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HISTORY OF IMMIGRATION As we look back at the 20 century we realize that never in the history of mankind have humans migrated so much. Millions of people have left their homes to relocate in other parts of the world in order to change their destiny. People from all over the world have dared to dream of a better future for themselves and for their children. Others were forced out of their homelands in order to escape atrocities (暴政，暴行). The two world wars during this century forced large numbers of people to seek refuge in a distant land in order to survive. Australia Since 1945, over six million people have come to Australia as new settlers. Their arrival has had a marked influence on all aspects of our society. The trigger for a large-scale migration was the end of World War II. In Europe, millions of people were driven outside their homelands, unable to return. In Australia, there was a desperate shortage of labour and a belief that substantial population growth was essential for the country’’s future. These factors led to the creation of a federal immigration program in 1945. By 1947, a post-war immigration boom was under way, with a large and growing number of arrivals of both government-assisted and other immigrants. Agreements were reached with the United Kingdom, some European countries and the International Refugee Organization (IRO) to encourage migrants, including displaced persons from war-torn Europe, to come to Australia. Between October 1945 and June 1960, 1.7 million people arrived. A million more migrants arrived in each of the following four decades. Today, nearly one in four of Australia’’s almost 20 million people were born overseas. New Zealand and the United Kingdom are the largest source countries for migrants, but other regions — notably Asia — have become more significant. The most ambitious part of Australia’’s migration program followed the end of World War II. Australia negotiated agreements with other governments and international organizations to help achieve high migration targets. These agreements are no longer in force. Canada In 1947, the Canadian government proposed broadening immigration policies as it set its sights on two main objectives: to populate Canada and, is so doing, expand its domestic market and develop the countries resources. But Canada remained opposed to massive immigration from the East—a tendency that continued to shape immigration policy until 1962. Canada stressed its former selective policies and reasserted its right to accept or refuse particular classes of immigrants. Other political and international forces at the time, however, contributed to making Canada a country of immigration. In fact, the years following World War II saw the establishment of international bodies and the introduction of human rights legislation and a pressure to welcome "displaced persons" from Europe. This pressure led to the abolishment of the Chinese Immigration Act in 1947. The Chinese Immigration Act of 1952, however, maintained earlier exclusion based on nationality, ethnicity(种族), climate compatibility, lifestyle and values. Contrary to the 1920s, immigration focused primarily on the construction and manufacturing industries as opposed to agriculture and mining. A wave of immigration from southern Europe swept across postwar Canada to fill the need for manual labour. The immigration of a highly skilled worked force was also encouraged in the areas of health, education and technology, mostly from Europe. The United States of America America was built by immigrants. From Plymouth Rock in the seventeenth century to Ellis Island in the twentieth, people born elsewhere came to America. Some were fleeing religious and political persecution. Most, however, came for economic reasons and were part of extensive migratory systems that responded to changing demands in labor markets. Their experience in the United States was as diverse as their backgrounds and aspirations. Some became farmers and other toiled in factories. Some settled permanently and others returned to their homeland. Collectively, however, they contributed to the building of a nation by providing a constant source of inexpensive labor, by settling rural regions and industrial cities, and by bringing their unique forms of political and cultural expression. The volume of immigration before the 1960s was staggering. Figures for the colonial period are imprecise, but by the time of the first census (人口普查) of 1790 nearly 1 million Afro-Americans and 4 million Europeans resided in the United States. The European population originated from three major streams: English and Welsh, Scotch-Irish, and German. Between the end of World War II and the passage of important immigrant reform legislation in 1965, most newcomers to the United States consisted of Europeans displaced by war and Mexican agricultural workers. In 1948 Congress passed the Displaced Persons Act that eventually admitted some 400,000 Europeans uprooted by war, although displaced people from Palestine, China, and India were ignored. Congress also responded to the requests of agricultural interests in the Southwest and allowed temporary workers from Mexico into the country after 1952. More than 1 million people are entering the U.S. legally every year. From 1983 through 1992, 8.7 million of these newcomers arrived—the highest number in any 10-year period since 1910. A record 1.8 million were granted permanent residence in 1991. Because present law stresses family unification, these arrivals can bring over their spouses, sons and daughters: some 3.5 million are now in line to come in. Once here, they can bring in their direct relatives. As a result, there exists no visible limit to the number of legal entries. Australia today Natural increase has been the main source of population growth over the past hundred years, contributing two-thirds of the increase in population between 1901 and 2001. Immigration has also been a significant contributor to Australia’’s population growth, and immigration’’s contribution to population growth is likely to increase during the next 30 years as the ageing of Australia’’s population leads to the annual number of the deaths exceeding births. It is possible that sometime in the 2030s, immigration may become the only source of growth in population. The Displaced Persons Act passed by American congress in 1948 admitted all immigrants uprooted by war.