MIGRATION POLICIES

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MIGRATION POLICIES INTEGRATION POLICIES
FRIDAY January 28 Session 2 Migration management
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MIGRATION POLICIES

• Measures adopted at the national and
  international level to strengthen the control of
  flows and to more effectively fight against
  irregular migration of foreigners

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INTEGRATION POLICIES

• Measures adopted at the national level to ensure
  integration of migrants in the host country

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The concept of migration management

• Migration management refers to the range of
  measures needed to effectively address migration
  issues at national, regional and global levels.
  It encompasses policy, legislation and
  administration of migration issues, and
  contributes to good governance (IOM, 2003)
• aim clear and comprehensive policies, laws and
  administrative arrangements to ensure that
  population movements occur to the mutual benefits
  of migrants, society and governments

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The challenge today

• How to manage migration to maximise its positive
  effects and minimise potentially negative results

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Policies overview

• USA
• immigration based on skill requirements
• annual quota
• 850,000 legal permanent entries per year
• 1,535,000 temporary visas
• gt 9/11/2001 more border control, fewer visas,
  fewer refugees
• Canada
• immigration based on skill requirements
• annual quota
• 227,000 legal permanent entries per year
• NAFTA
• little effect on migration?

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• EU
• Many countries are concerned about their national
  identities, and migration is seen as a risk
• Existing policy model
• Closing of borders against labour migration
• Promotion of integration policies
• but failure to ensure return for those denied
  stay
• Problems
• Lack of cohesion between all actors involved
• Ad hoc policies, with adverse side effects

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• Eastern and Central Europe
• a new circulatory system of migration
• difficult to control because of the sheer volume
• Emergencies in Balkans, Middle East
• pressures on asylum system
• temporary protection measures, but continued
  functioning depends on effective return migration
  strategies

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• Because of the alleged negative consequences of
  migration, 40 of all states now have policies
  aimed at reducing immigration (25 years ago 6)

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Dilemmas in countries of destination

• Offsetting (partially) the effects of population
  ageing
• responding to labour shortages
• facilitating relations with countries of origin
• contributing towards national cohesion
• helping to preserve the welfare state
• ad-hoc decisions on policies and programmes,
  satisfying short term policy agendas

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• Current policies inadequate to respond to
  migration and migrant population realities
• globalising economies
• deregulation of labour markets
• demand for low skilled labour
• ageing population structures
• Respond by loosening migration restrictions
  temporary migration schemes?
• But globalisation trends versus greater reliance
  on local community and nationalism (migration
  seen as a negative exponent of globalisation)

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Addressing the root causes

• An alternative for more stringent admission
  controls?
• But not clear how ODA can reduce migration
• development will stimulate migration in the short
  run
• tensions between sending and receiving countries
  because of differences in aims and motivations
• Therefore ODA or free trade zones important, but
  not a substitute for comprehensive migration
  policies

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What do we want to manage?

• Assuming that immigration cannot be prevented,
  the best that can be done is to implement
  policies that guide and influence the reality of
  flows requires international co-operation
• Why?
• The object of migration management today is a
  global migration business involving not only
  governments and migrants, but also recruitment
  and travel agencies, transport operators, legal
  and advisory firms, traffickers, etc.
• Legitimate and illegitimate components requiring
  different approaches

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New management strategies

• Principles and objectives
• 1. Orderliness
• maximise opportunities o\and benefits to migrants
  and minimise trafficking and irregular movement
• 2. Protection
• to provide adequate measures for protection and
  for combating disorderly movement
• 3. Integration
• to provide an environment conducive to
  integration
• 4. Co-operation
• to engage in dialogue and co-operation with
  countries of origin
• ReferenceCouncil of Europe, European Committee
  on Migration, 2002

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1. Measures to manage migration in an orderly
manner

• Efficient and comprehensive information framework
• information for migrants, NGOs, institutions,
  national and local governments
• Information to potential migrants to promote
  orderly flows?
• Co-ordination between governments
• Co-ordination between ministries and between
  central and local government
• Need for accurate and timely information, and for
  information sharing
• Rethinking about the nature of information needed
• consequences and impacts instead of procedures

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Migration as a human right

• Viewing migration positively
• clear and transparent policies about rights and
  obligations
• harmonisation of procedures

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Labour migration policy

• Long term planning difficult
• economic fluctuation
• Generally policies to fight irregular work
• penalise employers
• refuse visas
• stimulate re-integration of the unemployed
• Demand for low skilled labour
• gap between deregulation and decentralisation of
  labour markets, and government efforts to
  stop/control migration

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Labour migration policy

• Demand for high skilled labour
• stimulating increase of native employment
• temporary migration schemes
• co-ordination between governments and social
  partners

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Family reunification

• Continued acceptance of principle of family
  reunification
• practice nibbling away at rights, to fight misuse

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Prevention of irregular migration

• Focus on the prevention of irregular migration
  distorts the debate about general migration
  management
• illegality may be an unintended side effect of
  other policies
• Prevention of irregular entry and irregular
  (over)stay
• regularisations (short term solution only, to
  prevent emergence of under-class and for security
  reasons)
• comprehensive return strategies and circulation
• Data need information exchange

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2. Protection and return

• Protection
• flight from violent conflict mixed up with the
  use of asylum procedures for economic migration
• distinction difficult to make
• lack of alternatives for labour migration
• return policies ineffective
• central challenge to ensure adequate protection
  for refugees and asylum seekers while managing
  migration in line with national priorities

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• Protection
• Measures
• prevention of access and lodging asylum claims
• visa schemes penalties to transportation
  companies border controls pre-inspection
  interception
• reception centres outside country of destination
• temporary protection
• How to link protection to migration management
• refugee protection dialogue (Global
  Consultations)
• migration dialogue (Berne Initiative, regional
  consultations)

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• Return
• current return policies ineffective
• integral approach
• dialogue between countries of origin and
  destination
• return and re-admission agreements
• voluntary and assisted voluntary return

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3. Integration

• Efforts to emphasise the positive contribution of
  immigrants to the host society are undermined by
  the emphasis on entry control and prevention
• Host society contexts not conducive to positive
  approaches towards integration
• discrimination
• disproportional unemployment
• social exclusion
• public hostility

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Requirements for successful integration

• adaptation by migrants
• adaptation by host society
• adequate communication strategies between
  population groups and between them and the
  government

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• Elements of integration policy
• secure residence
• access to work and social services language
  training
• promotion of civil and political rights
• easy and fair naturalisation
• measure to combat discrimination
• Co-ordination and dialogue
• timely and accurate information

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How to develop effective integration strategies?

• Integration cannot be dictated by governments
• But they should lead and influence rather than
  follow public opinion
• education
• confidence building
• influence the public debate by fact instead of
  prejudice
• Eliminate causes of marginalisation of immigrant
  groups.

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Migration management

• Comprehensive policies
• Regional dialogue and harmonisation of policies
• Dialogue and collaboration between countries of
  origin and destination
• Need for timely and accurate information to
  prepare and evaluate policies and to inform the
  public debate