Comparing US & South African Immigration Policies
Advisor: Erin Vander Wall
Internship Location: Singh Law Firm
Onsite Mentor: Maria Fegosenkova
This research project aims to examine the influence of different factors on immigration laws in the United States and South Africa, specifically focusing on how political and social factors shape these policies and the impact that they have. Immigration is one of the most relevant topics in modern political discussions, especially as the social climate evolves rapidly due to new policies and government officials are in place. Economies and cultures have been affected by the movement of people across borders throughout all of history, so immigration has always been a constant debate and concern in every political discussion. Broader issues like labor shortages, refugee crises, and international relations are directly tied to immigration and can be remedied by the right implementation of policies. This research will compare immigration laws in the U.S. to South Africa, focusing on the similarities and differences between the two countries and will analyze how societies attempt to balance economic growth with challenges caused by immigration. As of 2023, the U.S. has approximately 45 million immigrants (13.6% of its population), while South Africa is home to around 4 million immigrants (7% of its population). By analyzing the immigration policies of both countries, this study will give a better understanding of the impact that historical, economic, and political factors have on shaping a country, providing significant information for future policy decisions of the global immigration landscape.
Project Blog
Week 1: Gaining Familiarity With the American System
This week, I explored the basics of the U.S. visa system, which includes non-immigrant visas and immigrant visas. I conducted this research to assist the firm in updating past files detailing each visa based on what may have changed since my last internship. Each category serves a different purpose, with distinct eligibility criteria and application processes.
Understanding visa policies is challenging due to legal complexities and frequent policy changes. Processing times and eligibility requirements vary, making applications difficult to navigate. Visa processes are the first step to really understanding the immigration policies in place and what purpose each rule serves, and it has also helped me gain an understanding of how much demand there is surrounding each type of visa when looking at the number distributed each year.
Next week, I plan to focus on the most recent changes that have been made in real-world case studies to gain a deeper understanding of how visas shape immigration in the United States. I also plan to analyze the role of recent policy changes and their implications for different groups of immigrants.
Week 2: Looking at the Most Recent Changes in the United States
This week, I focused on the most recent changes in the U.S., specifically President Trump's new immigration policies consisting of his executive orders. These policies have impacted almost every sector of immigration such as travel, work opportunities, and residency, and have created new challenges for all applicants who wish to go through the process. I've used this information at my internship by spreading awareness for both potential clients and current clients through the firm's social media page. By breaking down each policy change and how it will be enforced, I have now become more familiar with how the bureaucratic side of immigration is in the U.S., like how I.C.E. or the Department of Homeland Security works together to implement policies.
Week 3: Looking into Impactful Literature
This week, I focused on academic papers and analyses of the American immigration system. These papers provided insights into historical immigration trends of visa regulations and the impact it had on the volume of immigration. Many of these studies have emphasized how immigration policies shape labor markets, national security, and demographic changes in the U.S.
These readings have given me a deeper understanding of the complexities within the immigration system. Next week I plan on starting my deep dive into the South African side of things, specifically to look at the different types of visas and researching the recent policies that have been implemented.
Week 4
This week, I focused on the South African side of immigration. I did thorough research on the system and how it is similar and different from the United States. Since South Africa has different priorities then the U.S. when it comes to immigration the types of visas they had were similar but they had less niche visas the U.S. Next week I want to focus on the actual policies that have been implemented in recent years to become familiar with the political landscape they have when it comes to immigration and to see what recent shifts in ideology there maybe be.
Week 5
This week, I looked at the various policies that South Africa has had in recent years regarding immigration and also looked closer at the historical context of them to gain a better understanding of why they were implemented. Next week I want to look into various papers and the insight into the recent South African immigration policies.
Week 6
This week, I found papers that gave me an even better understanding of the critical policies that shaped the modern immigration landscape in South Africa. One particular paper gave me insight into how South Africa is known for deporting individuals on a large scale and how recent new policies have impacted the amount that they can do so, since allocating resources to the enforcement of immigration policies has become more difficult. Next week, I want to begin a deep dive on both sides regarding deportation and to find similarities and differences between the two.
Week 7
This week, as I've read more research papers surrounding deportation on both sides, I've started to notice a trend. The general social aspect around immigrants and migrants is the same. There is a stigma around them with a strong negative perception of immigrants, which generally perpetuates the cycle of unlawful deportations of deporting to the wrong place. The general attitude towards immigrants is definitely more negative, and I think it's extremely important to take that into account since both countries deport significantly. Next week, I will try finding case studies of people's experiences with the South African Department of Home Affairs and will interview someone directly in the immigration field to gain a better understanding.