Introduction
Immigrants and refugees refer to a group of people who moves to other countries in search of new homes. The primary difference between the two groups of people is brought about by choice. On the one hand, immigrants, the individuals move to other countries willingly without having to be forced by circumstances. The refugees, on the other hand, get forced by circumstances to move to other countries. Thus, immigrants get to have ample time to plan for their journey, but refugees just flee due to the danger that is in their home country. The journey of the refugees is typically not planned, and they flee, leaving most of their belongings behind. Individuals are said to move to another country due to their stable economy and availability of security (Htousignant, 1997). The research is limited to studying the differences between the two groups based on several factors like stress management, decision making, ethnic issues, among others.
Rights
Firstly, to begin with, there are some rights in every country that refugees are bound to, whereas, in the case of immigrants, there exist no rights. For instance, since refugees flee from their country due to some dangers that put their lives at risk, they have a right that protects them from being returned or deported back to their home countries. Refugees are not to get segregated from society, as well as they are to enjoy the social services of the new country (Cornelius, 2005). Based on the immigrants, however, the individuals get subjected to procedures and laws of immigration, and the individuals may get deported or made to go back to their home country. When it comes to matters with work, most countries like in the UK, allow refugees to work freely. Refugees get to acquire jobs depending on their level of skills and professions. Some countries, however, demand them to obtain work permits first to work. As an immigrant, however, an individual is needed to acquire full citizenship first to enjoy the freedom of working anywhere. Most immigrants who are undocumented get discriminated where they get given low paying jobs. Additionally, immigrants get denied various rights; they get not paid their minimum wages, unlike other employees.
The attitude towards refugees and immigrants varies with countries. Some countries thought to have a positive attitude towards them while other negative attitudes. The economic competition that immigrants bring into a country makes the citizens feel threatened and believes that the newcomers will outdo them in their own country. The natives dislike the immigrants since they contribute to lowering their wages and take most of their jobs (Schweitzer et al., 2005). They also think that immigrants are leading to overpopulation cases in their country. Thus due to this threat, the natives advocate restrictions policies. However, other nations have perceived immigration as a good thing and have continued to encourage individuals to move into their country. Immigrants are said to raise the gross domestic product (GDP) of a country and to improve the economic sector. According to research conducted on European countries, most of them like Norwegian gets said to have a very positive attitude toward the immigrants. 7 out of 10 individuals interviewed believed that immigrants had a significant contribution to their working life (Schweitzer et al., 2005). However, according to an investigation conducted by IPSOS on matters to do with refugees, most of the natives support them to refuge in their countries since they understand that they are running away from a life-threatening issue in their home country. A small percentage of people have the fear that some people pretend to be refugees with a hidden agenda. 61% of individuals interviewed in 26 countries supported the issue of refugees, while only 25% were skeptical about the issue (Schweitzer et al., 2005).
When a disaster occurs, and individuals get forced to flee to other countries for safety. The family structure gets affected—rebuilding a life together as a family gets hard since some members get forced to make tough decisions of shifting to other countries and not knowing the wellbeing or safety of the ones left behind. The ability to rebuild lives together becomes almost impossible too. There are some international laws set that permit all refugees and immigrants the right to unite with their families. However, immigrants at times gare denied that right when a country refuses to have them in or when some members get forced back to their home countries, leaving behind their family members. For the refugees, they are free to make their own decisions whether to stay or go back to their home country (Htousignant, 1997). Children rearing, in both cases, get affected. For the refugees, children are with their parents, and they get to receive as much parental love as they would need. Parent’s relationships with their children get strengthened, and they get to feel safe due to the safe environment they are in. Overcoming the trauma associated with the disaster that had befallen them becomes easy since their parents are always by their side. In the case of the immigrants, however, mostly the parents immigrate, leaving their children behind. The social network is lost, and the children get to feel alienated. These children get brought up by other members of the family and get to not experience parental love. In most cases, children feel lonely and may develop mental health issues.
Natives are said to be unwelcoming to the immigrants since they perceive them as threats. As a result, immigrants get alienated from society and get treated with cruelty. They get discriminated in the workplaces where they get only given the low paying jobs. They get restricted to getting better healthcare, education, and better housing. In short, they lack social support, which may, in turn, affect their health. Refugees, on the other hand, are warmly welcomed and get to enjoy social services like better education, healthcare, better housing, and good jobs (Cornelius, 2005). However, both refugees and immigrants experience a great deal of stress. For the refugees is when they have to flee and leave some of their family members behind, not knowing of their safety. The trauma they experience during the disaster may haunt them and lead to depression if no counseling interventions get taken. For the immigrants, having to cope with unwelcoming society becomes the leading cause of their stress (Htousignant, 1997). Being denied essentials services may also contribute significantly to their stress. However, the immigrants have taken a step to help solve their situations by being kind to their neighbors to make friends with them. By doing so, they can acquire information on what they can do to better their stay. Refugees have also made good relations with the natives and fellow members, which has made them feel part of the family.
Prejudice, Stereotyping, Disceim and Social Stratification
To eliminate the issue of prejudice, stereotyping, disceim and social stratification, the immigrants have chosen to change citizenship for them to begin enjoying equal services and advantages as the natives (Cornelius, 2005). By doing so, they can now feel comfortable carrying on with their regular duties with no restrictions attached to them. The refugees also find jobs to help cater to their families and to help them secure better living standards. When there is social integration among the two minority groups and the natives, they get able to enjoy all rights as the natives, such as the right to establish their businesses, engage in politics, and fit into the society (Cornelius, 2005).
Conflicts between the newcomers and the natives may arise due to differences in their cultures. The newcomers might have different beliefs and preferences as the native, which might lead the natives to feel threatened while a large number of newcomers occupy their space. However, on the positive side, the newcomers and the natives get to learn other people's culture, thus broadening their knowledge of different groups (Adler, 1985). The migrants and refugee groups view themselves as inferior people since they have no say on anything. They get to do and adapt to the native's culture to fit in and get accepted.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the immigrants and refugees are two groups who move to another country in search of greener pastures. The two groups get welcomed and treated differently by the native people. Immigrants pose a threat to the natives since they view them as a threat to them economically. Immigrants face a lot of discrimination, unlike the refugees who get welcomed and accepted to be part of society. The willingness of the immigrants to change their ways to those of the natives places them at a better position where they get to enjoy equal social service as the natives and refugees.
