The Financial Impacts of Immigration

The term ‘immigration’ refers to the movement of a person or group of people from one country to another.

Immigrants are those who have moved to a country where they do not currently possess citizenship. Usually, for immigrants to settle in a foreign country, they will need to apply for citizenship and gain permanent residency.

Immigration differs from emigration. To emigrate means to leave one location to live in a different location. Immigrating refers to the act of moving to a non-native country and living there permanently.

As with anything, there are pros and cons to immigration. It’s a controversial subject that can cause a significant divide between communities of people.

Every year, immigration provides thousands, if not millions, of people the chance of a new life. It enables people to escape their native countries and seek new and exciting opportunities that they may not have been presented with otherwise.

But it’s the financial pros and cons of immigration that are particularly important to focus on. Large-scale immigration has an irrefutable influence on the financial economy of the countries affected. Let’s take a look at some of the key financial advantages and disadvantages that immigration poses.

Positive Financial Impacts of Immigration

Here are the positive consequences of net immigration.

  1. Increased Economic Output

Net immigration can drive growth of the economy. It can boost efficiency and productivity within multiple industries that bring high-quality business into the country. This economic growth can lead to a rise in tax revenues and increased capacity for government spending.

  1. Greater Range of Skills

A wider range of people means a wider range of skills. Immigrants can present unique qualifications and skill sets which native residents might not possess. This can help to expand the economy and enhance the number of opportunities that are available. This attracts highly-skilled talent into the country and contributes to higher tax revenues.

Encouraging immigration may also solve potential shortages in skilled workers. In particular, the medical and healthcare industry can benefit from immigration because it takes several years to train new most healthcare professionals, such as nurses and doctors.

If immigrants who are already qualified arrive into the country, they are ready to fill open job vacancies and start working immediately.

  1. Greater Diversity

Variety is the spice of life. Immigration can lead to increased diversity within the country. It encourages a range of different cultures to live and work in harmony, promoting a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.

Cultural diversity can have positive effects outside of the financial economy, such as increased variety of music, cuisine, and religion.

 

  1. More Flexible Labor Market

Immigrants are often able to move to areas where the economy is thriving. They pursue economies where the wages and demand for labor are high. This helps to balance out the economy and prevent over saturation or the collapse of various markets. Instead, it creates a more flexible labor market.

Negative Financial Impacts of Immigration

Here are the main causes of concern when it comes to immigration. 

  1. Cost of Immigration

There is no guarantee that the immigrants arriving into a country are highly-skilled or qualified to work. If low-skilled immigrants arrive into a country, it can cause the stagnation of wages or even cause them to decrease.

This phenomenon seems to affect lower paid jobs the most, leaving those with fewer educational qualifications in a disadvantaged position.

The same can be said for the healthcare system. When thousands of immigrants move into an area, it places an increased demand on the local healthcare services. Theoretically, increased immigration can lead to increased tax revenue, and therefore, increased spending for healthcare services, but this isn’t always the reality.

However, Health Insurance for Immigrants is a necessity in most countries and it provides extensive coverage for those who have immigrated to another country. This reduces pressure and costs on the nationwide healthcare services.

  1. Fewer Jobs for Native Workers

One of the most obvious negative impacts of immigration is the potential displacement of native workers from a variety of jobs.

When immigrants, who are already qualified and ready to work, enter a country and take job vacancies before native workers are able to, the rate of unemployment can rise in native-born communities. This may be the case for both low-skilled and high-skilled occupations.

  1. Increased Housing Costs

If a large volume of immigrants moves into a particular area, it can affect the housing market. House prices and rent will increase, despite a decrease in living conditions. This may lead to an increase in poverty and a larger socioeconomic divide.

These changes in the housing market not only affect immigrants, but also native residents in the country. Housing prices become almost unaffordable and cities become overcrowded with people who are all searching for the same kind of work.