Competitiveness

Immigration represents an indispensible component of any strategy to boost economic growth and prosperity. Immigration policy can contribute directly to innovation, technological progress, and rising human-capital levels alongside investments in education and workforce-training systems, research and development, public infrastructure, and regulatory policies that effectively reduce barriers to employment. When done right, immigration policymaking offers employers access to the workers they require to build their firms' competitiveness and can increase availability of vital services.

Recent Activity

Short Reads May 2026 The Immigration Debate America Needs—and Is Not Having By Julia Gelatt, Doris Meissner and Andrew Selee	Reports May 2026 Creating Inclusive Urban Economies for Migrants and Refugees By Kate Hooper, María Jesús Mora, Abigail Goldfarb and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Articles March 4, 2026 Singapore’s Migration Controls Seek to Balance Population Growth, Global Ambitions, and National Priorities By Nicholas X.L. Hong, Theodora Lam, and Brenda S.A. Yeoh	Short Reads January 2026 Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh
Short Reads December 2025 Europe’s Talent Race Starts at the Visa Counter By Kate Hooper, Nurbanu Hayır and María Belén Zanzuchi	Multimedia December 11, 2025 Achieving the "Quadruple Win": Labor Migration Strategies for Europe to Meet its Skill Needs
Reports December 2025 Best Practices for Designing and Managing Labor Migration Corridors to Europe By Kate Hooper, María Belén Zanzuchi, Abigail Goldfarb, Ravenna Sohst and Bertrand Steiner	Reports October 2025 Maine’s Immigrant Communities: Diverse Origins, Characteristics, and Challenges By Valerie Lacarte and Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh

Reports May 2026 Creating Inclusive Urban Economies for Migrants and Refugees By Kate Hooper, María Jesús Mora, Abigail Goldfarb and Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan	Reports December 2025 Best Practices for Designing and Managing Labor Migration Corridors to Europe By Kate Hooper, María Belén Zanzuchi, Abigail Goldfarb, Ravenna Sohst and Bertrand Steiner
Reports October 2025 Maine’s Immigrant Communities: Diverse Origins, Characteristics, and Challenges By Valerie Lacarte and Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh	Reports September 2025 All in for a Thriving Connecticut: Opportunities to Support Upward Mobility for the State’s Immigrant Families By Margie McHugh, Julia Gelatt, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, Katherine Habben, Jacob Hofstetter and Julie Sugarman
Reports June 2025 How Can Labor Migration Policies Help Tackle Europe’s Looming Skills Crisis? By Kate Hooper, Tesseltje de Lange and Jasmijn Slootjes	Policy Briefs April 2025 Migration Governance in Unsettled Times: How Policymakers Can Plan for Population Change By Meghan Benton, Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan and Kate Hooper
Policy Briefs April 2024 Competing for Talent: What Role Can Employment- and Skills-Based Mobility Projects Play? By Kate Hooper and Ravenna Sohst	Reports April 2024 How Immigrants and Their U.S.-Born Children Fit into the Future U.S. Labor Market By Jeanne Batalova, Julia Gelatt and Michael Fix

Profile

March 4, 2026

Singapore’s Migration Controls Seek to Balance Population Growth, Global Ambitions, and National Priorities

With limited land, low fertility, and a changing economy, Singapore has long depended on immigration to grow its labor force and global competitiveness while preserving national identity. This country profile examines how the nation has managed migration-related challenges in adapting to shifting demographic, economic, and political pressures.

Feature

December 5, 2024

As the Gulf Region Seeks a Pivot, Reforms to Its Oft-Criticized Immigration Policies Remain a Work in Progress

As countries in the Gulf region rewrite their immigration rules to reflect changing economic futures, they have made reforms to their oft-criticized kafala sponsorship system. But not all migrants are set to benefit equally. This article provides an overview of the reforms and the growing inclusion gap between highly skilled professionals and low-skilled migrants.

