While immigration stands as a drawback for underdeveloped and developing countries, some countries welcome immigrants with open arms. Read on to know them all.
Members of the European Union have been hesitant to establish a quota system that might oblige each country to relocate a certain number of people, as thousands of refugees escape to Europe from North Africa and the Middle East. Italy has lambasted other EU states for refusing to take in their fair share of migrants that help ease the country's financial and logistical strain.
Switzerland
In 2015, Switzerland welcomed 131,200 immigrants permanently. Around 2 million non-Swiss citizens called Switzerland home permanently by year's end, making up roughly a fifth of the country's population. Almost 70% of the total were immigrants from the European Union or European Free Trade Association, the major groups being Germans and Italians.
Italy
In 2015, Italy welcomed 160,900 permanent immigrants, raising the total number of non-Italians living in the country to almost 5 million. Over a third of them were born in the European Union, while the bulk of the rest were citizens of other countries, including Romania, Albania, Morocco, China, and Ukraine. Humanitarian protection applications amounted to 28% of all new visas issued, second only to those for a family reunion.
Spain
In 2015, Spain allowed 194,900 immigrants permanently. It was the first year having positive net emigration in Spain since the outbreak of the worldwide financial meltdown, as immigration to the nation climbed by 10% and emigration out of the country decreased by 20%. Despite this, the number of Spaniards who left their country in 2015 was above 99,000. Ten percent of the 290,000 non-Spaniards who entered the country in 2015 including permanent immigrants and an additional 100,000 transit passengers were from Romania, while over eight percent were from Morocco.
Canada
The majority of the rise in migrations in 2016 was attributable to the admission of 58,000 refugees, roughly twice the amount admitted in 2015. From November 2015 & to January 2017, Canada resettled over 40,000 Syrian refugees. Although Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledges that the surge has put a burden on government resources, he maintains that refugees are still welcome in Canada.
Germany
There must have been 722,000 first asylum applications in 2016, up from 442,000 in 2015. Most of these people were fleeing war and persecution in Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. It's estimated that 44% of asylum seekers in the 35 OECD nations fall into this category. It is estimated that in 2016, 59% of the 696,000 petitions that were reviewed were given refugee protection or subsidiary protection.
USA
The United States is also the most popular destination for displaced people seeking a new home, with the majority of refugees arriving from Burma, Iraq, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bhutan. The number of refugees accepted to the United States in 2015, 69,920, was the same as in 2014. In recent months, President Trump has issued a series of executive orders influencing immigration policy. These orders include measures intended at increasing border protection and immigration police departments, as well as measures to better screen persons applying for admission to the United States.
