Eight Policies to Boost the Economic Contribution of Employment-Based Immigration

Immigration can be a powerful tool for supporting a country’s economic growth and prosperity, but its success in accomplishing that objective depends on well-designed and carefully implemented immigration policies that strategically facilitate immigration’s economic contribution. Governments wishing to create a more thoughtful and strategic approach to employment-based immigration have a range of policy levers at their disposal.

Drawing on experiences from Asia, Europe, North America, and the Pacific region, this report presents eight strategies that represent best practices developed by immigrant-receiving countries: creating temporary-to-permanent visa pathways; streamlining immigration for highly skilled workers; retaining top foreign students; reconsidering the role of visa fees; rewarding employers who play by the rules; building adaptable and flexible institutions; taking a strategic approach to immigrant integration; and seeking regional and local engagement in the admissions process.

As countries revisit and adjust their immigration systems, the most important lesson to consider is that successful economic-stream immigration systems are transparent and flexible, create predictable outcomes, and remain open to constant adaptation and experimentation.