Immigration Policy Research Articles

How Do Immigration Policies Affect Voter Support for Low-Skilled Immigrants? Evidence from a Survey Experiment

Countries depend on both high- and low-skilled immigration to meet economic needs. But most voters prefer high-skilled immigrants, despite the fact that multiple economic sectors structurally depend on low-skilled immigrants. In this paper, we examine voter preferences toward low-skilled immigrants as one barrier to effective immigration policy, even in political regimes where immigration is the consequence of highly coordinated or “planned” policies. Specifically, we consider whether government communication around the benefits of low-skilled immigration can increase favorability of such policies. We are particularly interested in the ways in which government communicates immigration messages and whether the scope or concentration of the proposed benefits will move individual preferences. In an online survey experiment, we present Canadians ( N=2,023) with a policy brief that manipulates immigrant skill level (high vs. low), economic outcomes of migration (positive vs. mixed), and the geographic scope of benefits (concentrated vs. sociotropic). Employing two measures of policy support, we find some evidence that positive framing can increase overall support for low-skill migrants. We also find that manipulating framing around high-skilled workers has little effect on support for low-skill workers, even when that framing presents countervailing evidence as to the benefit of high-skilled labor. In sum, our findings suggest that elite level communication around the benefits of low-skill labor may have the ability to disrupt longstanding antipathy for low-skilled labor, even in regimes with longstanding support for high-skilled labor.

Narratives of worth: analyzing the effects of worthy and anti-immigrant narratives on immigration attitudes

ABSTRACT Political elites use contrasting narratives about immigrants to shape public attitudes and influence immigration policy support. This study examines how pro- and anti-immigrant narratives affect public preferences for reducing immigration in the United States. Using two distinct samples – a non-Hispanic White sample from YouGov and a racially diverse sample from NORC – the experiment reveals that exposure to these narratives significantly shapes attitudes toward immigration. Effects vary depending on the type of narrative, as well as respondents’ political affiliations and racial backgrounds. Specifically, the pro- (‘worthy’) immigrant narrative, which portrays immigrants as hardworking, law-abiding members of the in-group, reduces support for lowering immigration levels, especially among White respondents, with Republicans and Independents showing the greatest shift. In contrast, the anti-immigrant narrative, which characterizes unauthorized immigrants as undeserving outsiders, increases support for reducing immigration across racial groups. This research advances our understanding of how political rhetoric shapes public attitudes toward immigration by employing large, diverse samples and realistic portrayals of pro- and anti-immigrant narratives.

Immigration Policy as a Social Determinant of Health among Brazilian Immigrants in the United States: A Narrative Review.

The pervasive effects of increasingly restrictive migration policies on the health of immigrant populations in the U.S. have been well-documented, but not so much concerning the unique experiences of Brazilian immigrants, a subgroup of the Latino/a/x population. Considering that, this narrative review article employs a research design that is both conceptual and exploratory-to understand the possible connections and associations between restrictive immigration policies and negative health outcomes among Brazilian immigrants in the U.S. Findings indicate that Brazilian immigrants in the U.S. face an array of health and non-health related challenges, including racism and poor working conditions, with undocumented individuals experiencing worse outcomes. Studies highlight the complex relationship between immigration policies and health and emphasize the detrimental effects of deportation fear, healthcare access obstacles, and mental health repercussions due to hostile immigration policymaking and generalized anti-immigrant sentiment. More research is needed to understand the unique challenges faced by the Brazilian immigrant population concerning several mental and physical health outcomes.

Investigating whether offshore immigration detention and processing are associated with an increased likelihood of psychological disorders.

Immigration policies designed to deter people from seeking asylum are gaining traction in many Western nations, with the UK recently attempting to establish an offshore immigration processing centre in Rwanda. This letter outlines emerging evidence from Australia on the negative long-term psychological effects of offshore processing on people seeking asylum.

Immigration Policy and Latinx/é Children from Mixed-Status Families: Mental Health Consequences and Recommendations for Mental Health Providers

The impact of immigration policies on Latinx/é mixed-status families and their children is undeniable. Changes in immigration policy, focused on increased deportation enforcement, within the last three decades have led to an increased fear of deportation and unique circumstances mixed-status families must navigate. These circumstances, combined with fear of deportation, have had deleterious effects on the psychological well-being of the family, in general, and the children, in particular. This paper reviews the impact of immigration policies on Latinx/é mixed-status families, the unique circumstances of mixed-status families, and the mental health implications these have on the children specifically. Articles and books were selected from various sources that addressed Latinx/é mental health, mixed-status families, and immigration. After a review of the literature, these circumstances emerged: familial separation, citizen children second-class citizenry, developmental implications, psychological implications, and coping mechanisms and strategies of mixed-status families. Recommendations for mental health providers who work with children from mixed-status families are provided.

