E.g., 04/16/2024
E.g., 04/16/2024
Policy Briefs

Policy Briefs

Cover_CIR BackoftheLine
Policy Briefs
March 2013

Going to the Back of the Line: A Primer on Lines, Visa Categories, and Wait Times

This brief demystifies the technical meaning of going to the “back of the line”—a phrase adopted by lawmakers to convey the intent to grant legal status to unauthorized immigrants only after existing backlogs have been cleared—by explaining what “the line” refers to, who is in it, and what it means to be at the back of it.
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Policy Briefs
February 2013

Facing 2020: Developing a New European Agenda for Immigration and Asylum Policy

As the European Commission looks ahead to the next strategic program for immigration in 2014, this policy brief sketches the challenges in developing a strategic, long-term agenda on migration at a time when Europe remains beset by fiscal uncertainty and a jobs crisis that is particularly acute for the young. Against such a backdrop, few governments are willing to have a serious conversation about anything but skilled immigration.

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Policy Briefs
November 2012

Engaging the Asian Diaspora

This brief explores how governments in Asia are facilitating diaspora contributions, including creation of conducive legal frameworks and diaspora-centered institutions to initiation of programs that specifically target diasporas as development actors.

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Policy Briefs
October 2012

Thailand at a Crossroads: Challenges and Opportunities in Leveraging Migration for Development

Thailand is well positioned to take advantage of the benefits of migration. This brief examines the country’s migration challenges and two basic approaches to regularizing labor migration: Memoranda of Understanding with migrant-sending neighbors and nationality verification as a preliminary step for work permit application by unauthorized immigrants.

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Policy Briefs
September 2012

Strengthening Pre-Departure Orientation Programmes in Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines

Predeparture orientation programs have emerged as an important tool for the protection of migrant workers for a number of Asian states. This brief examines the strengths, limitations, and areas for improvement of this intervention.

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Policy Briefs
August 2012

Regulating Private Recruitment in the Asia-Middle East Labour Migration Corridor

This issue brief examines Asian labor migration to the Middle East—a region distinguished by its major dependence on migrant workers, the overwhelming majority from Asia. The author focuses on the role of private recruiting agencies as key facilitators of temporary labor migration and perpetrators of exploitative practices.

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Policy Briefs
July 2012

Asian Labour Migrants and Humanitarian Crises: Lessons from Libya

This brief provides a background on the displacement and evacuation of migrant workers caught in the Libyan civil war. It highlights questions raised as a result of this crisis regarding the response of the international community, discusses lessons learned from the Libyan experience, and identifies policy recommendations for addressing the protection needs of labor migrants during humanitarian crises. 

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Policy Briefs
June 2012

Asian Labour Migrants and Health: Exploring Policy Routes

This brief outlines the key policy challenges governments and other stakeholders face in addressing the health needs of Asian labor migrants. It highlights the obstacles migrant workers face in accessing health facilities and services at various stages of migration, before proposing five key steps for translating the growing interest in migrant health issues to visible changes on the ground.

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Policy Briefs
May 2012

Labour Migration from Colombo Process Countries: Good Practices, Challenges and Ways Forward

This brief examines the complex issues surrounding labor migration from Colombo Process countries. It discusses the progress made—and the policy challenges that remain—with regard to creating efficient and equitable labor migration systems.

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Policy Briefs
December 2011

Regularizations in the European Union: The Contentious Policy Tool

Though contentious, regularization (referred to in the U.S. context as legalization) remains a frequently utilized policy tool to address the European Union’s unauthorized immigrant population. Since 1996, more than 5 million people have been regularized through a variety of methods, as this Insight details.

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