Europe

Europe faces an interesting set of immigration challenges and opportunities: Demographic pressures as many European societies age, a lively and at times tense policy and political debate over questions of identity and immigrant integration, and a unique policy environment that has knit many European countries together with regards to free movement, the management of outer borders, asylum, and other immigration-related topics. MPI has long conducted research and analysis of European policy on topics ranging from labor mobility and border security to immigrant integration, citizenship, and foreign qualifications recognition, which can be found below.

Iraqi and Swedish families paired in Sweden's community sponsorship program

Policy Briefs

Supporting Self-Sufficiency: Considerations for Refugees’ Transition out of Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways Programs

As more countries launch refugee sponsorship and complementary pathways programs, planning for and supporting refugees’ transition out of these programs is essential. While often receiving less attention than other elements of program design, a clear transition plan can promote refugees’ self-sufficiency, social cohesion, and overall program sustainability. This MPI Europe issue brief explores common transition challenges as well as promising practices.

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

Commentaries

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

Spain and the United States both receive their greatest number of immigrants from Latin America, and have worked collaboratively together on displacement crises and other migration issues. As shared immigration challenges dominate debate on both sides of the Atlantic, Spain can serve as a vital bridge in the policy conversation, this commentary notes.

Passengers wearing face masks at a UK airport

Reports

Coordination Breakdown: The Impacts of COVID-19 on Migration in Europe

The story of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe is chiefly one of challenges to solidarity and coordination. Cross-border movement—even within Europe’s Schengen Area—ground to a halt, and countries took varied approaches to using travel measures in an attempt to slow the virus’s spread. This report explores the pandemic’s impacts on mobility to and within Europe, its challenges to European solidarity, and lessons for future public-health crises.

Recent Activity

Articles October 4, 2023 Where Are All the Climate Migrants? Explaining Immobility amid Environmental Change By Caroline Zickgraf	Multimedia September 14, 2023 Strengthening Refugee Engagement in Community Sponsorship Programs
Reports September 2023 Attracting, Retaining, and Diversifying Sponsors for Refugees in Community Sponsorship Programs By Maria Belen Zanzuchi, Nadja Dumann, Florian Tissot and Admir Skodo	Articles September 14, 2023 Are Celebrity Spokespeople Always Helpful for Refugee Causes? By Michael Artime and Megan Hershey
Multimedia August 24, 2023 Managing Changing Migration Dynamics and Policies in West Africa for Regional Gain	Multimedia July 25, 2023 Improving Communications in the Voluntary Return and Reintegration Network
Articles July 27, 2023 Technology Can Be Transformative for Refugees, but It Can Also Hold Them Back By Amanda Alencar	Reports June 2023 Improving Stakeholder Coordination in Refugee Resettlement: A Path to More Effective, Inclusive Programs By Admir Skodo and Maria Belen Zanzuchi

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Policy Briefs November 2022 Reassessing Recruitment Costs in a Changing World of Labor Migration By Kate Hooper	Reports November 2022 Financing Responses to Climate Migration: The Unique Role of Multilateral Development Banks By Lawrence Huang, Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz
Reports October 2022 Rebooting the Asylum System? The Role of Digital Tools in International Protection By Hanne Beirens	Policy Briefs October 2022 Promoting Evidence-Informed Immigrant Integration Policymaking By Jasmijn Slootjes and Maria Belen Zanzuchi
Reports June 2022 The COVID-19 Catalyst: Learning from Pandemic-Driven Innovations in Immigrant Integration Policy By Jasmijn Slootjes	Policy Briefs June 2022 Embedding Reintegration Assistance for Returning Migrants in the Local Context: The Role of Referrals By Ravenna Sohst and Camille Le Coz
Reports June 2022 The Future of Remote Work: Digital Nomads and the Implications for Immigration Systems By Kate Hooper and Meghan Benton	Policy Briefs May 2022 Leveraging Predeparture Counseling to Support Returning Migrants’ Sustainable Reintegration By Lucía Salgado

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Feature

March 21, 2023

Can Czechia Capitalize on High-Skilled Immigration amid Influx of Ukrainians?

High-skilled immigration represents a potential major benefit to Czechia, which has undergone rapid economic growth since the transition from communism. The arrival of hundreds of thousands of new Ukrainians, many of whom are well educated, marks a moment for the country to re-evaluate its integration policies, as this article details.

A migrant from Tajikistan outside Moscow.

Feature

February 7, 2023

Post-Soviet Labor Migrants in Russia Face New Questions amid War in Ukraine

Millions of immigrants fill key sectors in Russia’s economy, help offset its demographic challenges, and support origin communities, particularly in Central Asia. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, many have also been pressured into joining the military, and meanwhile face continued marginalization by Russian society. This article outlines the key issues facing these migrants, some of which have been complicated by the fallout from the war.

A refugee receives emergency assistance in Uganda.

Feature

February 2, 2023

Migrants in Need Report Barriers to Assistance and Fragile Trust in Humanitarian Organizations

Many refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants do not trust humanitarian actors, are unable to access assistance, or did not have support when they needed it. This article, featuring findings from a large-scale survey involving more than 16,000 migrants in countries around the world, provides an overview of these challenges.

A migrant scheduled to be deported from the United States is escorted to a charter flight.

