Integration Policy

Immigrant integration is the process by which immigrants and their children come to feel and become participants in the life of their country of destination, and in its schools, workplaces, and communities. Governments' policies, initiatives, and programs help determine immigrants' opportunities to participate in society, as well as their guarantees to the same rights and responsibilities as those of the native born. The research offered here explores the many facets of immigrant integration policy—from citizenship and language acquisition to access to education, the workforce, and more.

Recent Activity

Reports November 2023 The Unmet Potential of Community Consultations in U.S. Refugee Resettlement By Lillie Hinkle	Multimedia November 14, 2023 Engaging Local Voices: Letting Cities Inform National Refugee Resettlement Goals
Reports November 2023 Migration and Displacement in Secondary Cities: Insights from Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda By Samuel Davidoff-Gore and Camille Le Coz	Reports November 2023 Immigration and Integration in the Ever More Diverse Houston Area By Valerie Lacarte, Michael Fix and Jeanne Batalova
Articles November 1, 2023 The World’s Leading Refugee Host, Turkey Has a Complex Migration History By Ayhan Kaya	Multimedia September 18, 2023 20th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference
Policy Briefs October 2023 Why Matching Matters: Improving Outcomes in Refugee Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways By Craig Damian Smith and Emma Ugolini	Fact Sheets October 2023 Recent Immigrant Children: A Profile of New Arrivals to U.S. Schools By Julie Sugarman

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Policy Briefs October 2023 Why Matching Matters: Improving Outcomes in Refugee Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways By Craig Damian Smith and Emma Ugolini	Fact Sheets October 2023 Recent Immigrant Children: A Profile of New Arrivals to U.S. Schools By Julie Sugarman
Reports October 2023 Un camino sinuoso hacia la integración: Regularización de migrantes venezolanos y perspectivas del mercado laboral By Diego Chaves-González and Natalia Delgado	Reports October 2023 A Winding Path to Integration: Venezuelan Migrants’ Regularization and Labor Market Prospects By Diego Chaves-González and Natalia Delgado
Policy Briefs October 2023 Leveraging Data to Ensure Equitable and Effective Adult Skills Programming for Immigrants By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh	Policy Briefs October 2023 Shared Gains: Immigrant-Origin Students in U.S. Colleges By Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix
Policy Briefs September 2023 Green Reintegration: Supporting Returning Migrants in Climate-Affected Communities By Camille Le Coz and Ravenna Sohst	Policy Briefs July 2023 ESSER: Moving the Needle on Equitable and Adequate Education Funding for English Learners By Jazmin Flores Peña, Julie Sugarman and Lorena Mancilla

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Venezuelan migrants at the Colombian border.

Feature

April 11, 2023

In a Dramatic Shift, the Americas Have Become a Leading Migration Destination

Political and economic crises, new free-movement arrangements, and other trends are transforming countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, a region once known primarily for its emigration. The number of immigrants living in the region has nearly doubled since 2010, an incredible change in a short period of time. This article makes sense of a profound transition underway in the Western Hemisphere.

Migrantes venezolanos en la frontera colombiana.

Feature

April 11, 2023

El Cambio de los Patrones y Políticas Migratorios en las Américas

Los países de América Latina y el Caribe están siendo transformados por crisis políticas y económicas, nuevos acuerdos de libre circulación y otras tendencias. La cantidad de inmigrantes que viven en la región casi se ha duplicado desde 2010, un cambio increíble en un corto período de tiempo. Este artículo da sentido a una profunda transición en curso en el hemisferio occidental.

Feature

March 21, 2023

Can Czechia Capitalize on High-Skilled Immigration amid Influx of Ukrainians?

High-skilled immigration represents a potential major benefit to Czechia, which has undergone rapid economic growth since the transition from communism. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of new Ukrainians, many of whom are well educated, marks a moment for the country to re-evaluate its integration policies, as this article details.

A migrant from Tajikistan outside Moscow.

Feature

February 7, 2023

Post-Soviet Labor Migrants in Russia Face New Questions amid War in Ukraine

Millions of immigrants fill key sectors in Russia’s economy, help offset its demographic challenges, and support origin communities, particularly in Central Asia. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many have also been pressured into joining the military, and meanwhile face continued marginalization by Russian society. This article outlines the key issues facing these migrants, some of which have been complicated by the fallout from the war.

Feature

November 2, 2022

Living in Limbo: Displaced Ukrainians in Poland

Poland hosts millions of Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion. While the new arrivals have tended to have been greeted warmly, many have questions about the future. As the months pass, many displaced Ukrainians wonder when and if they will return to their native country. This article, based on interviews with dozens of displaced Ukrainians in Poland, examines their experiences.

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Expert Q&A, Audio

June 27, 2023

A Mixed Welcome: Haitian Migration within the Caribbean

MPI Senior Policy Analyst Valerie Lacarte speaks with experts Bridget Wooding and Louby George about migration of Haitians to the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas.

