Changes In Migration Policies Research Articles

Intimate citizenship and the tightening of migration controls in the United Kingdom

AbstractThis article examines recent changes in British family migration policy. It explores the reasons for these policy changes. It highlights the fact that these changes have affected the legal, financial, social, and lived experiences of transnational couples. It uses primary research to exemplify these changes. For example, it highlights the fact that the changes in policy have had some negative impacts on the ability of transnational families to have intimate relationships with each other. Some of these changes have led to the separation of couples. Other changes have led to what couples outline as an involuntary separation from the United Kingdom. This research has current and future relevance in the context of the focus of the current government and the likelihood that policy will be tightened even further in the aftermath of Britain leaving the EU, post‐Brexit.

Returning Home and Circular Mobility: How Crises Change the Anthropological View of Migration

What new anthropological perspectives on migration are being opened as a result of the current economic crisis in Russia and the recent changes in migration policies that have forced migrants to return en masse to the countries of their origin? Today, the intent to return is built into the strategies of Central Asian migrants and most of them think of eventually coming back and use occasional opportunities for traveling to their home countries every once in a while. I discuss various models of circular cross-border mobility (long-term, seasonal, rotational) as well as practices ensuing from the migrants’ state of deportability, factors affecting their preparedness for return, and their sense of nostalgia for the transnational migrant life. I argue that the post-Soviet space is in dynamic sync with recurrent economic rises and falls, contributing to a sense of uncertainty that may mean that migrations will keep unfolding in changing patterns following abrupt turns in the social life of the past and current decades.

Food Consumption Habits and Food Security Challenges among Immigrants

There is no single behaviour path for migrants after arrival in the destination country. The cases of their successful integration in the host country social environment are not rare, and healthy immigrant effect, indeed, often occurs showing that not always shift to the new living conditions, culture and food traditions preclude healthy food habits of the migrants. However, there are still many factors, both individual and social environment-related, which increase overweight and obesity risk. Quantitative and qualitative research findings have shown that food insecurity can be simultaneously a cause and a consequence of migration. Including religious identities, food has largely become a distinctive factor of the identities of individuals and communities. The distribution of eating habits from migrant source countries, in particular, from Africa to the host European countries is dramatically changing the European cultural dimension. Food has appeared to be one of the main factors of migrants’ integration in European countries. Food insecurity is a critical push factor. Current research emphasised that integration programmes should rely not only on basic language and cultural aspects but also on food, improving the contribution of the food traditions of migrants, while also inspiring in this field interactions and contributions via this medium among long-standing and newly-forming societies. This article focuses on key food challenges, which migrants face in destination countries and factors as causes of these challenges. We also discuss barriers to migration policy change and provide possible ways to mitigate these barriers.

“God is in control”: middle-class Pentecostalism and international student migration

ABSTRACTIn this article I explore the role of Pentecostalism in the lives of middle-class Brazilian students-turned-migrants in Australia. Brazilian students lead precarious lives in Australia. They are transitioning into adulthood, living away from the homeland and without their families for the first time and they experience downward mobility. In addition, they are at the mercy of constant changes in Australian migration policy. Drawing on three years of multi-sited fieldwork in Australia and Brazil in three Pentecostal churches (the Australian megachurches Hillsong and C3 and a Brazilian church), I argue that Pentecostalism supports these students in their migration pathway. This is particularly the case because these are Seeker churches. By focusing on youth culture, entertainment, and informality and by addressing real-life situations, these churches cater to middle-class sensibilities. I also contend that their religious beliefs and practices are interwoven with the students’ narratives of migration to Australia. Thus the students pray for visas, jobs, and sponsorships for permanent residency and they see every obstacle and achievement as God’s work in their lives. For them, God determines whether they can stay or must return home. Importantly, citizenship in God’s kingdom gives them a more significant sense of belonging than that of the Australian state.

Labor migration numbers and rights: do they trade off or advance together?

