Family Immigration Policy and Trends: How the United States Compares to Other Countries
On this webinar, MPI analysts compare U.S. policy on family migration to those in Canada as well as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. This webinar features the findings of an issue brief, focused on these countries' trends and data on immigrant admissions, along with a data tool modeling possible cuts to U.S. legal immigration.
All immigrant-receiving countries grapple with the rights and requirements surrounding family reunification and how to balance them with other immigration priorities.
Deciding which family members should be eligible to join their relatives in the United States, and under what conditions, has become a hot button political issue. The Trump administration has proposed restricting family-based immigration severely, prompting a wave of responses arguing that family-based immigration should remain at the heart of the U.S. immigration system. In this webinar, MPI analysts compare U.S. policy on family migration to that of other significant immigrant-receiving countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Specifically, do these countries define "family" for the purpose of immigrant admissions and how does the proportion of family admissions compare to the other admission streams, especially to the admissions of the economic/labor market stream? This conversation features findings from an issue brief examining family migration trends in nine countries, and marks the launch of a data tool that models potential U.S. legal immigration cuts, by category and top countries.
Speakers:
Julia Gelatt, Senior Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute
Kate Hooper, Associate Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute
Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Distinguished Transatlantic Fellow, Migration Policy Institute
Moderators:
Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow and Director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, MPI
About the Global Program
The Global Program bridges policy advice, research, and candid dialogue to design effective migration policies, drawing on global evidence and anticipating the forces reshaping how people move.
About the U.S. Immigration Policy Program
The U.S. Immigration Policy Program provides analysis of U.S. immigration pathways, the impacts of enforcement and other policies, and the characteristics of immigrant populations.
