Illegal Immigrants in Canada: Recent Developments 1

Abstract

Immigration policies and their management in a country like Canada have long been an interesting and instructive study for other countries. With borders naturally protected by great distance from almost all migrant routes; with a long, undefended border with the United States and a further 3,000 km to its border on the south; with a parliamentary system capable of comparatively rapid legislative and administrative responses to problems; and with a relatively small legal, and even smaller illegal population, Canada has historically “experimented” with novel, often quite creative, immigration policies and programs to both encourage and control the increases in its population. This article presents a summarized version of what Canada did and is doing in response to an important item of public policy — the entry and presence of illegal migrants.