E.g., 04/23/2024
E.g., 04/23/2024
Visa Policy

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

Moving Beyond Pandemic episode 8 tile
Multimedia
December 9, 2021
The Corporate World’s Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, its Omicron Variant, Digital Nomad Visas & More
Multimedia
November 24, 2021
Thinking Regionally to Act Locally in Immigration Policy
Cover image for Invertir en alternativas a la migración irregular desde Centroamérica
Policy Briefs
November 2021
Invertir en alternativas a la migración irregular desde Centroamérica: Opciones para expandir las vías de empleo en Estados Unidos
By  Cristobal Ramón
Cover image for Investing in Alternatives to Irregular Migration from Central America: Options to Expand U.S. Employment Pathways
Policy Briefs
November 2021
Investing in Alternatives to Irregular Migration from Central America: Options to Expand U.S. Employment Pathways
By  Cristobal Ramón
Officer and travelers wearing PPE at Port Everglades, Florida
Commentaries
October 2021
As the United States Lifts Travel Restrictions, Its New Vaccination Requirements Could Shape the Future of Global Mobility
By  Meghan Benton
Woman in France working in a vineyard
Commentaries
October 2021
Labor Shortages during the Pandemic and Beyond: What Role Can Immigration Policy Play?
By  Kate Hooper
Cover image for Migración africana a través del continente americano
Reports
October 2021
Migración africana a través del continente americano: impulsores, rutas y respuestas normativas
By  Caitlyn Yates and Jessica Bolter
Cover image for African Migration through the Americas: Drivers, Routes, and Policy Responses
Reports
October 2021
African Migration through the Americas: Drivers, Routes, and Policy Responses
By  Caitlyn Yates and Jessica Bolter

Pages

Recent Activity

Reports
February 2024

Outmatched: The U.S. Asylum System Faces Record Demands

The U.S. humanitarian protection system, known for its long history of assisting those in need, has come under incredible pressure in recent years. The asylum adjudications system, which is under-resourced, is struggling to keep up with record asylum seeker arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border. This report examines the state of the asylum system, including changes under the Biden administration and potential lessons for other countries.

Expert Q&A, Audio
January 24, 2024

Are the Pacific’s Climate Migration Experiments a Preview for the World?

What can the rest of the world learn from climate migration legal experiments in the Pacific? This episode of the Changing Climate, Changing Migration podcast features insights from renowned legal scholar Jane McAdam, who directs the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW.

Reports
January 2024

Expanding Protection Options? Flexible Approaches to Status for Displaced Syrians, Venezuelans, and Ukrainians

The massive and rapid displacement of Syrians, Venezuelans, and Ukrainians presented neighboring countries with an impossible task: providing legal status and assistance, even though their asylum systems lacked the capacity to handle such a large influx. This report examines the costs and benefits of the flexible approaches taken to providing status in these three cases, identifying lessons for future crises.

Articles
January 19, 2024

Biden at the Three-Year Mark: The Most Active Immigration Presidency Yet Is Mired in Border Crisis Narrative

In three years, President Joe Biden has surpassed the number of immigration-focused executive actions taken by the Trump administration throughout its entire four-year term, making his the most active U.S. presidency ever on immigration. Yet the Biden administration has been repeatedly accused of inaction at the U.S.-Mexico border, where record levels of migrant encounters have occurred. This article reviews the Biden track record on immigration.

Articles
November 29, 2023

Antiquated U.S. Immigration System Ambles into the Digital World

The U.S. immigration system is notorious for persistent backlogs and antiquated processes. In recent months, under-the-radar changes have made a dent in the logjam and helped bring the system into the 21st century. But some pandemic-era changes are set to expire, potentially undoing the incremental reforms. This article details the quiet technological and efficiency improvements in U.S. immigration operations.

Articles
November 16, 2023

Climate Migration 101: An Explainer

Is climate change a major driver of migration and displacement? From where are people leaving, and where are they going? This informative primer, a Climate Migration 101 of sorts, provides answers to basic questions about climate change and migration, starting with how and where climate change triggers human movement.

Video
September 18, 2023

20th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

The 20th annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, organized by MPI, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc., and Georgetown University Law Center, features fresh, thoughtful policy and legal analysis, and discussion of some of the top immigration issues by leading government officials, attorneys, researchers, advocates, and other experts. 

Articles
October 25, 2023

Can the Biden Immigration Playbook Be Effective for Managing Arrivals via Sea?

Amid the highest Caribbean maritime migration levels in a generation, the Biden administration is relying on a carrot-and-stick strategy it honed amid record unauthorized migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. The approach, combining limits on asylum, expanded legal pathways, and international enforcement partnerships, could be increasingly important if maritime migration rises, as this article explains.

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