The gendered crisis of care in the UK through the lens of immigration policy impacts on migrant workers

The gendered crisis of care in the UK through the lens of immigration policy impacts on migrant workers

The Rise of Populism in America and Its Impact on Foreign Policy

Populism is a social trend sweeping across developed countries in Europe and America. Its emergence has divided society into two hostile groups. Trump marked the second stage of populism, which also became a mainstream political force. Whether it is the domestic economy, class policies, immigration policies, or foreign relations policies, extreme changes have been proposed. This paper explores the origins of populism from the 19th century. The purpose of writing is to analyze the starting point, outbreak process, and outbreak of left-wing and right-wing populism. The situation of American populism and its impact on foreign policy from different aspects are sorted out. This paper analyzes and presents that populism is divided into two basic forms of action: ideology and political discourse. Through the analysis of cases and research objects, it is found that the two have jointly promoted the transformation of diplomatic constitution. Based on the understanding of the nature of populism, three strong preferences of populism are analyzed.

Exploring the Decision-Making Process of International Students: Factors Influencing their Choice of US Colleges

The United States is the top destination for international students seeking higher education. These students encounter various factors that shape their decisions throughout the college application journey. This research aims to pinpoint the main variables that influence international students’ choices to study in the US. Important factors include the reputation and rankings of universities, tuition costs, geographic location, personal recommendations, unique connections, and the complexity of the admissions process. Despite facing challenges like strict immigration policies and lengthy visa application procedures, US universities continue to attract students due to their global prestige and the numerous opportunities they provide for personal and professional development. The study sheds light on the preferences and considerations of international students when choosing colleges in the US. By doing so, it offers valuable insights for higher education institutions to improve their support services and refine recruitment strategies, ultimately enhancing the experiences and outcomes for international students.

Deservingness and temporal borders: the reproduction of global mobility hierarchies in Swedish family reunification

European immigration policy is increasingly selective and stratified, favoring immigrants considered productive in the eyes of society. Using the case of Swedish family reunification, this article investigates how ideas of deservingness underlie this selection process and how it intersects with temporal bordering, impacting hierarchies of transnational mobility. Through qualitative interviews with individuals across a spectrum of legal statuses, the study finds that the increased connection between immigration policy and the housing and labor markets, combined with restrictions concerning visas, age, and legal status, induce and reproduce inequalities in waiting times and access to reunification. Within these restrictions, however, families find ways to circumvent the wait and get family time. The study contributes to the temporal turn in migration studies by exploring reunification among families with diverse backgrounds, complementing previous literature’s focus on the experiences of forced migrants. By considering how deservingness and temporal bordering shape mobility, the article offers both conceptual and empirical contributions to mobility and migration studies. Ultimately, the study brings forward a nuanced analysis of the consequences of restrictive shifts in Swedish immigration policy, contributing to the broader understanding of the current, transnational, mobility regimes.

President Biden's Proclamation on Securing the Border and DHS-DOJ Interim Final Rule- A Potential Threat to the Health of Migrants.

Immigration policy, particularly regarding migrants crossing the US-Mexico border, has been a highly debated topic for years. There is a continued debate on how to maintain national security while protecting the health and dignity of migrants. In this commentary, we argue that the Biden Administration's "Proclamation on Securing the Border" issued on June 4, 2024, alongside the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice's (DOJ) Interim Final Rule, poses a significant threat to the health of migrants seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border by forcing more migrants to wait in encampments in border towns. Specifically, migrants are more likely to face increased exposure to disease, mental health effects, and violence as a result of this proclamation. We call for structural policy reform and propose several alternative policies that can be enacted at the regional and national levels to help maintain the health and dignity of migrants while still prioritizing border security.

On the design of an optimal immigration policy

AbstractThis paper constructs a model for the study of optimal immigration from the perspective of natives. They have preferences over redistributive transfers, a public good subject to congestion, and over the level of family‐based migration. Border enforcement is costly. The model derives conditions for an optimal immigration policy, which balances skill‐based against family‐based migration, equalizes the fiscal opportunity cost of unauthorized immigration with the marginal cost of enforcement, and balances the effects on transfers against the implied congestion effects. A parameterized version of the model studies the 1994–2008 period and finds legislation projects on immigration consistent with the model's predictions.

