There are two questions that any proposed immigration policy must seek to address: how many immigrants should be admitted into the United States yearly? What type of immigrants should be awarded the scars entry visas by the United States? Immigration policies are viewed as formulas with the primary aim of limiting the number of entrants into the United States and setting a standard for the various characteristics of the individuals who can legally be admitted into the United States. Various immigration policies have been developed over the past decades. As much as there is a wealth of literature on United States immigration policies, a minute number dwells on the psychological impacts of the policies on the immigrants ( American Psychological Association , 2017). This research proposal reviews two immigration policies in the United States to provide more insights on the study topic. The author identifies the inadequate literature coverage on the psychological effects of immigration policies on immigrants and breaks down the problem while proposing solutions that policy makers can consider.
Research Question
The author focuses on identifying and analyzing the psychological effects of immigration policies on immigrants and their families. The following research question will guide the author with the study.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
How do United States Immigration policies psychologically impact immigrants and their families?
Literature Review
Immigration is not a new phenomenon in modern history. More attention has recently been given to the issue due to the increase in anti-immigrant sentiments. This humanitarian crisis unfolds relating to the vast number of immigrants who flee from their native lands searching for better lives and developing new policies and migration laws. Various international bodies such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs have reported a growth in global migration with figures surpassing 232 million international immigrants. As of 2016 immigrant population in the United States was reported to be at approximately 46.6 million ( Pew Research Center , 2016a). The United States recorded the highest immigrant population in the world, according to the Pew Research Centre. Immigrants flee from their countries based on various reasons. Most of the immigrants leave their families behind in their native countries. While other immigrants reform their countries to do the limited opportunity of advancement and seek new economic and job opportunities in the target countries, others migration decision is precipitated by violence and wars in their countries. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports that more than 80 million individuals are forced to seek residence out of their native countries as refugees ( Pew Research Center , 2016b). The immigration process affects all the immigrants in political, financial, cultural, social and psychological levels despite their reasons to move. This research proposal focuses on the complexities involved in migration. It creates an accurate perspective of the cycle of immigration while raising consciousness on the traumas that the migration process is still on the immigrants and any foreseen psychological consequences.
Review of Immigration Policies
This section of the research proposal reviews the family-based immigration policy and the refugee and asylee immigration policies. Immigrants into the United States the most exploit the two policies.
Family-Based Immigration Policies
The Immigration and Nationality Act dictates the number of family-based immigrant visas granted to individuals in a year in the United States. Immigrants eligible for the visas are determined by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, while the Department of State allocates the immigration visas. Two primary participants, namely a petitioner and beneficiary, are the two family members required to participate in a family-based immigration process. Beneficiaries refer to the foreign family members who seek United States citizenship. The Immigration and National Act classifies all family-based immigrants into two categories: family preference and immediate relative. Immediate relatives include children under the age of 21, parents and spouses. All other relationships are considered as family preference categories by the Immigrations and Nationality Act. The government allocates an unlimited number of green cards each year available to immediate relatives. The green card application process is initiated by the beneficiaries who send their request to the state department for their relative to be allowed into the country. The three forms required to complete the request include the USCIS, Petition for Alien Relative and Form I-130. The family member then applies for the green card after the petitioners’ request is approved. The two primary ways of applying for a green card include the adjustment of status and consular processing. A backlog forms whenever the demand for the visas exceeds the number of available slots. The state department sets a priority date to determine who qualifies for the green cards.
Refugee and Asylee Immigration Policies
The United States has one of the most scrutinous and rigorous asylum admission processes globally. Multiple government agencies are involved in the extensive vetting process. The Immigration and Nationality Act defines an asylee or refugee as “a person who is unable or unwilling to return to their country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group and political opinion.” The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services manages the asylee and refugee applications. Asylums show up at the United States ports of entry which includes seaports, airports and border crossings. The United States southern border challenges is essentially fueled by this phenomenon. There are two ways through which asylums are identified in the United States. The two ways include the affirmative asylum process and the defensive asylum process. The affirmative asylum process would be considered a typical asylum case. All individuals who need asylum must be present in the United States ports of entry to apply for asylum. Seekers in the deportation process seek the defensive asylum process through an immigration court. All individuals faced with a well-founded fear of persecution or who falls under the definition criteria of persecution become eligible for asylum in the United States. The process of vetting asylums goes way beyond just the filled I-589 forms. The government expends significant resources to facilitate the vetting process of the asylees. The government department of immigration conducts an adjudication process, interviews and background checks as part of the vetting scrutiny process. All asylees face a background check for any potential fraud, including identity theft, foreign activities, travel history, criminal history and immigration records to account for any previous application instances. The agencies responsible for the oversight of an effective vetting process include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Customs and Border Protection, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the National Counterterrorism Unit, the Department of state and the Department of defense.
Problem Statement
Immigration has received more attention over the last two decades due to new immigration policies and laws. The United States government intensifies the immigration policies intending to control the number of allowed immigrants into the country. There is a wealth of studies that analyze the effectiveness of the policies and propose new immigration policies. A literature gap, however, exists on how these policies psychologically affect immigrants. This paper proposes research that adds knowledge to the existing gap and develops discoveries that stakeholders could consider while developing new immigration policies.
Research Objectives
The proposed research intends to achieve three primary objectives as listed below;
Create a better understanding of the immigration life-cycle.
To raise awareness of the traumas experienced by immigrants during the immigration process.
To identify the potential psychological consequences of the traumas on the immigrants.
References
American Psychological Association. (201 7 ). Working with immigrant-origin clients: An update for mental health professionals . Washington DC: APA.
Pew Research Center. (2016a). International migration: Key findings om the U.S., Europe and the world. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/12/15/international -migration-key-findings-from-the-u-s-europe-and-the-world/
Pew Research Center. (2016b). 5 facts about the U.S. rank in worldwide migration. Retrieved From http://www.pewresearch.org/5factsabouttheusrank