Feature

December 20, 2022

‘Recalcitrant’ and ‘Uncooperative’: Why Some Countries Refuse to Accept Return of Their Deportees

Every year, thousands of migrants ordered deported from EU Member States, the United States, and elsewhere are not returned to their origin countries. Why? One reason is the multiple nations that refuse to cooperate on readmitting their nationals abroad. This article explores the motivations behind countries’ lack of cooperation and how deporting states have responded.

Luxury cars in front of a hotel on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah.

Feature

November 10, 2022

Millionaire Migration Rises and Heads to New Destinations

Migrant millionaires are once again on the move, though headed to new destinations amid fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While wealthy new arrivals can help provide a healthy tax base and invest in local economies, they can upset housing markets and exacerbate wealth disparities, as this article describes.

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Expert Q&A, Audio

December 8, 2022

The “Great Replacement” Theory and the Often-Toxic Stew of Immigration and Nationalism

Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan and researcher Justin Gest discuss the confluence of polarization, nationalism, and immigration, as well as how increasingly diverse societies come up with a new definition of "we".

Lviv, Ukraine. Jesuit houses sheltering families

Video, Audio

October 11, 2022

Migrant Integration: Learning from What Works in Times of Uncertainty

With millions fleeing war-torn Ukraine, questions about how to effectively promote migrant integration are again front and center.

closed until further notice in window due to the COVID 19 coronavirus pandemic,

Video, Audio

June 30, 2022

Migrant Integration Governance After the Pandemic: Lasting Adaptations?

On this webinar, speakers examine how government strategies, practices, and instruments of integration policymaking have adapted during the pandemic both in Europe and North America, and what lessons there are for the future.

Nigerian Ministry of interior launched IOM’s Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) in Abuja airport.

Video, Audio

May 10, 2022

The State of Global Human Mobility More than Two Years into the Pandemic

Marking the launch of an IOM-MPI report, this webcast examines the state of mobility across world regions into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic—what travel restrictions remain, what policy adaptations have occurred, and how do systems improve for the next public-health crisis.

Displaced Ukrainians who have just crossed the Medyka border in Poland getting assistance from IOM

Video, Audio

May 4, 2022

Public Narratives on Refugees: Sustaining Solidarity in Times of Crisis

Experts consider what is known about public opinion and narratives on refugees, looking at the Ukrainian and Syrian crises, and how post-crisis solidarity can be harnessed towards sustainable protection.

Recent Activity

Articles

December 6, 2018

Sweden: By Turns Welcoming and Restrictive in its Immigration Policy

Swedish asylum policy has taken a restrictionist turn since the country received a record-breaking number of asylum seekers in 2015 and after electoral gains by the nationalist, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats pushed the governing coalition to a harder line. Still, other aspects of the country’s migration policy remain welcoming, as this country profile explores.

Audio

November 27, 2018

ChildMove: A Discussion on the Project Following Unaccompanied Young Refugees across Europe

A discussion on the vital new research project, ChildMove, that explores the experiences of young refugees and migrants who have traveled across Europe unaccompanied by their families.

Policy Briefs

November 2018

After the Divorce: British Families Living in the EU-27 Post-Brexit

This brief looks at the potential impact of Brexit on British families in the EU-27, a group that is much less studied than their counterparts in the United Kingdom. As it explores, legal systems are not always designed to cater to the needs of families rather than individuals, and the patchwork of differing rights and benefits for EU citizens and non-EU nationals could mean some family members—third-country nationals, adult dependants, and same-sex or unregistered partners—will fall through the gaps.

Policy Briefs

November 2018

The End of the Retirement Dream? British Pensioners in the European Union after Brexit

As Brexit approaches, British pensioners in the EU-27 face a series of issues beyond those of the wider British population of the EU-27. This issue brief explores the diversity of the pensioner population and unique challenges ranging from whether UK state pensions will rise with the cost of living, to tax, health care, and access to social assistance issues, before considering key policy questions and recommendations for both EU and UK policymakers.

Reports

November 2018

The Future of Migration Policy in a Volatile Political Landscape (Transatlantic Council Statement)

Nativist populism is both symptom and driver of the challenges facing many societies in Europe and the United States. And, as this Transatlantic Council Statement explores, it is reshaping political landscapes and immigration debates. Rebuilding public trust in governments’ ability to manage migration will require that policymakers actively address social and economic divisions and provide a credible alternative to populism.

Reports

November 2018

When Facts Don’t Matter: How to Communicate More Effectively about Immigration’s Costs and Benefits

Emotionally charged and anecdotal narratives about immigrants often seem to drown out arguments made on the basis of robust data and evidence. Why is that? This report explores how new technologies, the human brain, and political communication are reshaping the role of facts in public debates. The report concludes with an examination of what it takes to make the “expert consensus” resonate with skeptical publics.

Reports

November 2018

In Search of a New Equilibrium: Immigration Policymaking in the Newest Era of Nativist Populism

In many recent European and U.S. elections, candidates touting nativist populist and anti-immigrant platforms have enjoyed rising support. As populism moves from the fringes into the mainstream, this report takes stock of the economic and social forces driving its rise, the diverse ways populists are influencing immigration policymaking, and what it will take to build a new center around immigration and integration issues.

Commentaries

October 2018

Three Things the European Union Can Do to Support Private Sponsorship for Refugees

Amid disagreement over the appropriate way to manage European borders and grant access to asylum, there is one policy priority that has support across (most) Member States and the institutions of the European Union: the need to provide safe, legal channels for migration, particularly for refugees. Private sponsorship of refugees may have a valuable role to play in meeting this need, as this MPI Europe commentary explains.

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