a country like Ireland, each additional immigrant in 2024 would need to generate an annual net tax contribution of over EUR 33k to reach a break-even point, which is around EUR 90k gross salary (per each family member in case of dependents).
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