Immigration Concerns Generate New Unease Over Lost/Stolen Passports

by erin on June 18, 2010

The world is always a wonderful experience for the people of every country. Unfortunately there are also those who have to travel as a result of wars, famine or political persecution. Because of this, keeping proper documentation to prove your status while in other nations is a necessary inconvenience. A lost or stolen passport can put you at risk.

There are other reasons to keep the proper paperwork while traveling. In the event of a natural disaster like a volcano or earthquake the paperwork may be the only way to communicate with officials if you do not speak the local language. Many also find it necessary to present proper documentation to make purchases or even stay at certain hotels.

It is a sad stereotype that immigrants are usually destitute and represent at best competition for employment opportunity, and at worst the outright importation of poverty. Typically, outrage over immigration follows inversely the pattern of economic strength of a nation. And the economy is strong, and jobs are plentiful immigrants fill the lower echelon of the workforce providing cheap labor and supporting inexpensive goods.

As jobs become less plentiful, systems look at immigrants and see threats in the form of competition for those jobs that are available. Despite the fact most of the jobs immigrants take are extremely low paying and are performed in less than ideal conditions that citizens normally would not even consider applying for, they are seeing in a different light as the economy shrinks.

Nations across the globe have established complicated methodologies for individuals from other countries to immigrate legally. While some are more difficult than others, it is a universal concept to regulate the legal flow of individuals. To be sure that you can enjoy your vacation or business travel without concern for running afoul of the law, one must necessarily protect personal travel authorization.

The worldwide concern over rampant acts of terrorism border protection is at an all time high. The scrutiny travelers must endure is continually increased as the sophistication of those who would export terrorism ramps up. While it is an inconvenience, most travelers have become accustomed to the increased security, especially at airports, and understand the importance of not allowing others access to their paperwork.

Even if the documentation does not fall into the hands of a criminal, the loss of proper paperwork will make the rest of your vacation very difficult to conclude. Reporting the loss to officials is of course necessary but will not guarantee when you could expect to have them expediently replaced. This is especially true these days with microchips containing the biometrics of each individual imprinted in the passport.

The primary reason to safeguard your pass port is that there are people who would love to get their hands on it. Having your passport as a template from which to duplicate greatly simplifies their efforts. So if you experience a lost or stolen U.S. passport, immediately report it to the authorities.

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