Migration and immigration – a growing future phenomenon
Seminar on Future Global Migration and Immigration on 12 April 2012
As a phenomenon, global migration is in perpetual motion. During poor times, the refugee status of individuals becomes emphasised in developing countries, but even during good times these countries cannot employ their large populations of young people, sums up Arno Tanner, Chairman of the Seminar, Adjunct Professor, the Finnish Immigration Service.
The Seminar on Future Global Migration and Immigration arranged at the Immigration Service on Thursday 12 April addresses the causes and consequences of global population changes and migration, particularly from a future-oriented point of view.
The seminar aims to support and provide background for the forthcoming Finnish Immigration Strategy 2020 preparation work by seeking answers to the question ‘What kind of global possibilities and threats should we prepare for?’
“Basic needs are not changed by laws and strategies”
“Sub-Saharan countries are all connected by a humanly, financially and ecologically unbearable cycle of crises and conflicts,” states Marikki Stocchetti, Researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Unresolved problems create continuous new immigration flows from the developing countries, which is understandable, according to Adjunct Professor Tanner:
“As long as security, food and livelihood are the basic needs of humans and their close-by surroundings cannot provide these, the pressure is to migrate. This is a fact that even the best law or strategy cannot change.”
Finland may have a demand for some of these people and, on the other hand, closing borders to immigration might have more extensive impacts. In a global world, states are dependent on each other and migration flows are a part of this dependency. As people migrate from country to country, resources and knowledge move along with them.
“For Finland, the global networks of interdependency are vital. This interdependence is emphasised by the highly specialised nature of our economy. The functionality of Finnish society is based on the continuity of external connections,” states Mika Aaltola, Programme Director, Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
The forthcoming immigration strategy is welcome
Tanner welcomes the Immigration Strategy 2020. When the strategy is prepared by the Ministry of the Interior, naivety in the face of threats should be avoided as should too much optimism in how the needs of immigration and the workforce meet.
“However, national interest should be boldly addressed, similar to how it is being done in Canada. There, a person who knows the language and is willing to integrate is given special benefits in the immigration process. Treating immigrants as helpless people who need caring should be avoided,” Tanner points out.
According to Pasi Saukkonen, Adjunct Professor, University of Helsinki, both naive optimism and threatening scenarios can best be eliminated with knowledge:
“Influencing, alongside problem prevention and maximisation of benefits, requires knowledge of what is really taking place and why. It also requires that immigration and its consequences can be discussed objectively and thoroughly, similar to all other normal phenomena in the society. This is a challenge for the Finnish Immigration Strategy 2020.”
Although the national interest is viewed to be the most important, we cannot close our eyes to global responsibility.
“Development aid could include routes that would allow the countries of origin to benefit from their European diasporas in the wealthier countries. We should support joint ventures, ideas that benefit both parties and financial aid to immigrants and other investments in the countries of origin,” says Tanja Tamminen, Researcher, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.
Further information for the media
Arno Tanner, Adjunct Professor, the Finnish Immigration Service,
tel. +358 (0)71 873 0431, e-mail: firstname.lastname@migri.fi