ABSTRACTThis article reconsiders the argument that as labor immigration policy opens, it must also become more restrictive in terms of immigrant rights. After discussing this tradeoff logic, positing a negative relationship between external (numbers) and internal (rights) labor migration policy, it then extends the underlying political model to show that when accounting for the lobbying pressure of firms seeking high skill labor, a very different expectation emerges. This political accommodation argument predicts a positive relationship between external and internal migration policy, or that policy related to labor immigration openness and immigrant rights should advance together, although not necessarily quickly or at the same rate. It then tests these competing propositions using a new dataset that sorts labor migration policy changes among 38 advanced industrial democracies from 1995 to 2016 into these two dimensions, finding a significant positive relationship between them.

Household wellbeing and health risks in Mexican households with and without migrants: a cross-sectional analysis

BackgroundMigration between Mexico and the USA constitutes the world’s largest migration corridor with more than 13 million movements of people in 2016. Furthermore, Mexico has a complex migration profile, being a country of origin, transit, destination, and return. While there has been discussion on the relationship between migration and development of origin communities, evidence on social and health issues faced by origin households is limited. This case study is a first attempt at documenting, through analyzing a national representative health survey of Mexican households (n = 9474), the relationship between international migration from Mexico and origin household health characteristics.Case presentationMexican international migration moves largely (90% of migrants) toward the USA. Migration has passed from being mostly circular (from the early to late 1990s) to a permanent pattern of residence in the destination country due to changes in migration policies that have progressively restricted the irregular entrance of immigrants making re-entry more difficult.The present case study compares the socioeconomic, demographic, and health characteristics of households in Mexico with and without emigrants using data from a national representative health survey. Accordingly, in 2016, 5.8% (n = 1,802,980) of all Mexican households reported having a member living abroad.Households with members living abroad were found to more likely be headed by a female (45.8%), have Seguro Popular health insurance, and not to be among the poorest household population. In terms of health profile, a higher frequency of adults with a reported diagnosis of diabetes and/or hypertension (33.9 vs 21.7% for households with vs without emigrants, respectively; p = 0.067), and a higher severity of diabetes reflected a higher probability of hospitalization.ConclusionsResults showed that socioeconomic, demographic, and health conditions differed between households with and without emigrants. These differences were determined as not being attributable to migration and cannot be considered as predisposing factors of migration.

How to explain migration policy openness in times of closure? The case of international students in Switzerland

ABSTRACTSince the 1990s, Swiss immigration policies have placed increasing restrictions on non-European Union (EU) immigrants. However, in 2011, based on the initiative of Jacques Neirynck, the Swiss Parliament approved a law facilitating the admission and integration of non-EU nationals with a Swiss university degree. How can this policy openness in times of closure be explained? Drawing on the narratives of stakeholders during parliamentarian debates, and interviews with key political actors, we propose a unique explanatory approach combining: (1) the convincing narratives of steering crafted by parliamentarians, (2) an appropriate temporal and geographical context, and (3) the biographical capacity of the policy initiator to effect policy change. This model will be useful for studies of migration policy change in general.

Skilled Migration Policy and the Labour Market Performance of Immigrants

This paper studies whether migration policy, besides managing a country's population size, is a suitable tool to influence immigrants' labour market outcomes. To do so, it uses a migration policy change that occurred in Australia in the late 1990s and data collected by the Longitudinal Survey of Migrants to Australia. The statistical techniques employed in the empirical analysis consistently reveal that the policy change has no detectable impact on the employment rate, wages, over-education, occupational downgrading, and (self-reported) use of skills for male immigrants, who account for about 75% of the sample, while they have a modest short-term positive impact on female immigrants. These results support the view that migration policy is an ineffective policy tool to influence migrants' labour market outcomes. However, the economic relevance of making an effective use of migrants' skills provides scope for close coordination between immigration and employment policy to ensure that efforts in attracting foreign talent are not dissipated by labour market frictions and other inefficiencies.

