Legalization/Regularization
Explore all research, analysis, data, and commentary on regularization and legalization, the terms used in different parts of the world to describe the provision of temporary or permanent legal status to migrants resident in the country who lack legal status.
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Showing 171–180 of 182 results
New Estimates of Unauthorized Youth Eligible for Legal Status under the DREAM Act
MPI estimates about 1.1 million unauthorized youth could gain legal status under the DREAM Act of 2006, about 360,000 with immediate eligibility.
Immigration and America's Future: A New Chapter
A comprehensive U.S. immigration overhaul spanning admissions, enforcement, and integration is essential to meet 21st-century economic, demographic, and security needs.
American Immigration Reform from a Scandinavian Perspective
A Norwegian migration official argues the U.S. problem is unauthorized status—not numbers—and urges a managed, employer-driven work permit system with no cap on labor visas.
Regularizing Immigrants in Spain: A New Approach
Spain's 2005 regularization drew nearly 700,000 applications, making it the broadest yet.
The "Regularization" Option in Managing Illegal Migration More Effectively: A Comparative Perspective
Regularization programs alone cannot solve unauthorized migration, but "earned" legalization paired with enforcement and expanded legal channels can play a meaningful role.
Why Countries Continue to Consider Regularization
From 1980 to 2005, the United States and eight EU countries have run 22 one-shot regularization programs, with mixed results on integration, wages, and curbing irregular migration.
Solving the Unauthorized Migrant Problem: Proposed Legislation in the U.S.
Four bills before the 109th Congress sought to tackle unauthorized immigration through mixes of enforcement, legalization, and guest worker provisions.
Lessons From The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
While the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act was a landmark effort to achieve comprehensive immigration reform, its key design and implementation failures offer lasting lessons.
Backlogs in Immigration Processing Persist
U.S. immigration processing backlogs grew more than 1,000 percent between 1990 and 2003, driven by rising naturalization applications and post-9/11 screening requirements.
Legal Immigration to U.S. Still Declining
The number of people granted U.S. legal permanent residence in fiscal year 2003 dropped 34 percent, with processing slowdowns attributed to new background check requirements and NSEERS.