The promotion of immigration is rooted in Lebanese history
According to a research initiative launched by the Crisis Observatory at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon has entered a third wave of immigration since 2019. This is a matter of concern in a country whose independence has not spanned 100 years yet, especially when we learn about the causes of immigration and the number of immigrants in each wave.
In the first wave of immigration, about 330,000 people left between the late nineteenth century and World War I. As for the second wave, it was during the civil war when about 990,000 people immigrated. Today, however, immigration has become more difficult, as more and more people compete for the limited available opportunities. A new hierarchy has also emerged in dealing with immigrants*.
Obviousness of the hierarchy of choice between the Lebanese and other oppressed peoples
While Lebanon is hit by the worst economic crisis in modern history, other disasters striking the region have forced all its peoples to submit immigration applications. The number of Syrians from the diaspora has increased since the start of the civil war and since the times of the political unrest and military coups that preceded it during the past century. The number of immigrants increased in all Arab countries witnessing political unrest, lack of security, and the rise of extremist groups following the “Arab Spring” in 2011.
The Palestinians also experienced waves of displacement from Palestine in both Al-Nakba and An-Naksa in 1948 and 1967, followed by waves of displacement from the Arab countries to which they immigrated after their governments signed peace agreements. Iraq also witnessed waves of immigration under Saddam Hussein, and after the 2003 US invasion. All these peoples deserved to have the countries receiving immigrants open their doors to them, at a time when Lebanon enjoyed relative stability compared to them, so the peoples of these afflicted states, rather than the Lebanese, deserved to join the ranks of immigrants.
Today, the world is facing other calamities, such as the Ukrainian War, the Yemen War, and the rise of extremists in Afghanistan. All of these are more compelling reasons than the economic hardship endured by Lebanon, which prevents assigning a high priority on the Lebanese by Western countries that chose instead to open their doors to Ukrainian refugees. It is a new ethnic hierarchy considered by foreign ministries in their preference for refugees with nationalities and ethnicities close to natives’, thus ensuring their adaptation at a lower cost, as well as greater stability in society, ease of communication and conflict resolution.
This selectivity in choosing refugees has limited the options available to the Lebanese. They are now forced to consider a limited number of countries that may not meet all their aspirations, or their life there may be threatened due to the strained relations between their home country and destination countries. In recent years, we have witnessed strained relations between Lebanon and a number of Gulf States, as a result of which many Lebanese lost their jobs and residency permits abroad, and were forced to return to Lebanon because the authorities punished them as a result of a disagreement with a Lebanese official.
In this case too, we see another hierarchy of immigration applications, whereby embassies prefer applicants to others based on differences not chosen by those applicants, such as religion, sect, hometown and place of residence. All these factors are indicators of an individual’s affiliation with a party undesired in the country of destination.
Apart from these factors, the “digital identity” plays an important factor in determining the political affiliations of individuals, thus influencing the approval of their applications. Even the holders of secret accounts and those who openly declared their affiliation and then changed their political leanings and deleted their posts, may be called into question by embassies that, with technological advances, can easily identify the tweets and posts published on accounts before the deletion, in which case renouncing partisan principles does not affect much the chances of approving an immigration application.
In a country whose natives are born stigmatized as sects, attracted by parties, and seen as partisans of groups from father to son, they inevitably identify with one of the political poles and belong, sometimes willingly and often under the influence of the surroundings, to sectarian parties. Thus, for many they are ineligible to have their immigration applications accpeted since they are beneficiaries of the current Lebanese political system and are not seeking to change it, in which event it is better to accept the applications of those who do not benefit from political parties or have undesired party affiliations. Therefore, most Lebanese prefer to immigrate to one of the “peaceful and neutral states” that do not have political ties and economic interests with Lebanon, so that the deterioration of relations and threatened interests do not affect the acceptance of applicants belonging to certain communities.
Not to speak of the financial difficulties that may hinder the payment of fees for adequate housing and tickets, and the bank account statements requested by foreign ministries, which, due to the attachment of depositors’ funds and the scarcity of hard currency, have become worthless today, and instead they are another obstacle to immigration. This prompted many to engage in illegal immigration in death boats which claimed the lives of a large number of drowned people who pinned false hopes on them and even sealed their fate.