The Role of Migration Policy Changes in Europe for Return Migration to Senegal

This study questions the role of migration policy changes in France, Italy, and Spain for return migration to Senegal, by analyzing biographic data from the Migration between Africa and Europe (MAFE-Senegal) survey and the contextual data of the Determinants of International Migration (DEMIG) VISA and DEMIG POLICY databases that cover major changes in migration policies in these destination countries for the different categories of migrants. Event history logistic regressions reveal that Senegalese migrants are less likely to return when the entry restrictions have become tighter. This result suggests that the decision to return depends on the possibility of migrating again after the return, which is crucial for both theory and policy regarding Western democracies’ attempts to regulate migration.

From Brakeman to Booster: Policy change in Germany's EU Labour Migration Policy

AbstractMore than 8 years ago the Council Directive 2009/50/EC of 25 May 2009, which is also (and much better) known as Blue Card‐directive, came into effect. Although in general the passing of the directive can be regarded as a milestone in the history of EU migration policy, the first proposals of the directive brought forward by the European Commission envisaged a much deeper and more binding framework including less room for maneuver for the member states. It is well known that particularly the German government at that time spoke out against a (more) extensive Europeanisation of labour migration policy. In sharp contrast to this rather reluctant stance towards ?more Europe? in this area recent developments indicate a significant policy change in the German way of dealing with the question of how much Europe is necessary in labour migration policy. This article seeks to retrace this rather sudden shift and to put it into a broader context of migration policy change in Germany.

Attracting the best talent in the context of migration policy changes: the case of the UK

ABSTRACTEmployment projections and skills strategies emphasise the importance of (highly) skilled labour for competitiveness. A strategic focus on ‘attracting the best talent’ globally may conflict with policies to ‘grow local talent’. This issue is considered in the UK context of a shift from a liberal immigration regime to a demand-led system characterised by increasing restriction, through adjustments to a points-based system to manage labour migration from outside the European Economic Area (EEA). The specific focus is on an annual limit on non-EEA labour migrants introduced in 2011 and tightening of eligibility criteria for entry of (highly) skilled migrants, amid business’ concerns that this might stifle economic growth. Drawing on 20 employer case studies and literature on skills and migration policy, the article investigates the costs and implications for business in adhering and seeking to adapt to migration policy changes. Such changes pose administrative burdens on employers and limit business flexibility but associated monetary costs to businesses are difficult to quantify. Adaptation strategies and the impact of migration rule changes vary: some firms experience limited impact, some adjust their recruitment behaviour and some feel their underlying business rationale is threatened. Developing local talent is a partial long-term solution.

Income Disparities, Population and Migration Flows Over the 21st Century

This paper provides worldwide projections of population, educational attainment, international migration and income for the 21st century. We develop and parametrize a dynamic, stylized model of the world economy that accounts for the key interdependencies between demographic and economic variables. Our baseline scenario is in line with the ‘high-fertility’ population prospects of the United Nations, assumes constant education and migration policies, long-run absolute convergence in total factor productivity (TFP) between emerging and high-income countries, and the absence of economic takeoff in Africa. It predicts a rise in the income share of Asia (from 38 to 59 percent of the world income) and in the demographic share of Africa (from 10 to 25 percent of the world population). However, over the 21st century, the worldwide proportion of adult migrants will only increase by one percentage point (from 3.5 to 4.5 percent). Half of this change is explained by the increased attractiveness of China and India; and the remaining part is explained by the increased migration pressure from Africa to Western Europe. Keeping its immigration policy unchanged, the 15 members of the European Union will see their average immigration rate increase from 7.5 to 17.2 percent. On the contrary, immigration rates will remain stable in the other high-income countries. Then, we assess the sensitivity of our projections to changes in migration policies, TFP disparities, fertility and education. The evolution of productivity in emerging economies and in Africa will have a drastic impact on the worldwide population size, income disparities and the migration pressure to the European Union. The world economy will also be drastically affected if TFP convergence is accompanied by a fall in migration costs to China and India. However, a large increase in the average European immigration rate is obtained under all the scenarios. More than ever, the management of immigration will become a major societal challenge for Europe.