Profile

September 18, 2024

Switzerland Comes to Terms with Being a Country of Immigration

Immigration has shaped modern Switzerland, at times in ways different than expected. Its foreign-born population share is larger than that of many other European countries or the United States. Yet the Swiss public has repeatedly expressed anxiety about newcomers, and periods of increased immigration have often coincided with efforts at restriction. This article provides an overview of Switzerland's migration trends, policies, and tensions.

People walk through the streets of Hong Kong

Feature

April 3, 2024

Brain Drain and Brain Gain in Hong Kong’s Population Shuffle

Hong Kong finds itself in the middle of opposing trends. Amid political unrest, Beijing's increasing security pressure, and pandemic disruptions, many Hong Kongers have left and been replaced by a new group of immigrants, largely from mainland China. The dynamic has raised questions whether Hong Kong will remain a global cosmopolitan hub or instead turn inward to Asia, as this article discusses.

Feature

January 26, 2024

Aging Societies Rely on Immigrant Health-Care Workers, Posing Challenges for Origin Countries

Countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany are increasingly relying on immigrant health-care workers to fill gaps in their workforce and care for aging populations. That has created opportunities for many foreign-born doctors and nurses, but could harm their origin countries. This article examines the dynamics of global health-care worker migration, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Male and female business professionals gathered at a conference table

Short Reads

May 2026

The Immigration Debate America Needs—and Is Not Having

By Julia Gelatt, Doris Meissner and Andrew Selee

Woman raises hand to ask question in classroom

Short Reads

January 2026

Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration

By Jacob Hofstetter and Margie McHugh

Short Reads

December 2025

Europe’s Talent Race Starts at the Visa Counter

By Kate Hooper, Nurbanu Hayır and María Belén Zanzuchi

Short Reads

June 2024

Leveraging Digital Skills: Immigrant-Origin High School Graduates Offer a Pool of Talent for U.S. Employers

By Jeanne Batalova

Image of female worker at the Boqueria market in Barcelona making a crepe

Short Reads

March 2024

As Europe and the United States Face Similar Migration Challenges, Spain Can Act as a Bridge

By Anna Terrón Cusí and Andrew Selee

Short Reads

August 2023

Investing in the Future: Higher Ed Should Give Greater Focus to Growing Immigrant-Origin Student Population

By Jeanne Batalova and Miriam Feldblum

Graphic image of man's hand touching screen with word skills

Short Reads

July 2023

Canada's New Tech Talent Strategy Takes Aim at High-Skilled Immigrants in the United States

By Kate Hooper, Jeanne Batalova and Julia Gelatt

Photo of woman walking around a school campus.

Short Reads

November 2021

Narrowing the Skills Gap: Equipping Immigrant-Origin Workers with Postsecondary Credentials

By Jeanne Batalova and Michael Fix

Short Reads

October 2020

Broad and Blunt, the Trump Administration’s H-1B Changes Miss the Opportunity for Real Reform

By Sarah Pierce

Short Reads

January 2020

Brexit Day—Is This the Dawning of the Age of Immobility?

By Meghan Benton

Video, Audio

December 11, 2025

Achieving the "Quadruple Win": Labor Migration Strategies for Europe to Meet its Skill Needs

Featuring discussion of a study that examines best practices for designing and managing labor migration corridors between EU Member States and partner countries, this webinar offers insights on how to connect employers and workers, promote skills development, protect migrant workers, and maximize benefits for both countries of origin and

Video, Audio

April 11, 2023

Meeting Global Skills and Talent Needs in Changing Labor Markets

Marking the launch of MPI’s Global Skills and Talent Initiative, this webcast features senior policymakers and other experts discussing the extent to which labor market needs should shape future immigration policy decisions, and how countries are adjusting—and could adjust—their immigration systems to meet human capital and competitiveness needs.

