E.g., 04/24/2024
E.g., 04/24/2024
Asia and the Pacific

Asia and the Pacific

Asia has a disproportionate share of the world’s young, working-age population—which represents the most mobile cohort—with resulting major immigration flows to other regions, and increasing intraregional migration as demographic transitions occur at different levels within Asia. The research here focuses on how the labor-sending countries of the region, notably the Philippines and other Colombo Process countries, manage these migration flows and the recruitment process. It also examines other conditions affecting the region, including humanitarian protection challenges, climate migration, diaspora relations, and remittances.

Three migrant men wearing masks in Thailand
Reports

Mobility Shutdown: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in Asia and the Pacific

Some of the strictest COVID-19 pandemic-era limits on human mobility occurred in the Asia Pacific region. Border closures started in East and Southeast Asia in early 2020 and quickly spread through the entire region, in some cases remaining in place for more than two years. This report examines the approaches countries took and reflects on the immense costs and benefits of using border measures to tackle public-health risks.

A woman in Nigeria smiles while using her mobile phone
Reports

Leaving No One Behind: Inclusive Fintech for Remittances

Remittances are a vital lifeline for migrants’ families around the world and an important source of revenue for many low- and middle-income countries, especially in times of crisis. As more people turn to digital financial technologies for these money transfers, this shift holds the potential to shake up the rigid remittance industry and boost development benefits. But it also brings new challenges, as this report explores.

Photo of returning Filipino migrant workers.
Articles

The Philippines’ Landmark Labor Export and Development Policy Enters the Next Generation

Fifty years after the birth of the Philippines' strategy to use emigration as a tool for development, the government is doubling down on labor migration. While deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) slumped during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the government and civil society pivoting to assist with return migration and reintegration for hundreds of thousands of Filipinos, emigration has since rebounded, as this article details.

Recent Activity

South Sudanese refugee girl
Articles
December 14, 2017
As Displacement Becomes Long-Term, Refugee Hosts Grapple with New Normal
By Brian Salant
AfghanRefugees ZsuzsannaGal UNHCR
Articles
December 12, 2017
Increased Focus on Forced Return of Migrants and Asylum Seekers Puts Many in Peril
By Kathleen Newland and Brian Salant
EU Migration Partnerships: A Work in Progress
Reports
December 2017
EU Migration Partnerships: A Work in Progress
By  Elizabeth Collett and Aliyyah Ahad
Coverthumb TCM2017 Afghanistan
Reports
November 2017
From Forced Migration to Forced Returns in Afghanistan: Policy and Program Implications
By  Nassim Majidi
AfghanChildren MMaguire UNHCR
Articles
November 16, 2017
Afghanistan: Displacement Challenges in a Country on the Move
By Matthew Willner-Reid
Cambodian worker in Thailand
Articles
October 11, 2017
Criminalizing Irregular Migrant Labor: Thailand’s Crackdown in Context
By Maryann Bylander and Georgia Reid
Bangladeshi migrant workers
Articles
October 5, 2017
Chasing the Dubai Dream in Italy: Bangladeshi Migration to Europe
By Nayma Qayum
Chinatown in New York City
Articles
September 29, 2017
Chinese Immigrants in the United States
By Jie Zong and Jeanne Batalova

Pages

St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow.
Profile
May 18, 2017
Russia: A Migration System with Soviet Roots

The history of dynamic migration flows throughout the Soviet Union pre- and post-collapse has significantly shaped the current migration reality in Russia. Even as borders have shifted and policies changed, inflows and outflows still occur mostly within the former Soviet space. As this article explores, Russia has worked in recent decades to strengthen its migration management system and update its residence and citizenship policies.

JapanElderly HanselAndRegrettal Flickr
Profile
March 28, 2017
As Its Population Ages, Japan Quietly Turns to Immigration

One of the most rapidly aging societies in the world, Japan is looking to immigration to address increased labor shortages—albeit slowly and largely without public debate. This country profile offers a brief overview of Japan’s migration history and examines the current immigration system, in particular policies and programs to bring in foreign workers, particularly on a temporary basis.

