Three streams of immigration: family, employment, and humanitarian.
The ‘Z’ Number (absorption capacity)
Ackerman talks about this Z number, which he defines as being the absorption capacity of a country. Implementing this model into the three different streams of immigration would be a very interesting exercise.
The three streams of immigration studied are family, employment, and humanitarian.
Humanitarian Stream
For the humanitarian stream, we have to consider the moral responsibility for dangerous border deaths and the causal responsibility. States owe ‘special’ duties to assist people in need and migrants at borders are in need hence, states must assist migrants at borders.
In this article, the author explores how there is a duty to engage in border rescue versus a duty to admit.
States can therefore help migrants but can still set limits on who they admit, and assist them in sending them where they came from or to some third country.
Ackerman's model is therefore applicable and will not remove the fact that states can still help humanitarian migrants even if it is to help them simply return to safety in a third country.
Family Stream
For families, however, it will be difficult to apply the Ackermans model because what happens to families with a higher number of individuals?
There is a right to family reunification — this is a fundamental human right. If a state reaches its capacity, and families are separated, then this right is infringed upon. The family unit is also important because it does have psychological and social ramifications.
With family members present, it can provide one of the best pathways for orderly and regulated migration. Family units can integrate faster into the host community making participation in the economic, social, cultural, and political life likelier.
The family unit presence can also reduce the risks of abuse and abandonment or exposure to exploitation.
Limiting family members could contribute to repercussions in the community and could work in parallel to what is preferred by the state when it comes to the successful migration of people into their communities.
Employment Stream
While considering the employment stream — in one way, having a z number might be important in small societies where the populations are small such as in some of the Arab Gulf countries.
Noncitizens in the country outnumber citizens in four of the six GCC countries. UAE's total population is made up of 89% expats. While my personal views do not see the problem with this, if a closed community where perhaps resources are not as abundant requires limits, then so be it. It's only rational.
If they want to keep their culture intact or whatever “it is”, then having a z number might be important to maintain some kind of balance or protection from the over-citizenry of non..whatever it is they are. Especially if they are a minority and are trying to preserve their group. (This is a controversial topic for sure!)
Foreign Workers
In the same vein, UAE does have 89% of its population is foreign workers, living and building families there. For the longest time, this was an advantage as workers entered the country to support labor work and areas that UAE’s citizens could not or did not want to perform at the time.
UAE became the country it is on the backbone of a multitude of migrant workers — had they capped this number, one could wonder if the country would have transformed to become one of the global hubs.
Underpopulation
Moreover, in “What would a Canada of 100 million feel like? “ Prime Minister Laurier made a strive towards population Canada, to move it from a country “that is sparsely populated to an independent nation with its own culture, economy, and institutions, capable of influencing and bettering the world.”
In countries like Canada, which are underpopulated, more people are required to form cultural, educational, and political institutions, talent pools across a myriad of markets, and a creative and artistic mass that can have a leading role in the world. Underpopulation is seen as a negative feature.
Ultimately, having a Z number would limit the countries that are underpopulated as the country can always implement new policy solutions to cater to the capacity considerations. Capacity considerations can be met with innovative solutions and technological advancements.
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Since I wrote this two years ago, as of right now, The Housing Crisis and the study permits capped by the federal government for the next two years say even if Canada aims for 100 million Canadians… it will need a lot more innovative, green, infrastructural and holistic immigration policy ambitions.
As someone trying to get called to the Ontario Bar, they also need to find a better way to accept foreign credentials without taking us through a whole mountain and a half and all these hurdles and barriers!
I’m tired. And so are thousands!
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Kieran Oberman, “Border Rescue,”, 2019, pg 78, week 7
International Organization of Migration, “Global Compact Thematic Paper: Family Reunification”, 2017
Ibid — U charter, Article 7 , Childs Right Art 24, remedy Art 47
Noora Lori, “Temporary Workers or Permanent Migrants? The Kafala System and Contestations over Residency in the Arab Gulf States,” pg 4
Doug Saunders, “What Would a Canada of 100 Million Feel Like? More Comfortable,
Better Served, Better Defended,”, 2012