Video

April 27, 2023

Toward a Road Map for Digitalization in the EU Humanitarian Protection Space

Digital solutions have been a lifeline for many governments and stakeholders involved in the reception and integration of millions of displaced Ukrainians. While digitalization holds great potential, digital tools also carry risk. This MPI Europe webinar examines the trade-offs, identifies lessons learned, and explores how digital tools might strengthen migration and integration systems.

Video, Audio

April 11, 2023

Meeting Global Skills and Talent Needs in Changing Labor Markets

Marking the launch of MPI’s Global Skills and Talent Initiative, this webcast features senior policymakers and other experts discussing the extent to which labor market needs should shape future immigration policy decisions, and how countries are adjusting—and could adjust—their immigration systems to meet human capital and competitiveness needs.

Video, Audio

December 13, 2022

The Ukrainian Displacement Crisis: A Conversation with the European Commission's Director General for Migration and Home Affairs

Monique Pariat, the European Commission’s Director General for Migration and Home Affairs, spoke to the DC policy community on Europe’s rapid response to the Ukrainian displacement crisis, lessons learned, and considerations for future policies.

Video

September 20, 2022

19th Annual Immigration Law & Policy Conference

Focusing on top immigration policy issues at federal and state levels, this 2022 Immigration Law and Policy Conference featured keynotes by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson exploring the growing role states are taking in the national immigration debate.

Recent Activity

Reports

April 2021

Sentando las bases para una cooperación regional: Política migratoria y capacidad institucional en México y Centroamérica

Los países de la región que se extiende desde Panamá hasta la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México enfrentan una importante oportunidad para fortalecer la cooperación en materia de migración. Este informe examina los pilares fundamentales que pueden sentar las bases de la cooperación regional. Además de evaluar la capacidad institucional, los marcos legales y las políticas migratorias, también identifica áreas clave en el desarrollo de capacidades.

Reports

April 2021

Laying the Foundation for Regional Cooperation: Migration Policy & Institutional Capacity in Mexico and Central America

The countries in the region that stretches from Panama to the U.S.-Mexico border face an important opportunity to strengthen cooperation on migration. This report examines key building blocks that can lay the foundation for regional cooperation. In addition to assessing institutional capacity, legal frameworks, and migration policies, it also identifies key areas for capacity-building efforts.

Articles

March 24, 2021

Movement after Migration: Immigrants’ Disproportionate Reliance on Public Transportation

Across North America and Europe, immigrants rely on public transit at higher rates than the native born. This article explores why migrants are disproportionately more likely to use public transportation, the role these systems play in immigrant integration, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on commuter trips, budgets, and services.

Reports

March 2021

A Bridge to Firmer Ground: Learning from International Experiences to Support Pathways to Solutions in the Syrian Refugee Context

Ten years into Syria's conflict, Syrians remain the largest refugee population worldwide. As they face limited prospects for resettlement or safe return, how can host countries and donors promote resilience for refugees and host communities alike? This report offers examples of creative policy solutions in the areas of protection, social protection, education, livelihoods, and health care from displacement contexts in 16 countries.

Commentaries

March 2021

¿Qué sigue ahora luego de que Colombia haya dado un paso histórico en materia de migración?

El anuncio del presidente de Colombia que los estimados 1,7 millones de migrantes venezolanos recibirán un estatus de protección temporal migratoria por un periodo de diez años representa un hecho valiente y sin precedentes en América Latina. El reto que sigue será el de poder materializar este esfuerzo en una política pública que abogue por un proceso de cohesión social en el país.

Commentaries

February 2021

What Comes Next Now that Colombia Has Taken a Historic Step on Migration?

Colombian President Iván Duque’s announcement that the estimated 1.7 million Venezuelans in Colombia will receive a ten-year protection status represents a bold, first-of-its-kind move in Latin America. However, translating this ambitious legalization into action will require both a massive logistical effort and long-term planning to assure social cohesion, as this commentary explores.

Commentaries

December 2020

Anticipated “Chilling Effects” of the Public-Charge Rule Are Real: Census Data Reflect Steep Decline in Benefits Use by Immigrant Families

Researchers, service providers, and others have long predicted that sweeping revisions by the Trump administration to the definition of who constitutes a public charge would deter large numbers of immigrant-led households from using federal means-tested public benefits for which they are eligible. Recently released Census Bureau data show they were right: During the administration's first three years, program participation declined twice as fast among noncitizens as citizens.

Commentaries

December 2020

The Role of Immigrant Health-Care Professionals in the United States during the Pandemic

With the U.S. health-care system buckling under the resurgent COVID-19 outbreak, policymakers could undertake efforts to enable skilled, underemployed international health-care professionals to practice. This would both make the health system more resilient and flexible, as well as introduce critical language and cultural skills important during the contact-tracing and vaccine rollout phases of the pandemic response, as this commentary explores.

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