The Loudenia Crier

The following is testimony from Dr. Alessandra Beasley of the Department of Communication at Wake Forest University.

Honorable Ms Stroebel and Ms Tarlamazyan,

I commend you for working on the important issue of immigration in your country. Your bill addresses several key issues related to the ongoing immigration debate, but I would like to offer a few comments and pose a few questions.

As a European Union Member State, how are you differentiating between EU and non-EU citizens? Your party deals with Middle East issue and you state early in your bill that your economy ‘attracts many immigrants from the Middle East,’ but I would recommend a brief clarification. Is this bill addressing ONLY non-EU citizens from non-EU countries? Citizens of non-EU countries living and working legally in EU territory are recognized as third-country nationals and you may want to use the language often adopted in other Member States, especially since these citizens are subject of EU law as well as your national law.

Remember, however, that your country has complete sovereignty in determining citizenship and naturalization laws, which leads to my second question, regarding your third point. How will you decide the criteria for eligibility for the 10 years required to become a Loudenese citizen? Other EU Member States, as well as the EU itself, specify the terms of legal, permanent residence with strict requirements that include not leaving the country to work or reside elsewhere for more than six months in a year or breaking the law. You may want to specify the criteria for those 10 years to count toward citizenship and please note that even after that period non-citizens who apply for naturalization are not guaranteed citizenship, so the statement ‘fully receive it’ could be very controversial, especially among other Parliamentarians who are not in favor of immigration and perceive it as a threat to the great nation of Loudenia.

Also, although student visas are generally supported and encouraged and your proposal in this regard supplements your commitment to cultural exchange and enrichment programs, your language may be perceived as slightly in contradiction with the general spirit of the bill. Your second point states “Student visas are still given. The application for visas will be further restricted.” What do you mean? Which kind of restrictions do you recommend? How are they stricter than the ones currently adopted?

Finally, as Members of Parliament I am sure you are well aware that funding is needed for all the proposed bills and you may encounter some resistance from Parliamentarians who are not ready to pay the bill for immigrants to be assimilated. I agree with you that this is a necessary step in creating a harmonious nation where Loudenese and non-Loudenese citizens live, learn and work peacefully together, but the mention of ‘money given to the school to improve the conditions for the process of learning Loudenese,’ may encounter opposition. Are you able to provide more specific terms or plans to provide funding for such proposal?
The issue of Turkey may cause a whole new round of discussion about immigration in Loudenia and since your bill is already addressing the status of non-EU, non-Loudenese citizens, why are you mentioning it as a separate issue? While I understand there are already large numbers of Turkish citizens living and working in Loudenia, you may not want to highlight their situation as unique, since your commitment seems to be to all non-EU citizens, regardless of country of origin, even if your party focus is clearly on the Middle East.

I applaud your commitment to integrating the great citizens of Loudenia with the people who come to your great country for employment and an opportunity for a better life and I am hopeful my suggestions will help you make your bill stronger. While you are likely to encounter opposition, if you prepare strong answers to potential arguments against the benefits of immigration, I am hopeful your bill will pass.

Thank you for all your hard work representing the citizens of great Loudenia. Please feel free to contact me with additional questions or comments.

Sincerely,
Alessandra