​COMPARING AND CONTRASTING U.S. IMMIGRATION LAW AND THE IMMIGRATION LAWS OF OTHER COUNTRIES

 

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U.S. immigration law is different from the immigration laws of other countries in several respects, but it also has many similarities. In this lecture, we compare and contrast U.S. immigration law and the immigration laws of other countries. We explore topics such as:

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• The jus soli (which gives citizenship through birth "on the soil" of that country) and the jus sanguinis (which gives citizenship through being born to a parent who is a citizen of that country) and discuss how these operate in several different countries, including the United States, Japan, and Israel;
• Immigration status (or lack thereof) that one gains through marriage to a citizen of that country;
• Paths to permanent residency, including the "point system" used in countries such as Canada, investment as a means of obtaining residency, and family relationships as a means of obtaining residency;
• The ease or rarity of naturalization. (For instance, in Japan, one may obtain residency, but it is exceedingly rare and quite difficult for a person who is not ethnically Japanese to obtain Japanese citizenship.);
• "Exit Visas" and rules in place in some countries in which a person is required to obtain permission to exit the country.