LearningKorean TruongVanVi ILO
Profile
March 1, 2017
South Korea Carefully Tests the Waters on Immigration, With a Focus on Temporary Workers

Faced with labor shortages in key sectors of the economy, South Korea has moved carefully in recent decades toward accepting greater numbers of workers—albeit in temporary fashion. Its Employment Permit System, launched in 2003, earned international accolades for bringing order and legality to immigration in the country, although several challenges remain to be addressed as this Country Profile explores.

DroughtEthiopia UNICEFEthiopia Flickr
Feature
February 3, 2017
With Millions Displaced by Climate Change or Extreme Weather, Is There a Role for Labor Migration Pathways?

Climate-related displacement is not hypothetical: An average of 21.5 million people per year have been displaced since 2008 by natural disasters, and thousands more have fled slow-onset environmental hazards. While migration can serve as a safety valve to adapt to changing conditions, few orderly, legal channels exist for climate migrants (also known as environmental migrants), as this article explores.

Burmese ThierryFalise ILO
Feature
January 18, 2017
Labor Migration from Myanmar: Remittances, Reforms, and Challenges

Having emerged from a long era of military rule, Myanmar's leaders and many citizens are looking outward. In particular, with Burmese labor migration abroad on the rise, policymakers are examining ways in which to harness remittances as a vehicle for economic development, particularly in impoverished rural areas. This article explores Burmese labor migration flows, financial reforms, and challenges on migration and development.

Pages

archive >

Recent Activity

Articles
December 1, 2009

The World Is Talking about Climate Change and Migration

Discussions about climate change and migration ramped up in 2009, in large part due to a number of conferences and reports surrounding the highly anticipated United Nations (UN) Climate Change conference in Copenhagen.

Articles
November 5, 2009

Pay to Go: Countries Offer Cash to Immigrants Willing to Pack Their Bags

Many countries relied on low-skilled immigrant workers during good times. But Japan, Spain, and the Czech Republic have recently introduced "pay-to-go" programs to reduce the number of unemployed immigrants. MPI's Kristen McCabe, Serena Yi-Ying Lin, and Hiroyuki Tanaka, and Piotr Plewa of the European University Institute examine these programs and the larger policy questions they raise.

Articles
October 15, 2009

Emigration, Immigration, and Diaspora Relations in India

The world's second most populous country also has a vast diapora spread across nearly every continent. Daniel Naujoks provides a broad overview of Indian migration flows and major populations worldwide, and discusses India's diaspora policies, refugees and asylum seekers from the region, and illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Books
September, 2009

Closing the Distance: How Governments Strengthen Ties with Their Diasporas

This book explores how developing-country governments have institutionalized ties with emigrants and their descendents. It offers an unprecedented taxonomy of 45 diaspora-engaging institutions found in 30 developing countries, exploring their activities and objectives. It also provides important practitioner insights from Mali, Mexico, and the Philippines.

Reports
September 2009

Migration and the Global Recession

This report, commissioned by the BBC World Service, seeks to explore the myriad impacts of the global financial crisis that began in September 2008 on migration flows, immigration policies, remittances, and on migrants themselves. Select countries and regions are examined in detail to highlight overarching trends and regional differences.

Articles
July 10, 2009

Migration in the Asia-Pacific Region

International migration from Asia grew dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s. Since the 1990s, migration within Asia has risen. Stephen Castles of the University of Oxford and Mark Miller of the University of Delaware examine regional trends in this article based on their book Age of Migration.

Articles
December 4, 2008

Building Border Fences

Although far from foolproof in deterring would-be migrants, border fencing remained a priority for many countries in 2008.

Reports
November 2008

The Growing Global Demand for Students as Skilled Migrants

This report traces the evolution of the link between international study and skilled migration, outlines policy methods that OECD countries are using to recruit and retain international students, identifies policy challenges through a close examination of existing policies and trends, and predicts how the economic recession will affect future international student flows.

Pages