Visa Policy

Visa policy is the process by which countries decide which noncitizens they wish to admit—either as short-term travelers, international students, temporary workers, or permanent immigrants. Beyond setting quotas and outlining which characteristics are most important in immigrant selection, visa policy also has a public diplomacy aspect, with visa facilitation, for example, serving as a sign of the strength of bilateral relations. The research here examines the permutations of visa policy around the world.

Recent Activity

Articles March 17, 2022 Frequently Requested Statistics on Immigrants and Immigration in the United States By Cecilia Esterline and Jeanne Batalova	Reports March 2022 Migración de Huehuetenango en el Altiplano Occidental de Guatemala: Respuestas de políticas públicas y desarrollo By Andrew Selee, Luis Argueta and Juan José Hurtado Paz y Paz
Reports March 2022 Migration from Huehuetenango in Guatemala’s Western Highlands: Policy and Development Responses By Andrew Selee, Luis Argueta and Juan José Hurtado Paz y Paz	Commentaries February 2022 Is Europe Prepared for a Possible Large-Scale Ukrainian Displacement Crisis? By Hanne Beirens
Reports February 2022 Four Years of Profound Change: Immigration Policy during the Trump Presidency By Jessica Bolter, Emma Israel and Sarah Pierce	Multimedia January 19, 2022 Biden at One: Assessing the Administration’s Immigration Record
Articles January 19, 2022 Biden at the One-Year Mark: A Greater Change in Direction on Immigration Than Is Recognized By Muzaffar Chishti and Jessica Bolter	Articles January 6, 2022 Immigration Has Been a Defining, Often Contentious, Element Throughout U.S. History By Jessica Bolter

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Reports July 2018 U.S. Immigration Policy under Trump: Deep Changes and Lasting Impacts By Sarah Pierce, Jessica Bolter and Andrew Selee	Policy Briefs April 2018 It’s Relative: A Crosscountry Comparison of Family-Migration Policies and Flows By Kate Hooper and Brian Salant
Policy Briefs March 2018 Evolution of the H-1B: Latest Trends in a Program on the Brink of Reform By Sarah Pierce and Julia Gelatt	Reports January 2018 Trump’s First Year on Immigration Policy: Rhetoric vs. Reality By Sarah Pierce, Jessica Bolter and Andrew Selee
Reports November 2017 Safe or Sorry? Prospects for Britons in the European Union after Brexit By Meghan Benton	Reports September 2017 Tracing the Channels Refugees Use to Seek Protection in Europe By Susan Fratzke and Brian Salant
Policy Briefs August 2017 Immigration and Farm Labor: From Unauthorized to H-2A for Some? By Philip Martin	Policy Briefs March 2017 Revised Trump Executive Order and Guidance on Refugee Resettlement and Travel Ban By Sarah Pierce and Doris Meissner

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People at an annual July 4 citizenship ceremony

Policy Beat

July 28, 2020

Impending USCIS Furloughs Will Contribute to a Historic Drop in U.S. Immigration Levels

A looming furlough of 70 percent of staff at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services could halt processing for tens of thousands of green cards, citizenship applications, and other immigrant benefits each month it is in effect. Alongside the long list of Trump administration policies slowing immigration to the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this could contribute to a precipitous—and likely historic—decline in new arrivals to the United States.

Spotlight

June 11, 2020

Cuban Immigrants in the United States

Cuban immigration to the United States has slowed in recent years, rising by 2 percent from 2017 to 2018. Overall, Cubans represent 3 percent of all immigrants in the United States. Compared to the overall foreign- and U.S.-born populations, Cuban immigrants are less likely to be proficient in English, have lower educational attainment, and earn lower household incomes. Learn more about the 1.3 million Cuban immigrants in the United States with this data-rich article.

A gathering in Tel Aviv for asylum seeker rights

Profile

June 5, 2020

A Warm Welcome for Some: Israel Embraces Immigration of Jewish Diaspora, Sharply Restricts Labor Migrants and Asylum Seekers

Israel has a remarkably open immigration system for anyone who can prove Jewish ethnicity. But as this country profile explores, migration is extremely difficult for non-Jews, including asylum seekers. This article describes immigration flows under the Law of Return and examines labor migration and the rise in asylum seekers, reviewing the main challenges that have emerged within the last three decades.

President Trump signs an immigration proclamation at the White House

Policy Beat

May 29, 2020

The U.S. Stands Alone in Explicitly Basing Coronavirus-Linked Immigration Restrictions on Economic Grounds

The U.S. in April became the first country to explicitly justify immigration curbs not on grounds of COVID-19, but to protect the jobs of U.S. workers at a time of skyrocketing unemployment. A Trump administration proclamation limiting green cards for new arrivals was greeted coolly by the president's base, with many expecting the White House would issue new limits for nonimmigrant workers—which could have a more significant impact.

Feature

May 1, 2020

Under Lockdown Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, Europe Feels the Pinch from Slowed Intra-EU Labor Mobility

Border closures and lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic have put a chill on intra-EU labor mobility, most immediately with the difficulty for European farmers to gain access to much-needed seasonal workers and for health-care institutions to get care workers. This article explores how these workers, who often face difficult situations, may be more vulnerable now. It also takes on implications for intra-EU labor mobility post-pandemic.

