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 183 results

Senate Debate Resumes and DHS Boosts Internal Enforcement

The 2006 Hagel-Martinez immigration bill in the U.S. Senate proposed 325,000 annual temporary work visas and tiered legalization for unauthorized immigrants as of spring 2006.

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.

Senate Debates Temporary Worker Program and Path to Legal Status for the Unauthorized

A March 2006 U.S. Senate bill proposed 400,000 annual temporary work slots and legalization for unauthorized immigrants as hundreds of thousands rallied in support.

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.

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.

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.

Regularizing Immigrants in Spain: A New Approach

Spain's 2005 regularization drew nearly 700,000 applications, making it the broadest yet.

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.