ABSTRACT
This chapter examines cross-national differences in immigration policy to assess the significance of policy in explaining differences in the entry status of immigrant groups. The United state policy called for immigration as required primarily to meet humanitarian concerns such as family reunification and refugee asylum, with only a small component to be admitted based on specific occupational and labor force needs. The fact that policy differences relate more to occupational selectivity than to skill selectivity can be understood in terms of the comparative institutional context and the social, cultural, and political forces impinging on immigration policy makers in each country. Australian unions have exercised greater power in immigration policy making, but their efforts have been toward incorporating immigrants within the labor fold. An examination of policy content shows that immigration in Canada and Australia is intended to be more carefully regulated than in the United States, but the regulation is oriented toward occupational selectivity more than toward skill selectivity.
