E.g., 02/03/2023
E.g., 02/03/2023
Immigration Policy & Law

Immigration Policy & Law

Civil Liberties
Comprehensive Immigration Reform
DREAM Act/Deferred Action
Employment-Based Immigration
Family Reunification
Integration Policy
International Students
Legalization/Regularization
Selection Systems
Visa Policy
_ImmigrationPolicy+Law

Immigration legislative and administrative policies, legal statutes and court decisions, and regulations collectively shape nations' immigration systems—from visa allotments and immigrant-selection mechanisms to immigrant integration programs, border controls, and more. As international migration has increased in size and spread and as a number of nations are more flexibly adjusting their immigration systems, the research offered here examines the many permutations of immigration policy and law, often with a comparative lens.

Recent Activity

Asylum seekers cross into Canada
Articles
October 16, 2019
Changing U.S. Policy and Safe-Third Country “Loophole” Drive Irregular Migration to Canada
By Craig Damian Smith
medical insurance
Commentaries
October 2019
Health Insurance Test for Green-Card Applicants Could Sharply Cut Future U.S. Legal Immigration
By  Julia Gelatt and Mark Greenberg
Outside of the Justice Department building
Articles
October 3, 2019
Crisis in the Courts: Is the Backlogged U.S. Immigration Court System at Its Breaking Point?
By Marissa Esthimer
Felipe Munoz at Migration Policy Institute Event
Multimedia
September 27, 2019
The Colombian Response to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis: A Dialogue with Colombia’s Migration Czar
An apprehended migrant sits in a truck with his hands in his face
Articles
September 25, 2019
Supreme Court Asylum Ruling Latest Sign Judiciary Is Not the Brake on the Trump Administration that Immigration-Rights Activists Sought
By Muzaffar Chishti and Jessica Bolter
Coverthumb MPI Migracion Mexico EstadosUnidos SPANISH
Reports
September 2019
Invertir en el vecindario: Cambios en los patrones de migración entre México y Estados Unidos y oportunidades para una cooperación sostenible
By  Andrew Selee, Silvia E. Giorguli-Saucedo, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Claudia Masferrer
Coverthumb US Mexico Migration English
Reports
September 2019
Investing in the Neighborhood: Changing Mexico-U.S. Migration Patterns and Opportunities for Sustainable Cooperation
By  Andrew Selee, Silvia E. Giorguli-Saucedo, Ariel G. Ruiz Soto and Claudia Masferrer
Coverthumb MPIE Brexit OnTheBrink
Policy Briefs
September 2019
On the Brink: Prospects for UK Nationals in the EU-27 after a No-Deal Brexit
By  Meghan Benton and Aliyyah Ahad

Pages

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Reports
October 2014
Building an Integration System: Policies to Support Immigrants’ Progression in the Czech Labor Market
By  Dušan Drbohlav and Ondřej Valenta
thumb TCMcitiesRotterdam 2014
Reports
September 2014
Rotterdam: A Long-Time Port of Call and Home to Immigrants
By  Han Entzinger and Godfried Engbersen
coverthumb DACA Education
Reports
September 2014
Diploma, Please: Promoting Educational Attainment for DACA- and Potential DREAM Act-Eligible Youth
By  Margie McHugh
coverthumb_TCM Statement Rotterdam
Reports
September 2014
Fostering an Inclusive Identity Where It Matters Most: At the Local Level (Transatlantic Council Statement)
By  Demetrios G. Papademetriou
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Reports
September 2014
Decentralising Immigrant Integration: Denmark’s Mainstreaming Initiatives in Employment, Education, and Social Affairs
By  Martin Bak Jørgensen
coverthumb_TCM Cities Gebhardt
Reports
September 2014
Building Inclusive Cities: Challenges in the Multilevel Governance of Immigrant Integration in Europe
By  Dirk Gebhardt
coverthumb_TCM Cities McHugh
Reports
September 2014
Immigrant Civic Integration and Service Access Initiatives: City-Sized Solutions for City-Sized Needs
By  Margie McHugh
coverthumb_TCM Cities ResSeg
Reports
September 2014
Residential Segregation: A Transatlantic Analysis
By  John Iceland

Pages

SyrianFamily MohamedAzakir WorldBank
Policy Beat
September 28, 2016
U.S. Meets 2016 Syrian Refugee Admission Goal; Opposition to New Resettlement Mounts

With weeks to spare, the Obama administration met its goal of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees by the end of September 2016, and announced plans to increase the overall refugee ceiling to 110,000 in fiscal 2017. However, opposition continues to mount in Congress, statehouses, and on the campaign trail, with Republicans citing security concerns in calling for lower numbers or additional screening, as this article explores.

Nauru NWright UNHCR
Feature
September 21, 2016
The Australia-Cambodia Refugee Relocation Agreement Is Unique, But Does Little to Improve Protection

Two years on, the Australia-Cambodia refugee relocation agreement—the first of its kind involving a traditional resettlement country relocating refugees to a country with no resettlement track record—has proven to be underwhelming in its outcomes. Only five refugees have been voluntarily relocated under the deal, of whom just one remains in Cambodia. This article explores where the deal went wrong and what lies ahead for Australia’s detained asylum seekers.

HeadStart PascoCountySchools
Feature
September 8, 2016
Dual Language Learners in Head Start: The Promises and Pitfalls of New Reforms

The Head Start program—a model for early childhood education programs nationwide—has served more than 33 million children since its inception half a century ago, many from immigrant families. This article examines the role of Head Start in the education of Dual Language Learners, who now comprise one-third of enrollees, and discusses how recent policy changes may affect this population.