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Event PH 2015.12.8 Immigration Act of 1990 Bruce Morrison Muz Chishti

Video, Audio

December 8, 2015

Twenty Five Years Later: Reflecting on the Immigration Act of 1990

A discussion marking the 25th anniversary of the 1990 Immigration Act, where experts examinine the history of the legislation, how it was accomplished politically, and the stakeholders and issues that were critical to its passage.

Event PH 2015.12.1 LA Live Tower Los Angeles California Ken Lund Flickr

Video, Audio

December 1, 2015

Investor Visa Programs: Examining their Utility, Challenges, and Successes

A discussion on the U.S. EB-5 program, the motivations underpinning recent changes to other investor visa programs in North America, Europe, and elsewhere, and the implications for the future direction of these programs.

EventPH 2015.09.30 TheImmigrationandNationalityActof1965 ThenandNow

Video

September 30, 2015

The Immigration Act of 1965: Then and Now

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, this symposium focuses on the political and policy dynamics that came together to make the law possible and how it changed the U.S. legal immigration system, the country's demographics, and future.

EVENTPH 2014.12.3 Executive Action Webinar Flickr The Speaker flickr com photos thespeakernews 15660310918

Video, Audio

December 3, 2014

Digging Deeper Into Executive Action: A Further Examination of the Impacts

A discussion with MPI experts of the less-examined aspects of President Obama's executive actions on immigration, with respect to immigration enforcement, legal immigration, and immigrant integration.

EVENTPH 2014.10.28 The Global Boom in Investor Immigration (youtube E.Collett)v.3

Video

October 28, 2014

The Global Boom in Investor Immigration: What Are the Lessons For Policymakers?

A discussion on the extraordinary boom in investor immigration, including the rapidly expanding EB-5 visa in the United States, Malta’s controversial “cash for citizenship” policy and a host of programs across Europe and the Caribbean.

Recent Activity

Video, Expert Q&A, Audio

November 9, 2020

What Is Immigration Policy Expected to Look Like in a Biden Administration?

What actions might the incoming Biden administration take on immigration, whether to unwind some of the most restrictive Trump policies or advance an affirmative agenda of its own? And what challenges and opportunities will the Biden administration face? MPI experts analyze the campaign pledges and prospects ahead, for everything from reversing the Remain in Mexico program and cuts to legal immigration, ending border wall construction, and reviving DACA and refugee resettlement, as well as new policies such as legalization.

Policy Briefs

November 2020

At the Starting Gate: The Incoming Biden Administration’s Immigration Plans

Joe Biden pledged during his campaign to reverse some of the most restrictive immigration actions undertaken during Donald Trump’s four years in office. While some actions can be undone with the stroke of a pen, others will take more time. This policy brief outlines the incoming administration’s top immigration priorities, examines challenges and opportunities ahead, and previews MPI policy ideas that could improve the immigration system and advance the national interest.

Expert Q&A, Audio

October 28, 2020

The COVID-19 Shock to the System of Human Mobility and the International Response

As the world reopens after the pandemic, how does global governance need to be improved to restart human mobility safely and securely? In this episode of Moving Beyond Pandemic, host Meghan Benton speaks to Elizabeth Collett, Special Advisor to the International Organization for Migration’s Director General, to get a global overview of what is happening with migration and mobility and discusses the challenges and opportunities the pandemic poses for global governance.

Video, Audio, Webinars

October 22, 2020

COVID-19, the Withdrawal Agreement and Citizens' Rights: No Time to Waste

This webinar explores how governments’ implementation plans for the Brexit withdrawal agreement have been affected by COVID-19, and the potential implications for citizens’ rights at the end of the transition period and beyond. Among the topics covered: which mobile populations are most at risk at the intersection between Brexit and the pandemic, and what contingency measures might mitigate these vulnerabilities and keep timelines on track.

Commentaries

October 2020

Broad and Blunt, the Trump Administration’s H-1B Changes Miss the Opportunity for Real Reform

The Trump administration's changes to the H-1B visa program are the most significant in three decades, promising to end the practice of replacing U.S. workers with highly skilled immigrants. While the problems the administration has identified and the interest in protecting U.S. workers are legitimate ones, its approach may cripple the H-1B program itself, as this commentary explains.

Articles

September 16, 2020

College-Educated Immigrants in the United States

Nearly 13 million immigrants have a four-year college degree or better. But these highly educated immigrants are not spread evenly throughout the labor market. They make up disproportionate shares of certain jobs, especially in the science and technology fields, accounting for 45 percent of software developers, 42 percent of physical scientists, and 29 percent of physicians. Yet there are signs that the trends of this population might be changing, as this article explores.

Video, Audio, Webinars

September 10, 2020

The U.S. Immigration Policymaker-in-Chief: The Long History of Executive Authority over Immigration

Top legal scholars discuss the Trump administration’s substantial use of executive power to change the country’s course on immigration, how this compares to past administrations, and how the president’s role in immigration policy could be carefully considered and reimagined.

Commentaries

August 2020

When Emergency Measures Become the Norm: Post-Coronavirus Prospects for the Schengen Zone

Most EU Member States closed their borders to travel from neighboring countries in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. While internal borders in the Schengen zone largely reopened in time for summer holidays, there is a lingering sense they could snap shut anew. Though the reflexive introduction of border controls speaks to an inherent lack of trust between states, the 2015-16 migration crisis offers lessons on how to begin to rebuild trust, as this commentary explores.

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