Selectivity in Migration Governance in the South American Mercosur: Selecting-by-Origin, Selecting-by-Merit, or Not Selecting at All?

Literature on immigration policies has observed a shift from selecting migrants based on origin to skill-based selection across the globe. Based on an interpretive analysis of stakeholder interviews, legislation and policy documents, this article argues that selectivity in migration governance is developing differently in Mercosur: in the rights-focused political context of South America, no progression from selection-by-origin to selection-by-merit can be observed. Skill-based selection is considered illegitimate and scarce, while selection based on origin persists with nationality as a central administrative selection category. In addition, the general migrant – refugee divide, elsewhere decisive for selective policies, becomes blurred.

Partners in Gatekeeping: How Italy Shaped U.S. Immigration Policy over Ten Pivotal Years, 1891–1901 by Lauren Braun-Strumfels (review)

Partners in Gatekeeping: How Italy Shaped U.S. Immigration Policy over Ten Pivotal Years, 1891–1901 by Lauren Braun-Strumfels (review)

Immigrants, legal status, and illegal trade

Nearly $2 trillion of illegally trafficked goods flow across international borders every year, generating violence and other social costs along the way. Due to the absence of legal contracts and the challenge of finding trading partners in an illegal market, traffickers may rely on co-ethnic networks to facilitate trade. In this paper, I use novel microdata on the universe of large illegal drug confiscations in Spain to provide the first causal estimates of how immigrants and immigration policy affect the pattern and scale of illegal drug trafficking. I find that immigrants increase both illegal drugs imported from and exported to their origin country, with irregular immigrants raising illegal drug imports. Doubling the number of immigrants from an origin country raises the likelihood of illegal drug imports from that country by 8 percentage points. I find suggestive evidence that granting legal status to immigrants reduces illegal drug imports.

Contingent on paradoxical policies: migrants’ trajectories to permanent residence and skilled care work in Denmark

ABSTRACT Syrian refugees and Ukrainian labour migrants are among the increasing number of migrants in Denmark who have enrolled in training programmes to become skilled care workers in response to the Danish state’s initiatives to increase labour supply for public-sector elderly care. However, stricter immigration legislation together with regulations concerning state-financed education complicate training, employment and residence for these migrants. This article explores how the Danish welfare state’s conflicting interests in and attempts at pursuing both a strict immigration policy and securing enough trained care workers in eldercare affect trajectories to skilled care work among foreign nationals residing in Denmark. Based on data from long-term ethnographic fieldwork, we demonstrate how in various ways Syrian and Ukrainian care work trainees with temporary residence face a double-sided uncertainty, as their lives in Denmark are contingent on events and decisions out of their control, such as amendments to immigration and educational policies and legislation. On the one hand, these events and decisions jeopardize the migrant trainees’ and their families’ future in Denmark. On the other hand, they offer opportunities to make new connections and acquire new knowledge and skills, which in the longer run may contribute to improving their lives in Denmark.

Immigration restriction and the transfer of cultural norms over time and boundaries: the case of religiosity

Abstract We study the effect of an immigration ban on the self-selection of immigrants along cultural traits, and the transmission of these traits to the second generation. We show theoretically that restricting immigration incentivizes to settle abroad individuals with higher attachment to their origin culture, who, under free mobility, would rather choose circular migration. Once abroad, these individuals tend to convey their cultural traits to their children. As a consequence, restrictive immigration policies can foster the diffusion of cultural traits across boundaries and generations. We focus on religiosity, which is one of the most persistent and distinctive cultural traits, and exploit the 1973 immigration ban in West Germany (Anwerbestopp) as a natural experiment. Through a diff-in-diff analysis, we find that second generations born to parents treated by the Anwerbestopp show higher religiosity.

When Liberalism Fails: An Examination of U.S. Governmental Responses to Refugee Crisis

This paper examines the responses of the United States (U.S.) to the refugee crises of Syria and Venezuela respectively and compares how the immigration policies have hindered effective humanitarian settlement. While the paper takes into consideration the differences in political climates that have led to dissimilar responses among the two governments in the early stages, the study examines the consistent mismatch between the humanitarian claims and the restrictive policies enacted, highlighting their negative impact on both the population of displaced persons and the resolution of the crisis-at-large. The paper argues that the incoherency between claims and actual deeds as well as conflicts between levels of governance have rendered humanitarian responses ineffectual and even detrimental to the humanitarian conditions for the refugees. Furthermore, the paper critiques the preferential attitude held towards humanitarian aid and reveals how in both cases, such aid has crafted self-perpetuating cycles of marginalization, exploitation, and violence.

