Archived Articles

Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

Global Real Estate Project
News Index

Directories
  Int'l Realty
  US Realty

What is the stereotype image about the present-time international economic migrant with or without a family, looking for a new country to settle? Many think that this is rather a poor, illiterate, blue-collar person from a third world country, the so-called visual minority individual coming from a country in Africa or Latin America or South Asia. Is this perfectly matching the image of people that have just arrived in your town?

There are though migrants that are far away from this stereotype as Europe is far from Sub-Sahara Africa and the United States are far from Argentine. They also desperately need to resettle but the economic reasons aren't the main factor in their decision. During the last decade there have been at least three different waves of migration originating from rich countries or territories like South Africa and Hong Kong, and now from Israel.

If we were living in 19th century I would have bet on the assumption that the main flow of these migrants would go to the United States. On the one hand, the federal taxes in America a century ago were lower than in the rest of the industrial world. On the other hand, the people there, coming from many different cultures and belonging to different religions, could have felt safe from persecution.

We are living not in 19th but at the beginning of the 21st century and the question where exactly to go if your country isn't safe enough for you, for your children and for your money is far from having an easy answer.

10 years ago every more or less educated person in the world knew that the years of the apartheid in South Africa were counted. But only a fraction of these persons feared that this could cause a massive migration among the white minority. I remember that as a very young journalist 10 years ago I calculated on $200 billion the direct benefit for the country* that would dare to welcome on its territory the whole white minority of South Africa.

Then I made a reference to the situation in Central and Eastern Europe, desperately in need of cash and investments. Only one bold political step could have changed all this. Money was there, these countries had only to reap the fruits. But this one step wasn't made, no country even tried to do it. Those who wanted to leave South Africa did it separately, without making big noise.

I remember also when five years ago Hong Kong was returned to China. There were at least 2 million residents of this British colony with passports issued from the United Kingdom. London refused to allow them automatically settle in the British islands. No country took the bold step to invite them to settle down bringing with them their billions, their management skills and their business networks. Those who decided to leave anyway Hong Kong after 1997 did it again separately, without making headlines.

In the last months there is a new migration wave coming from Israel. The Jewish communities from Canada to New Zealand are reporting the increase of new settlers leaving Israel. The reasons are obvious. Many in Israel now fear for their lives and for the lives of their children. Those who have reached Canada say that they have had to wait the ordinary immigration procedures as if nothing extraordinary has happened in the Middle East. Again as in the cases with South Africa and Hong Kong no country wants to welcome those who want to escape from the fears.

----
* - The indirect benefits such as the business contacts and the management skills are priceless.