Income Disparities, Population and Migration Flows Over the Twenty First Century

This paper provides worldwide projections of population, educational attainment, international migration and income for the twenty first century. We develop and parametrize a dynamic, stylized model of the world economy that accounts for interdependencies between socio-demographic and economic variables. Our baseline scenario is in line with the ‘high-fertility’ population prospects of the United Nations, assumes constant education and migration policies, long-run absolute convergence in total factor productivity (TFP) between emerging and high-income countries, and the absence of economic take-off in Africa. It predicts a rise in the income share of Asia (from 37 to 58% of the world income) and in the demographic share of Africa (from 10 to 29% of the world adult population). Over the twenty first century, the worldwide proportion of adult migrants will increase by less than 1% point (from 3.5 to 4.3%). Keeping its immigration policy unchanged, the 15 members of the European Union will see their average immigration rate increase from 7.4 to 18.2%. In Italy, the immigration pressure will increase fourfold. On the contrary, immigration rates will be fairly stable in the non-European, high-income countries. Then, we assess the sensitivity of our projections to changes in migration policies, TFP disparities, fertility and education. Large increases in the average European (and Italian) immigration rates are obtained under all the scenarios. More than ever, the management of immigration will represent a major societal challenge for European countries.

Labour Migration Governance in Times of Political Transition: A Comparative Analyisis of Egypt and Tunisia

The 2011 uprisings that culminated into the Arab Awakening were expected to engender seminal changes in the political systems of Egypt and Tunisia. Renewed calls to protect Egyptian and Tunisian migrants abroad were at first launched in the two countries. This paper examines patterns of continuity and change affecting policies and institutions of labour migration in Egypt and Tunisia. After outlining key institutions with mandate over labour migration, including a brief analysis of the two countries’ labour markets, the paper assesses policies that promote employment abroad and protections for migrants. Egypt has made few changes in labour migration policies or institutions. Tunisia went further but without undertaking radical changes in its policies and institutions.

The making of ‘skilled’ overseas Koreans: transformation of visa policies for co-ethnic migrants in South Korea

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates a transient border between the temporary and (potentially) permanent migration schemes, by reviewing the changes in migration policies relating to Korean-Chinese (Joseonjok) co-ethnic migrants in South Korea in the last 10 years. We pay attention to Working Visit Status and Overseas Korean Status and the fluidity between the two visa streams, to argue that the government utilises the arbitrary notion of ‘skilledness’ as an indicator to distinguish the temporary from the non-temporary migrants. To interrogate how the visa system operates, this paper reviews politics between and within the government, the market and the migrants. Although the government rhetorically uses visa policies as a quality-control mechanism to selectively accept a desirable population, it can only do so by relying on the market to ‘evaluate’ migrants. However, Korean-Chinese migrants are welcomed in the low-skilled employment market to fill labour shortages, and they also contribute to the expanding migration industry as consumers, which stand at odds with the government’s effort to limit ‘unskilled’ migration. The relegation of the state’s responsibility to the market provides an opportunity for migrants to contest the border and negotiate with the state. However, their negotiation comes at the expense of precarisation of their legal status.

Brytyjskie analizy z obszaru stosunków międzynarodowych – przegląd 2015 roku

The material constitutes a review of articles published in 2015 in British academic journals dealing with International relations. Texts have been selected from sixteen issues of: „International Affairs”, „The British Journal of Politics and International Relations” and „The Political Quarterly” . The articles published in these journals have been analyzed in context of thematic groups such as: the Ukrainian conflict, Middle East issues, migration policy, British policy and climate change.