Regulated Temporariness Reconsidered: Chinese Migrants in Japan and the Confluence of Policy, Infrastructure, and Transnational Factors

This paper examines how Japan’s immigration policies, the role of migration infrastructure, and pressures and expectations from the home country shape the regulated temporariness of Chinese migrants in Japan. It analyzes the regulated temporariness inherent in Japan’s visa system and considers how the uncertainty faced by temporary migrants intensifies their connections with China. The findings indicate that the migration infrastructure between China and Japan not only enhances migrants’ mobility but also restricts their freedom of choice. Furthermore, globalized social media and migrants’ connections to China transmit “pressure from China,” stemming from the two countries’ war history and the resultant political discourse, to Chinese migrants in Japan. The study reveals that migrant temporariness is not solely driven by migration entry and residence policies, as emphasized in existing migration research theories. Instead, migration infrastructure, historical relations between the two countries, and expectations for future development also shape migrants’ regulated temporariness. Migrants voluntarily enter into regulated temporariness, paradoxically achieving greater flexibility within this regulated state. This phenomenon demonstrates a blurred area between flexible temporariness and regulated temporariness, where both coexist rather than transitioning from one to the other. Consequently, it is necessary to expand our understanding of regulated temporariness, taking into account broader transnational factors and informal influences.

Understanding labour exploitation as a social determinant of health in migrant populations – insights from the Danish population-based registers

Abstract Despite recent global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Qatar world cup drawing attention to the significant loss of human lives of labour migrants in precarious working conditions, evidence on the comparative mortality of migrant workers remains sparse and inconsistent. Studying the comparative mortality of migrant workers with local workers is challenging for several reasons. Data on migrants’ employment conditions and health outcomes are often incomplete, and when available captured in separate databases. In addition, there is a need to disentangle the healthy migrant effect from the healthy worker effect, which presents challenges in the selection of reference populations and temporality when studying mortality of migrants. In view of such challenges, Denmark provides an ideal context to study labour migration and mortality. The Danish population-based registers offer linked longitudinal data on migrants’ employment history and mortality outcomes. Denmark’s migrant integration policy also has a history of weaving immigration and labour policies, and migrants in Denmark continue to be prone to labour exploitation in high-risk industries such as construction and agriculture. This presentation shall use Denmark as a case study to compare the mortality outcomes of migrant workers with Danish workers to better understand labour exploitation as a social determinant of health.

Health disparities among in multicultural and non-multicultural families in South Korea

Abstract South Korea has experienced significant immigrant growth, with international marriages playing a key role in this demographic change. In 2019, international marriages accounted for 10.3% of all marriages, increasing the number of multicultural households. Multicultural families in Korea faced controversies over accepting new members in a society traditionally considered racially and ethnically homogenous. In rural areas, where patriarchal and conservative values prevail, there is greater discrimination and negative perception towards foreigners compared to urban areas, impacting access to healthcare. This potentially adversely affects the health of married immigrants. However, research on this issue is limited. This study aims to examine the differences in health behaviors, access to care, and health status between multicultural and non-multicultural families in rural and urban areas. Using a cross-sectional study design based on the 2023 Community Health Survey, the sample included 228,216 adults from non-multicultural families and 3,373 adults from multicultural families. Adjusted differences in outcome were estimated using regression models, including linear probability and logistic models. Overall, there were minimal or no differences in health behaviors and health status between adults from multicultural and non-multicultural families. However, significant differences were observed in access to care, such as annual health check-ups (0.72 [0.64, 0.81]) and vaccinations (0.84 [0.76, 0.94]). Non-multicultural families showed regional differences in all outcomes, whereas multicultural families exhibited minimal or no regional differences. These findings suggest that multicultural families may face barriers beyond regional environments, limiting their access to care and potentially leading to long-term negative health outcomes. Targeted policy development for multicultural families in Korea is necessary to address this issue. Key messages • Access to health care may vary for individual and local factors, especially for people with different ethnicities or cultures. • Multicultural families may encounter greater barriers than individual and regional characteristics, requiring the development of tailored policies for immigrants and multicultural families.