Expert Q&A, Audio

March 30, 2023

New Avenues to Help Refugees Get to Safety and Restart Their Lives

How could humanitarian migrants with skills and experience use existing work or study visa pathways to fill labor market needs in destination countries? MPI’s Susan Fratzke speaks with Betsy Fisher, U.S. Director of the nonprofit Talent Beyond Boundaries, about complementary pathways as an innovative addition to refugee resettlement and asylum.

Expert Q&A, Audio

December 9, 2021

The Corporate World’s Response to COVID-19 Pandemic, its Omicron Variant, Digital Nomad Visas & More

How has the business world responded to disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic? In this episode of Moving Beyond Pandemic, we speak with two former government officials who are now in the private sector—Ian Robinson of the immigration law firm Fragomen and Brendan Ryan, CEO of Nomadic, about the trends and policy environment shaping business mobility decisions.

Expert Q&A, Audio

November 12, 2021

Leveraging the Benefits That Immigration Can Bring

In this World of Migration podcast episode, MPI Senior Fellow Michael Fix speaks with Senior Policy Analyst Julia Gelatt about the fiscal impacts of immigration, the importance of immigrant integration, how a greater focus on credential recognition could allow immigrants to more fully utilize the academic and professional skills they bring with them, and much more.

Recent Activity

Short Reads

May 2026

The Immigration Debate America Needs—and Is Not Having

Immigration is central to America’s economic future, yet political debate remains fixated on border crises and past policy failures instead of how a modern legal immigration system could power U.S. growth and competitiveness in an era of demographic decline. This short read argues for shifting the conversation toward flexible, employment-based immigration policies that match today’s labor market needs, strengthen enforcement through legal pathways, and treat immigrants as a source of national strength.

Reports

May 2026

Creating Inclusive Urban Economies for Migrants and Refugees

Migrants and refugees make up notable shares of the workforce in many cities. By creating an environment in which they can find work, apply their skills, and thrive, urban areas can set themselves up to weather current and future economic changes, including the green and digital transitions. Drawing on a scan of city practices on four continents, this report examines the experiences and policy approaches of cities around the world.

Articles

March 4, 2026

Singapore’s Migration Controls Seek to Balance Population Growth, Global Ambitions, and National Priorities

Short Reads

January 2026

Trump Administration Actions Jeopardize Decades of Progress in Adult Education and Immigrant Integration

A move by the Trump administration to limit immigrants' use of federal programs stands to significantly destabilize the U.S. adult education system, which has helped millions of immigrant adults learn English and build foundational skills. In the process, this will harm the White House's stated desire to help immigrants learn English, build skills, and integrate into U.S. society, as this short read outlines.

Short Reads

December 2025

Europe’s Talent Race Starts at the Visa Counter

The European Commission's forthcoming visa strategy must be complemented by national-level policy change given that EU-wide channels represent a small share of total legal migration pathways to Europe. To compete more fully for global talent, European governments will need faster, clearer, and more predictable visa procedures, as this short read explains.

Video, Audio, Webinars

December 11, 2025

Achieving the "Quadruple Win": Labor Migration Strategies for Europe to Meet its Skill Needs

Reports

December 2025

Best Practices for Designing and Managing Labor Migration Corridors to Europe

Labor and skills shortages threaten the European Union’s economic growth. Attracting workers with sought-after skills from abroad will be an important means of addressing these challenges. This report examines best practices for designing and managing labor migration corridors between EU and non-EU countries, with the aim of benefiting countries of destination and origin, employers, and migrant workers alike.

Reports

October 2025

Maine’s Immigrant Communities: Diverse Origins, Characteristics, and Challenges

Maine’s immigrant population, though relatively small, is a notably diverse mix of long-settled residents and newcomers from many parts of the world. At a time when the U.S.-born workforce in Maine is shrinking and aging, immigrants contribute essential labor and skills to the state economy. This report sketches a profile of immigrants in Maine, including their origins, educational attainment, workforce characteristics, and the challenges some face.

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