City, where I live presently has a two tier driving license system in place. You write a knowledge test of rules of the road and if you pass; in about a year you will be allowed to pay for a road test that will allow you to get behind wheels conditionally. You have next five years to go for the final road test that will actually give you the license to drive. This system is geared for a youngster who will start learning in grade 10 and by the time they finish high school they are able to drive to get to work.
As I was in a drive test location the other day with a friend; I realized a majority of its clients are actually adult immigrants of darker skin tones. The system does not recognize their previous driving experience unless it is from a European country or from USA. So even though they might have been driving for decades, once they immigrate they are considered to be at a skill level of a high school kid. They need to start all over again from zero. Although I do not have statistics to back me ; one reason why there are so many immigrants at a drive test all the time is because they keep visiting the place often as they fail both levels of road tests more than once . Reasons for it is something I will leave unsaid ! obviously it takes a lot of time and energy to get a license , not to mention a lot of money. Money that an immigrant is really short of. Money that he can earn only if he can get a job. Job that he might get if he can convince his boss that he has the means to get to work on time. Which means driving in this car based society. And that will need a license to drive . The same license that he does not have !!! It is a vicious circle. This is only one situation and an immigrant goes through many such obstacles trying to stay afloat. Simple things like getting a credit card is a complete revelation in itself. Some of it is because of a different system and because it is a different country and a different culture. A lot of it is sheer prejudice against an immigrant. It is certainly very hard to be an immigrant. Yet International Organization for Migration says that there are 200 million migrants in the world today . According to a Gallup poll another 700 million would like to immigrate if they had a chance. USA, Canada, Australia , New Zealand and Israel, are countries almost entirely made up of immigrants. Yet each new group faces same or more severe prejudices as the group that passed before them. Violence against Indian students in Australia is a glaring example. Here is a group of people who are paying into the Australian economy through their nose by paying hefty tution fees . They rent & they consume things by paying for it. This money is generating jobs for Australians .The students are simply gaining education and new skills. A lot of the time these new skills are used to contribute to and work in the local economy. So they are a net gain to Australia. Yet they are seen as enough of a threat that merits them being murdered on the streets as a result of hate crimes!
Canada reportedly lets in the highest per capita number of immigrants every year. A significant number of them are highly educated , experienced and skilled professionals. Yet it does not surprise anyone to find out that the immigrant cabbie who is driving you into the city from the airport is in fact a qualified doctor !
Historically speaking Roma who originally migrated to various parts of Europe from India many many centuries ago are still not considered europeans. In fact Nazi regime killed more Roma people than Jews as their " final solution". Considering that millions of jews were killed on record; one can only imagine the catastrophe these immigrants have faced since records for them are very sketchy . Even today these Roma are unwelcome everywhere. They live friendless on the fringes of society and are the first suspects in any murder or theft especially in eastern europe. "Gypsy" is still a word of dishonour.
Story of forced migration of the African people is too well known to recount here. Although over these centuries they have given up their original names; original beliefs and conciously attempted to merge in the society. People of colour are still far from equality. Obama is a just a window dressing.
The numbers of people who migrate from one country to another is very high. Several times more numbers migrate from one part of the country to another. Internal migrants face the same barriers as external migrants although the emotional pain is more severe since they expect to be treated better in their own country. Sadly they are not. Migrants who went to Pakistan from India over 60 years ago ,are still pejoratively referred as "mohajirs" and by all accounts are untrusted second class citizens in their own country . A country they created themselves. At the time of Partition of India an estimated 12.5 million people migrated from one part to another. Even today just in India alone it is estimated that about 100 million people are internal migrants. Some of them are circular migrants while others are more permanent. Migrants facing problems while renting homes , getting their children admitted to schools and even facing open hostility is a common complaint in India. Mumbai , a most vibrant and forward looking city has paradoxically a strong movement against migrants. They want Mumbai for the locals only. What is laughable is that Mumbai as it stands today was made by Gujarati traders ,Parsi businessmen and workers from outside.A bulk of them from other parts of India. All of them were migrants to the city . Most of the north India uses the word "Bihari" for a migrant individual from the state of bihar and eastern UP in India as an "insult" !! As if this was not shameful enough even Indian Home minister has recently isolated migrants as a source of "crimes"!! Talk about prejudice and we all thought Enoch Powell was dead !
Canada reportedly lets in the highest per capita number of immigrants every year. A significant number of them are highly educated , experienced and skilled professionals. Yet it does not surprise anyone to find out that the immigrant cabbie who is driving you into the city from the airport is in fact a qualified doctor !
Historically speaking Roma who originally migrated to various parts of Europe from India many many centuries ago are still not considered europeans. In fact Nazi regime killed more Roma people than Jews as their " final solution". Considering that millions of jews were killed on record; one can only imagine the catastrophe these immigrants have faced since records for them are very sketchy . Even today these Roma are unwelcome everywhere. They live friendless on the fringes of society and are the first suspects in any murder or theft especially in eastern europe. "Gypsy" is still a word of dishonour.
Story of forced migration of the African people is too well known to recount here. Although over these centuries they have given up their original names; original beliefs and conciously attempted to merge in the society. People of colour are still far from equality. Obama is a just a window dressing.
The numbers of people who migrate from one country to another is very high. Several times more numbers migrate from one part of the country to another. Internal migrants face the same barriers as external migrants although the emotional pain is more severe since they expect to be treated better in their own country. Sadly they are not. Migrants who went to Pakistan from India over 60 years ago ,are still pejoratively referred as "mohajirs" and by all accounts are untrusted second class citizens in their own country . A country they created themselves. At the time of Partition of India an estimated 12.5 million people migrated from one part to another. Even today just in India alone it is estimated that about 100 million people are internal migrants. Some of them are circular migrants while others are more permanent. Migrants facing problems while renting homes , getting their children admitted to schools and even facing open hostility is a common complaint in India. Mumbai , a most vibrant and forward looking city has paradoxically a strong movement against migrants. They want Mumbai for the locals only. What is laughable is that Mumbai as it stands today was made by Gujarati traders ,Parsi businessmen and workers from outside.A bulk of them from other parts of India. All of them were migrants to the city . Most of the north India uses the word "Bihari" for a migrant individual from the state of bihar and eastern UP in India as an "insult" !! As if this was not shameful enough even Indian Home minister has recently isolated migrants as a source of "crimes"!! Talk about prejudice and we all thought Enoch Powell was dead !
Even in a controlled and restricted society like China there are an estimated 150 million internal immigrants . This figure is expected to rise to 200 million very soon. Although they live in a " worker's paradise". It is common for migrant women workers to get fired if they become pregnant. Despite accounting for 40 percent of the urban labor force, China's migrant workers face major inequalities in the cities because of China's two-tiered hukou--or household registration--system. Established in the 1950s, the hukou system kept people tied to where they lived by making government services contingent on their occupation and place of residence. Migrants receive next to nothing since they are not residents .
People have been migrating from one place to another since mankind set foot on the earth. Sometime geograpical changes forced their march; sometimes political and social upheavals were the forces. At times it is just the need to earn a living that forces them. Overall I think in today's world economic reasons are paramount . I however suspect there is some kind of suicidal in - built urge in a human being to explore , see and risk everything. Just so he can be what he can ! Otherwise that struggling cabbie who is a doctor would not be ferrying passangers from the airport. He would be taking the first flight home !
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