The other

The Other by Ryszard Kapuscinski was one of the last books I read. In this book, the author shows a deep perspective about globalization, multiculturalism and the importance of knowing and respecting the otherness in order to know and improve the self.

Overall, he describes how society in big cities around the world were influenced by multiculturalism and how it changed the way people look at others. In some point, the world has always been a Tower of Babel and as well as the languages were mixed, cultures, customs, passions and interests too. I think this is something to reflect on.

It is clear that the high level of immigration has changed the economy and social life in all countries, mainly in highly developed countries where a kind of invasion of people from the so-called third world is happening. Most of those people are seeking better standards of living. They are leaving their home countries in order to earn money, live under a different type of government and most will probably work in the third sector of the economy even being well-educated what mainly happens because of Visa rules and communication barriers. Just to clarify the challenging of immigration, it is estimated that by the mid-twenty-first century people from Latin America and Asia will constitute more than half of the population of the USA. By comparison, The Republic of Ireland, where I live, registered approximately 120,700 immigrants entering the country in 2022.

Living in Ireland and traveling to 14 countries in the last 16 months, I could realize that the EU context is perhaps different because there is free migration within EU countries.?I could also perceive how worth is to have people from different parts of the globe living in the same place, working in the same company. In some way, immigrants boost the economy by increasing the labour supply and promoting innovation. ?However, a question is running out my mind: what are the benefits of having open borders with cultures that have extreme differences? I know it is a different case than colonisation as old traditions in colonised countries will never be the same.

How can we overcome the challenge of immigration once it is already there? Would it be by enhancing policies and following points-based systems for managing immigration like creating categories of professionals and students that would be allowed entering the countries or something?

On the one hand, the Canadian government has announced some new rules for student visa. Earlier this year, Canada`s Minister of Immigration announced that study permits will be capped for the next two years, with 2024 approved levels expected to be 35% below last year as an attempt to ease the pressure on housing costs and availability. On the other hand, the costs of illegal immigration to the American Taxpayers are said to overcome $150 billion a year and they are also handling this situation rigorously (by approving a new section of the border wall with Mexico, for example).

According to the last cense by ACNUR, there are more than 700 thousand people living in my home country - Brazil, under the necessity of international protection.

**This is a good topic of discussion.