Immigration law is a term that refers to a government policy held by a nation and it controls the whole phenomenon of the movement of people between countries. As regards foreign citizens, immigration law relates to the law of nationality of the individual, which controls the legal status of the individual.
Immigration law differs from state to state and also in accordance with the prevailing political environment at a particular time. This is because attitudes and sentiments swing from the deeply inclusive to the widely inclusive of fresh immigrants. They are also influenced by the political relationships of countries. The immigration law that regards citizens of a particular country is controlled by the international law. In this law, mandate is given that countries permit rightful entry to their own citizens. This is also held by the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In some countries, immigration laws can be rather strict and they govern the entry and internal rights. Such rights include the length of stay in the country, the right to take part in government and its issues, and the process of naturalization of individuals. Through this immigration law, a person can become a citizen.
For example, immigration laws in the United Kingdom allow British citizens who are overseas to have identical and legal rights to the citizens in the UK, differentiated only by title. British citizenship may be acquired rightly by those born in Britain or its overseas territories or may be availed rightly for those to whom a parent is a British or British Overseas citizen.