Created by: Jacob Wingett, Security Chief
Orissa’s history of having a major fishing industry and serving as an important trade port, and most recently, serving as a financial and banking hub reminds its people of the value other countries bring. Our history shows us that welcoming those from other countries and backgrounds creates the opportunity for economic and social benefits. Orissa also recognizes that it has a responsibility to uphold order, stability, and harmony for its citizens. This balance is at the heart of Orissa’s immigration policy. We want to remain open to all while placing a high level of importance on accepting Orissian values. Working within the constitutional framework and our desire to be open while maintaining national societal values, Orissa pursues a merit/skills-based quota immigration program.
Article 6 of the Orissian Constitution establishes the outline for the process by which individuals from foreign countries become a Foreign National of Orissa and Orissian Civil Citizens. Immigrants must live in Orissa for a total of seven years before they are granted the title of Foreign National of Orissa, a status that is equal to other non-voting eligible Orissians. To achieve Orissa Civil Citizen status, Foreign Nationals of Orissa must complete a two-year civil service requirement within a government sector of their choice. Lastly, Foreign Nationals of Orissa must forfeit their citizenship status in their previous country of residence prior to achieving Orissian Civil Citizen status.
Orissa accepts a maximum total number of immigrants each year, equivalent to 7% of the total population of the country. The 7% maximum quota is an across-the-board policy; it does not set minimum or maximum numbers for immigrants coming from any country. The allocation is distributed on a first-come-first-served basis as to provide an even opportunity and to eliminate the possibility of any illusion of preference shown to any country. The total number of immigrants to be accepted each year is divided by 12 (months) to help spread out the inflow. This means that the maximum number accepted in a given month is equal to 7% of the total Orissian population divided by 12.
Orissa places emphasis on individuals who can arrive and contribute to our economy and communities early on in their life in Orissa. We want to attract the best in all sectors of the economy who wish to adopt Orissian values. To do this, Orissa places importance on education, skills, and work experience. For example, an individual who wants to immigrate to work in Orissa’s financial sector who has completed higher education and/or has years of high-level work experience will be highly competitive. Orissa understands the value that labor-intensive jobs (I.e., agriculture) bring to its economy, and individuals with a high level of experience working within those careers will also be competitive.
In order to maintain a tight-knit, community-oriented culture, Orissa requires individuals who are planning to immigrate to obtain a current job offer from within Orissa. Individuals are not required to have the job offer prior to beginning the application process; however, if selected, the individual must obtain a job offer within 12 months and must submit the job offer prior to being allowed to immigrate into the country.
To provide the maximum number of opportunities to prospective immigrants, Orissa allows applicants to sponsor immediate family members (I.e., spouse, children under the age of 18, child or parent who requires care from the applicant). These sponsored family members do count toward the 7% maximum quota. This policy strives to make the immigration process as smooth as possible for applicants while minimizing the impact on the strict quota.
In a 2006 speech, Roger Scruton mentions, “For national loyalty is a form of neighbourliness: it is loyalty to a shared home and to the people who have built it. It makes no specific demands of a religious or ideological nature, and is content with a common obedience to a secular rule of law, and a common sense of belonging to the land, its customs and its habits of peaceful coexistence.” This notion of openness to all as long as they desire to adopt common customs and a sense of belonging serves as a foundation for Orissa’s immigration policy consistent with its conservative ideology. There is no desire of Orissa to force immigrants into any religion, career, social status, etc. Rather, Orissa welcomes those who welcome our customs and values. Preserving and passing on those to future generations is at the heart of our culture and is something that has been kept in mind as Orissa has evolved its immigration policy into what it is today. We have strived for the fairest policy for those individuals living in another country and for those who live in Orissa.
References
Scruton, Roger. (2006). Roger Scruton on Immigration, Multiculturalism and the Need to Defend the Nation State. [Transcript]. Retrieved from https://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/1126