What makes the RAPS relevant?  Contemporary global migration patterns are diverse and mixed; people move for various reasons, in different ways.  Cross-border movements can be authorized and unauthorized, permanent and temporary.  State efforts to regulated migration produce legal status categories that include: permanent resident, temporary worker, refugee claimant, tourist, foreign student, and undocumented.  Like Europe and Australia, Canada has expanded the range of temporary worker programs, modified refugee policies, and continued to be selective about (permanent) immigrants.  State policies and ongoing migration contribute to migrant irregularization.  At the same time, states offer limited opportunities for regularization.  Together, these processes produce variable forms of less-than-full (non-citizen) status; specific configurations vary from one immigration jurisdiction to another.

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