Not to speak of all forms of illegal immigration that are dominated by the specter of death, as smugglers cash huge sums of money, considering the current situation, while immigration fugitives fail to secure a decent life for themselves and their families, but they prefer to flee rather than stay. They see in this escape some hope and challenge in the midst of an almost hopeless situation, especially that most smugglers are not held accountable and unfortunately, in many cases, there is collusion of the security forces and smugglers, according to the testimonies of some fugitives on the death boat in Tripoli.
Here another hierarchy arises: residency permits for people with the highest purchasing power. Many European states grant residency permits to those who buy a house in their territory. In addition, graduates of American or French universities in Lebanon have better chances of immigrating to the countries that finance their universities, especially graduates who aspire to pursue their higher studies abroad.
“I chose to immigrate to Italy where better educational opportunities than those available in Lebanon are provided,” said Nour (pseudonym), a Lebanese student who is completing a master’s degree in architecture in Milan. “The degree granted here is more important, and the financial aid provided enables me to study in the best architecture schools for free, while the same degree costs millions of liras in Lebanon, to graduate from a university that is not mentioned among the top 100 universities in the world. I was accepted at other universities in Belgium and the United Kingdom, but the high cost of living made me apply to an Italian university, knowing that I do not speak the language, because the cost of living is much cheaper here,” Nour went on to say.
Immigration does not bring stability
Young people and university graduates in general are the desired category, in addition to holders of a passport, even though a Lebanese one, especially after the Ministry of Interior stopped issuing and renewing passports without warning, in a move that results in putting us all in a large prison called Lebanon. However, the potential for achieving stability in the country of destination, as repeated by the Lebanese who see that the constant state of anxiety and instability surrounding their lives will be relieved by residing anywhere other than in Lebanon, is denied by Nour.
She adds, “I am building relationships and I am certain that one day I or any of my friends will have to leave. When I think about buying furniture for my house, I make sure that the items are not heavy, big or difficult to move, because I will leave them if I move to another country.” I temporarily abandoned my dream of learning to play the piano because I know that I will leave it here when it is time to leave. I am sacrificing stability for now in order to learn and work later on. In spite of it all, I feel lucky that I left, and that I have no right to complain to my family and friends in Lebanon about the lack of stability I am experiencing because they live in the same situation, but at home.”
Perhaps this is what the current situation in the countries of destination is: asking if one has the right to complain or not. What is worse is the burden felt as those at home think immigrants live a better life once they leave and that immigration opens doors to a luxurious life. So, foreign countries are associated with stereotyped images, such as those of tall buildings, delicious food and tourist attractions. But Nour stresses that “the beauty and importance of travelling is exaggerated, at least when we travel on a limited budget. I have been living here for eight months and have been struggling to find a part-time job, but I only found this job two weeks ago. So, I live in a state of confusion because of the global labor market. I also miss a safe place I can return to in case I lose my residency perrmit or do not find a job after graduation.”
Many have chosen this long and rough road because they have given up hope. Many know very well that they are not the lucky ones who will be chosen by embassies to start a new life abroad. However, despite all the adverse factors, they attempt once again while knowing they will fail, simply because they have a sense of belonging and enjoy the basic rights they are denied in their home country. The life of the Lebanese youth is now equated with electricity, water and food, far from achieving the goals of self-fulfilment.
Let us assume that these rights are enjoyed, and that the situation in Lebanon has improved. So will the Lebanese abandon their dream of immigration? I do not think so. The Lebanese economy has never encouraged people to stay in the country. Since before the civil war, this country has been alienating its population and gradually excluding them from participating in the decision-making process. The components of integration are completely missing in a country like Lebanon, and it is not just about the economic situation, but it also has to do with the sense of belonging and political participation, as members of society occupy a part of the public space. Perhaps the economic situation is not optimal, but it is a major reason, though not the only one, for immigration.