Retirement Visas on hold.

[GeoffH]

8 minutes ago, Shady said:

Yeah, because the host populations want them to be.

I grew up in the country, around here the farmers can't get immigrant workers now because Covid has shut the borders.

Farmers and small town business people (like I was) aren't generally 'lefties', mostly they're pragmatic realists and if you can't get someone to pick your oranges or your apples or your grapes and they rot on the tree or the vine then you're business is stuffed.

And the 'locals' won't leave their cities and work in the country, rural areas (at least some of them) need immigrant workers to fill those employment positions.

The problem comes when refugees are dumped into big cities (where jobs are mainly for skilled workers) without recognized qualifications.

Countries need to be making a distinction between immigrants to fill jobs that locals won't do and refugees because the needed workers are being caught up in all the anti-refugee kerfuffle and businesses and farms are suffering as a result.

*Apologies for the off topic post but I felt this comment needed to be addressed*

[OnMyWay]

31 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

Countries need to be making a distinction between immigrants to fill jobs that locals won't do and refugees because the needed workers are being caught up in all the anti-refugee kerfuffle and businesses and farms are suffering as a result.

Many in the world have a mistaken perception that many Americans are against immigration.  For the most part, that is not true.  Pragmatic realists know that controlled immigration is good for the country.  What they are against is illegal immigration, no border control, or open borders.

Most of the press portray conservative Americans who oppose illegal immigration and open borders as "racists".  Typical tactics of the left is to try and trigger emotional reactions from their supporters.  95% of the BS they put out to the world is BS.  Sad to say, but many citizens of the world have their impression of the U.S. formed by CNN and they never see anything balanced.  Ask legal immigrants what they think of illegal immigrants.  Ask a legal immigrant from Mexico what they think of Mexican illegal immigrants.  It pisses them off because because they worked hard to do it legally, wait in line, etc.

 

[hk blues]

31 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

Many in the world have a mistaken perception that many Americans are against immigration.  For the most part, that is not true.  Pragmatic realists know that controlled immigration is good for the country.  What they are against is illegal immigration, no border control, or open borders.

Most of the press portray conservative Americans who oppose illegal immigration and open borders as "racists".  Typical tactics of the left is to try and trigger emotional reactions from their supporters.  95% of the BS they put out to the world is BS.  Sad to say, but many citizens of the world have their impression of the U.S. formed by CNN and they never see anything balanced.  Ask legal immigrants what they think of illegal immigrants.  Ask a legal immigrant from Mexico what they think of Mexican illegal immigrants.  It pisses them off because because they worked hard to do it legally, wait in line, etc.

 

I'm quoting your post OMW but not because my comment is at you necessarily -

Let's cut to the chase on immigration. All governments would love to be able to pick and choose who comes in and who doesn't but for a multitude of reasons cannot. We're living in a time where our inherint dislike of immigration doesn't wash.

And, I'm not naive enough to not be able to connect the latest act by the government to the Chinese immigrants. That said, I'm also not naive enough not to see that it may be just another example of taking advantage of the current sentiment towards the Chinese.

Unlike many of our countries, foreigners are not a drain on resources here in the main so anything that reduces the numbers will have some impact but, in a nation of 105m people we're a drop in the ocean either way.

[Dave Hounddriver]

1 hour ago, GeoffH said:

. . . immigrants to fill jobs that locals won't do. . .

For a year or so.  Once the immigrants have been in country for a year or so then they don't want to do the jobs the locals don't want either.

Don't misunderstand me.  I believe immigrants should be required to do the work the locals won't do.  Most countries already have enough lazy arses looking for the big money jobs with benefits and no qualifications. Keep in mind I don't think its right to ask an immigrant (or anyone else) to do a job I wouldn't do myself.  However I started out scaping gum off the mall floor in my first job so I have no qualms proposing that immigrants be given the choice of doing the jobs that need doing or going back where they came from.  

[OnMyWay]

48 minutes ago, hk blues said:

Let's cut to the chase on immigration. All governments would love to be able to pick and choose who comes in and who doesn't but for a multitude of reasons cannot. We're living in a time where our inherint dislike of immigration doesn't wash.

You can speak for your self, not others.  Again, I think you have to keep legal and illegal immigration separate, and refugees separate, for rationial discussion.

Most of my best friends in the U.S. are first or second generation immigrants from several countries.  India, China, Mexico, etc.  Implying that I have an inherent dislike for immigration is wrong.  I have an inherent dislike for illegal immigration.

[GeoffH]

53 minutes ago, OnMyWay said:

I have an inherent dislike for illegal immigration.

As do I, my concern has been that (in Australia at least) the skilled (and legal) immigration numbers are being cut as a result of a section of society that is simply and totally anti-immigration and seems to lack the common sense (or perhaps the will) to understand the difference between a legal skilled immigrant (or at least a legal immigrant with a job lined up) and someone who is brought by criminals operating dangerous boat smuggling operations.

*I think this thread is a contender for the most off topic thread of the year now* 

Edited October 25, 2020 by GeoffH

[Shady]

1 hour ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

Once the immigrants have been in country for a year or so then they don't want to do the jobs the locals don't want either.

And why would they, when they can collect welfare and get free medical from the tax-paying citizens?

The clear point here is that the comparison of third-world immigration into the West, and Western immigration into the PH, is not a valid comparison in any way, shape or form. The PH today has demographics and immigration policy similar to the US and Europe before 1960, back when those nations put their citizens first, before they were invaded by the "open borders" Marxists bent on replacing the host population. That's the result of the welcoming liberal Western tradition that, luckily for Asian cultures, doesn't exist in their world.

 

[Viking]

1 hour ago, Shady said:

The clear point here is that the comparison of third-world immigration into the West, and Western immigration into the PH, is not a valid comparison in any way, shape or form. 

I agree, 100 %

[adrian canuck]

So ...

Any rumblings, rumors, gossip, even facts - of when the Gov't will start to issue SRRV's again

Ask kittelsoncarpo - they have no idea

[GeoffH]

2 hours ago, adrian canuck said:

So ...

Any rumblings, rumors, gossip, even facts - of when the Gov't will start to issue SRRV's again

Ask kittelsoncarpo - they have no idea

The only thing I've read is a statement that the Philippines won't open up for tourism until after a vaccine is available and that's probably the middle of next year (excluding expats married to Filipinos who can get visas).