The Impact of Possible Migration Scenarios after ‘Brexit’ on the State Pension System

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of changes in migration flows—in particular, those resulting from possible migration policy changes after a UK exit (‘Brexit’) from the European Union (EU)—on the finances of the UK state pension system. We find that the aggregate effects of considered shocks to immigration associated with Brexit on the funding of UK state pensions are dwarfed by associated uncertainties, and by coincident cost increases due to population aging and (domestic) pension’s policy.

How do post-colonial ties and migration regimes shape travel visa requirements? The case of Caribbean nationals

ABSTRACTTravel visa requirements are generally recognised as the result of a trade-off between preventing irregular migration, ensuring security and allowing potential economic benefits to countries. The role of history has been overlooked. This article focuses on the Caribbean, a region heavily influenced by colonialism, which experienced important changes in political status and migration policies over the twentieth century. Using bilateral travel visa requirement data, we examine the importance of two travel visa determinants: post-colonial ties and the migration regimes established by the former colonial state after independence. We show that post-colonial ties explain patterns of travel visa requirements for France, the Netherlands and the US, but less for Britain and British-sphere Caribbean countries, revealing the less uniform and changing role of post-colonial ties. Travel visa requirements largely reinforce migration regimes types, so that Caribbean citizens from countries with a closed migration regime also experienced reduced travel opportunities. This reveals a perception that when the former colonial state limits migration opportunities, it might lead to travel, and potential overstaying, in other destinations. These findings provide new evidence of the relevance of colonial history and migration policies with the former colonial state in shaping travel opportunities of citizens of former colonies.

Preferenser och intressen hos Svenskt Näringsliv och Landsorganisationen om arbetskraftsinvandring under 2000-talets inledning

Preferences and interests of SN and LO about labour migration in the early 2000sThe article uses a political economy approach to analyze the preferences of the social partners SN and LO and to identify the coincided and disparate interests which the two organizations tried to defend in relation to labour migration in the debate prior to the Swedish labour migration policy reform in 2008. In contrast to presumptions by Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) scholars,the results of this article reveal that SN has preferred a market-liberal labour migration policy regime at odds with institutional traditions of the Swedish labour market model. However, LO has instead preferred a state-coordinated and regulated labour migration policy regime. In contrast to SN, LO’s preferences reflected basic trade union interests to limit the supply of labour and to minimize potential negative effects for the functioning of the Swedish labour market model. Moreover, the article suggests the importance of changed power relations between the social partners and a shift of Swedish government to explain SN’s influence in the debate prior to the labour migration policy change 2008 in a market-liberal direction.

FROM “OPEN DOOR POLICY” TO MIGRANT CRISIS: THE REFORMING OF MIGRATION POLICY IN EUROPEAN AND NATIONAL DIMENSIONS (THE EXAMPLES OF GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE)

This article concentrates on the main problems of reforming of the current EU migration policy. The authors examine the EU’s legal norms and national judicial basics in the sphere in order to emphasize a certain evolution of the approaches of member states to migration control issues. Longterm crisis in the EU migration policies, which was strengthen in 2014-2015, is going ahead. National governments are obliged to seek for comprehensible ways out of such situation both at supranational and national levels. Hence, we can consider common features of their policies as well as evident distinctions. To illustrate last changes in European migration policy we use the examples of Great Britain and France. Both countries are concerned by huge diffi culties of their policy realization: the newcomers do not succeed to integrate themselves into society and prefer to live in isolated quarters with their culture and religion; at the same time, the popularity of radical anti-immigrant parties steadily grows. British and French governments are to fi nd a balance between free immigration policy and the duty to ensure security whereas security risks are rising in such social circumstances. The authors conclude that refugee crisis of 2014-2015 should induce European countries to rethink their migration policies. The «open door policy» and streams of refugees cause the overexertion of state’s potential to accommodate newcomers. The problem has already got a security dimension, so that more determined measures are necessary to be taken. British, French and other European governments should reestablish their priorities in favor of responsible and restrictive approach.