E.g., 04/23/2024
E.g., 04/23/2024
North America

North America

United States
Canada
Mexico

North America is a dynamic migration region, with the United States home to more immigrants than any other country in the world, the Mexico-U.S. corridor the globe's top migration corridor, and Canada a leading destination for migrants. Research collected here focuses on everything from visa policy and border management to immigrant integration, national identity, the demographics of immigrants in the region and their educational and workforce outcomes, and ways to more effectively use migration policy as a lever for national and regional competitiveness.

Graphic image of man's hand touching screen with word skills
Commentaries

Canada's New Tech Talent Strategy Takes Aim at High-Skilled Immigrants in the United States

Canada’s Tech Talent Strategy is highly unusual for its explicit targeting of visa holders in another country. Opening a dedicated stream specifically for high-skilled immigrants in the United States who hold an H-1B visa is the latest salvo in a growing global competition for talent—one in which some countries are racing ahead of the United States in terms of policy dynamism, as this commentary explores.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other leaders at the 2022 Summit of the Americas
Commentaries

The Los Angeles Declaration Could Represent a Big Step for Real Migration Cooperation across the Americas

The Los Angeles Agreement on Migration and Protection signed by leaders from 20 countries across the Western Hemisphere at the 2022 Summit of the Americas marks a significant step forward in creating a common language and a coherent set of ideas for more cooperatively managing migration movements across a region that has seen very significant mobility in recent years, as this commentary explains.

Recent Activity

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Reports
June 2011
The Role of Immigration in Fostering Competitiveness in the United States
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
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Reports
June 2011
Emerging Transatlantic Security Dilemmas in Border Management
By  Elizabeth Collett
Articles
May 24, 2011
Immigrants from Asia in the United States
By Jeanne Batalova
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Multimedia
May 18, 2011
E Pluribus Unum Prizes Panel Discussions and Awards Ceremony
Articles
May 17, 2011
DHS Announces End to Controversial Post-9/11 Immigrant Registration and Tracking Program
By Muzaffar Chishti, Claire Bergeron
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Reports
May 2011
Immigrants in the United States: How Well Are They Integrating into Society?
By  Tomás R. Jiménez
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Reports
May 2011
Evolving Demographic and Human-Capital Trends in Mexico and Central America and Their Implications for Regional Migration
By  Aaron Terrazas, Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Marc R. Rosenblum
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Reports
May 2011
The Faltering U.S. Refugee Protection System: Legal and Policy Responses to Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Others in Need of Protection
By  Donald M. Kerwin

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Policy Beat
October 1, 2003
Visitor Tracking Technology Faces Obstacles
Machine-Readable Passport Requirement Delayed One Year... California Allows Undocumented Immigrants to Obtain Driver's License... US-VISIT Confronts Criticism, Potential Setbacks... Annual Cap for H-1B Visa Holders Slashed... New Citizenship Office Chief Appointed... TPS Extended for Burundians and Sudanese, Terminated for Sierra Leonians...
Spotlight
October 1, 2003
The Foreign Born from Mexico in the United States in 2000

MPI Data Manager Elizabeth Grieco provides an overview of the largest immigrant group in the United States.

Feature
September 1, 2003
Chicago's Immigrants Break Old Patterns

Rob Paral of Roosevelt University's Institute for Metropolitan Affairs examines the key role of recent immigrants in one of the United States' largest cities.

Policy Beat
September 1, 2003
Security Concerns Spur Policy Changes
Visa Waiver Transit Programs Suspended... State Dept. Adds Visa Categories for Border Students... Ridge Names Citizenship and Immigration Ombudsman... State Dept. Requires Online Applications for Visa Lottery... Temporary Protected Status Extended for Liberians...
Policy Beat
August 1, 2003
Government Widens Efforts to Scrutinize Foreign Visitors
State Dept. Tightens Rules on Visa Applicant Interviews... Agreements With Chile, Singapore Open Door to Trade in Services... DHS Fully Implements Foreign Student Tracking System... TPS Extended for Montserratians, Salvadorans, Somalians... DHS Expands Efforts to Deport ‘Predatory’ Criminal Aliens...

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Recent Activity

Video, Audio, Webinars
May 9, 2019

A Mirror for the Nation? The Changing Profile of Mexican Immigrants in Texas

At this discussion, experts from MPI and Southern Methodist University’s Texas-Mexico Center offer an overview of trends and key characteristics of highly skilled Mexican adults at the national level and for Texas, including educational levels by legal status and top industries of employment across Texas metro areas. They also discuss the policy implications of these findings.

Fact Sheets
May 2019

A Profile of Highly Skilled Mexican Immigrants in Texas and the United States

U.S. debates about immigration from Mexico often center on the low skilled, but this analysis shows a population in change. Nearly one in five Mexican immigrants arriving between 2013-17 had a college degree, compared to slightly more than 1 in 20 during the 1996-2000 period. Mexicans now make up the fourth-largest group of highly skilled immigrants. This fact sheet explores their characteristics at U.S. and Texas levels.

Reports
May 2019

Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration

In the two years since President Trump entered office, U.S. immigration policy has changed in many ways. Some actions have received significant media attention and public scrutiny, and others have been implemented with little fanfare. This document chronicles these wide-reaching policy changes, covering immigration enforcement, the immigration courts, humanitarian admissions, visa processing, and more.

Reports
May 2019

Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions

Amid a significant reshaping of immigration policy by the Trump administration, a range of immigration topics that have not been at the forefront of debate merit further information sharing with the public and policymakers. This report examines eight issues areas that are deserving of additional review and could form the basis for future action by Congress, including H-1B reform and treatment of unaccompanied minors.

Reports
May 2019

Preparing for the Unknown: Designing Effective Predeparture Orientation for Resettling Refugees

Refugees encounter a range of challenges after resettlement—from adjusting to a new culture and language, to finding a job. Many resettlement countries invest in predeparture orientation to help refugees develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to face these challenges. This report explores the many forms these programs take, highlighting important design questions and key elements that effective programs share.

Video, Audio, Webinars
April 29, 2019

Do All High School Graduates Count? Unintended Consequences of State Accountability Policies for English Learner Students

This webinar, accompanying the release of an MPI report, investigates the unintended consequences for English Learners of using the four-year high school graduation rate for federal school accountability.

Reports
April 2019

The Unintended Consequences for English Learners of Using the Four-Year Graduation Rate for School Accountability

High school graduation is a landmark event for students. It also plays an important role in the state accountability systems designed to ensure that schools provide all students a high-quality education. Yet relying on a school's four-year graduation rate for federal accountability purposes can have unintended consequences for English Learners, who may need extra time to graduate.

Explainers
April 2019

Explainer: How the U.S. Legal Immigration System Works

Through which visa categories can immigrants move temporarily or permanently to the United States? What are the main channels by which people come, and who can sponsor them for a green card? Are there limits on visa categories? And who is waiting in the green-card backlog? This explainer answers basic questions about temporary and permanent immigration via family, employment, humanitarian, and other channels.

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