BerlinSeesSyria ekvidi Flickr
Profile
August 31, 2016
The New Reality: Germany Adapts to Its Role as a Major Migrant Magnet

Although long one of the world's top migrant destinations, only in the recent past has Germany come to acknowledge and adjust to its role as a country of immigration. Its welcoming approach—a relatively new development—has been put to the test amid massive humanitarian inflows beginning in 2015. This country profile examines Germany's history on immigration and highlights current and emerging debates.

worldbank bogota traffic
Feature
August 23, 2016
Free Movement in South America: The Emergence of an Alternative Model?

In contrast to increasingly restrictive approaches to migration in the global North—and recent skepticism towards Europe's free mobility project—South America is taking steps in the other direction, toward free movement for regional migrants. This article examines the emerging South American model and discusses its implications for migration in the region and for free movement in general.

Pages

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Three panelists in auditorium
Audio
October 1, 2012

9th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference

The conference offers thoughtful, evidence-based law and policy analysis and discussion of cutting-edge immigration issues.

MPI event two panelists speaking
Audio
August 30, 2012

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

This joint Migration Policy Institute and International Organization for Migration event marks the Issue brief launch of Regulating Private Recruitment in the Asia-Middle East Labour Migration Corridor.

MI_DeferredActionStrategies
Video, Audio
August 7, 2012

The New Deferred Action Program: Strategies for Success

Join MPI as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Alejandro Mayorkas discusses the application process and policies that the agency has announced to implement the administration’s deferred action program.

MI_UnaccompaniedMinors
Video, Audio
July 30, 2012

Unaccompanied Minors and Their Journey through the U.S. Immigration System

MPI is pleased to host a discussion with experts from both KIND and the Women’s Refugee Commission, focusing on the causes of the increase in unaccompanied minor migrants, the situation these minors face once detained or apprehended, and the challenges confronting both nongovernmental organizations trying to provide aid and the U.S. government agencies responsible for processing minors through the system. 

MI_MPI_IOM_Handbook
Video, Audio
July 11, 2012

MPI/IOM Panel Discussion and Asia-Pacific Launch of Developing a Road Map for Engaging Diasporas in Development

A discussion with Dr. Noppawan Tanpipat, Vice President, National Science and Technology Development Agency; Frank Laczko, Head, Migration Research Division, IOM; Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, Regional Research Officer, IOM, and Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute (MPI); and Kathleen Newland, Director of Migrants, Migration, and Development, Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

Pages

Recent Activity

Articles
October 16, 2019

Changing U.S. Policy and Safe-Third Country “Loophole” Drive Irregular Migration to Canada

Nearly 50,000 asylum seekers have entered Canada irregularly via land crossing from the United States since spring 2017—contributing to a doubling in the overall number of asylum requests seen in 2016. Based on interviews with asylum claimants, this article analyzes their motivations for making the journey and the political implications of rising irregular migration to Canada.

Commentaries
October 2019

Health Insurance Test for Green-Card Applicants Could Sharply Cut Future U.S. Legal Immigration

A new Trump administration action requiring intending immigrants to prove they can purchase eligible health insurance within 30 days of arrival has the potential to block fully 65 percent of those who apply for a green card from abroad, MPI estimates.

Articles
October 3, 2019

Crisis in the Courts: Is the Backlogged U.S. Immigration Court System at Its Breaking Point?

With a backlog of more than 1 million removal cases, the U.S. immigration court system is in crisis. Pressure from external forces, internal challenges, and lagging resources for the courts at a time of massive increases in spending on immigration enforcement have contributed to the backlog. This article explores how the system got to the breaking point, and what opportunities for reform exist.

Video, Audio
September 27, 2019

The Colombian Response to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis: A Dialogue with Colombia’s Migration Czar

Felipe Muñoz, Advisor to the President of Colombia for the Colombian-Venezuelan Border, discusses how Colombia is coping with the influx of Venezuelan migrants, plans for future policy decisions surrounding this migration, and developments in regional and international cooperation.

Articles
September 25, 2019

Supreme Court Asylum Ruling Latest Sign Judiciary Is Not the Brake on the Trump Administration that Immigration-Rights Activists Sought

Buoyed by initial successes challenging Trump administration immigration actions such as the travel ban in federal court, many critics expected the judiciary to act as a brake on major changes to the immigration system. Yet the Supreme Court has repeatedly shown a willingness to affirm the executive branch's immigration policies, most recently permitting what is arguably the most significant asylum policy change in four decades to proceed.

Reports
September 2019

Invertir en el vecindario: Cambios en los patrones de migración entre México y Estados Unidos y oportunidades para una cooperación sostenible

La migración entre México y Estados Unidos ha cambiado dramáticamente en los últimos años, pero las políticas y la retórica política en ambos países no se han actualizado a este contexto a la misma velocidad. Este reporte explora esta nueva realidad migratoria y cómo los dos gobiernos podrían trabajar juntos para abordar los desafíos de políticas públicas que tienen en común.

Reports
September 2019

Investing in the Neighborhood: Changing Mexico-U.S. Migration Patterns and Opportunities for Sustainable Cooperation

Migration between Mexico and the United States has changed dramatically in recent years, but policies and political rhetoric in both countries have not always kept up. This report, which draws from discussions of a high-level Mexico-U.S. study group convened by MPI and El Colegio de México, explores this new migration reality and how the two governments could work more closely together to address shared policy challenges.

Policy Briefs
September 2019

On the Brink: Prospects for UK Nationals in the EU-27 after a No-Deal Brexit

Six months on from the original March 2019 Brexit date and staring a new deadline in the face, many EU countries still had only skeletal plans for how to adjust the status of their resident UK nationals should a no-deal Brexit come to pass. This policy brief highlights critical gaps in these plans, the groups most likely to be affected by them, and strategies Member States and the United Kingdom could adopt to soften the impact.

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