Legalization/Regularization

Millions of unauthorized immigrants have been given legal status in Europe and the United States since the mid-1980s through programs and mechanisms variously referred to as legalization or regularization. The policy tool has been used variously to address rising numbers of unauthorized immigrants, regulate underground labor markets, or for humanitarian purposes. Viewed by critics as a spur for more illegal migration, such policies are touted as a humanitarian means of addressing the status of workers and residents living in limbo and of regulating the informal labor market.

Recent Activity

Reports May 2019 Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration By Sarah Pierce	Reports May 2019 Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions By Doris Meissner and Julia Gelatt
Reports April 2019 Spain’s Labor Migration Policies in the Aftermath of Economic Crisis By Kate Hooper	Commentaries March 2019 More Than a DREAM (Act), Less Than a Promise By Julia Gelatt
Multimedia January 31, 2019 Creatividad Dentro de la Crisis: Opciones Legales para Inmigrantes Venezolanos en América Latina	Multimedia January 30, 2019 Creative Policy Responses in Latin America to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis
Policy Briefs January 2019 Creatividad dentro de la crisis: opciones legales para migrantes venezolanos en América Latina By Andrew Selee, Jessica Bolter, Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian and Miryam Hazán	Policy Briefs January 2019 Creativity amid Crisis: Legal Pathways for Venezuelan Migrants in Latin America By Andrew Selee, Jessica Bolter, Betilde Muñoz-Pogossian and Miryam Hazán

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Policy Briefs September 2005 The 'Regularization' Option in Managing Illegal Migration More Effectively: A Comparative Perspective By Demetrios G. Papademetriou	Policy Briefs August 2005 Lessons From The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 By Betsy Cooper and Kevin O'Neil
Fact Sheets June 2005 Backlogs in Immigration Processing Persist By Doris Meissner, Elizabeth Grieco, Kevin Jernegan and Colleen Coffey	Fact Sheets October 2004 Legal Immigration to U.S. Still Declining By Deborah W. Meyers
Reports July 2004 Observations on Regularization and the Labor Market Performance of Unauthorized and Regularized Immigrants By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Kevin O'Neil and Maia Jachimowicz	Books May 2002 Citizenship Policies for an Age of Migration By T. Alexander Aleinikoff and Douglas Klusmeyer

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Feature

September 1, 2005

Solving the Unauthorized Migrant Problem: Proposed Legislation in the U.S.

In the most recent session of Congress, four legislative proposals addressing unauthorized immigration and general immigration reform have been introduced. MPI's Eliot Turner and Marc R. Rosenblum compare their provisions for enforcement, employer sanctions, legalization, and guest worker programs.

Feature

September 1, 2005

Regularizing Immigrants in Spain: A New Approach

Spain’s latest regularization program, unlike in the past, is part of a more comprehensive approach to combating illegal immigration and employment. Joaquín Arango of Complutense University of Madrid and Maia Jachimowicz outline the program and provide some preliminary results.

Feature

September 1, 2005

Why Countries Continue to Consider Regularization

Over the past 25 years, regularization programs have become more common. Amanda Levinson explains their challenges, their outcomes, and why governments choose such programs.

Recent Activity

Reports

May 2019

Immigration-Related Policy Changes in the First Two Years of the Trump Administration

In the two years since President Trump entered office, U.S. immigration policy has changed in many ways. Some actions have received significant media attention and public scrutiny, and others have been implemented with little fanfare. This document chronicles these wide-reaching policy changes, covering immigration enforcement, the immigration courts, humanitarian admissions, visa processing, and more.

Reports

May 2019

Eight Key U.S. Immigration Policy Issues: State of Play and Unanswered Questions

Amid a significant reshaping of immigration policy by the Trump administration, a range of immigration topics that have not been at the forefront of debate merit further information sharing with the public and policymakers. This report examines eight issues areas that are deserving of additional review and could form the basis for future action by Congress, including H-1B reform and treatment of unaccompanied minors.

Reports

April 2019

Spain’s Labor Migration Policies in the Aftermath of Economic Crisis

A relatively new destination for immigrants, Spain has developed a labor migration system that builds on longstanding relationships with countries outside the European Union and that actively involves employers, trade unions, and regional governments. This report examines how this legal framework has evolved in recent decades, and how it could serve as a model for EU policymakers in admitting non-EU workers.

Commentaries

March 2019

More Than a DREAM (Act), Less Than a Promise

The first bill introduced in the 116th Congress to offer a path to legal status to DREAMers, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, could legalize nearly 2.7 million unauthorized immigrants brought to the United States as children, as well as those eligible for Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure, as this commentary explains.

Audio, Webinars

January 31, 2019

Creatividad Dentro de la Crisis: Opciones Legales para Inmigrantes Venezolanos en América Latina

Convocamos un seminario en línea en la ocasión del lanzamiento del informe que describe donde se han radicado los migrantes venezolanos; las medidas que han utilizado los gobiernos latinoamericanos para regularizar el estatus legal de los migrantes venezolanos; y los esfuerzos por integrar a los recién llegados en sus nuevas comunidades de residencia.

Video, Audio

January 30, 2019

Creative Policy Responses in Latin America to the Venezuelan Migration Crisis

With more than 3 million Venezuelans having fled their country in crisis, this event features the release of an MPI-OAS report that examines the creative responses that host countries in Latin America are providing. These include the opening of legal pathways to residence, access to formal labor markets, and greater use of forms of ID for recognition.

Policy Briefs

January 2019

Creatividad dentro de la crisis: opciones legales para migrantes venezolanos en América Latina

Enfrentados con la llegada de más de 3 millones de venezolanos huyendo de una economía colapsada y conflictos políticos, los países latinoamericanos han respondido con creatividad y pragmatismo. Pero, a medida que la crisis venezolana y la migración que ha impulsado se extienden, es necesario examinar más allá de la facilitación de la entrada legal y la otorgación del estatus temporal para planificar a largo plazo.

Policy Briefs

January 2019

Creativity amid Crisis: Legal Pathways for Venezuelan Migrants in Latin America

Faced with the arrival of more than 3 million Venezuelans fleeing economic collapse and political upheaval, Latin American countries have responded with creativity and pragmatism. But as the migration spurred by the crisis stretches on, there is a need to look beyond facilitating legal entry and granting temporary status to plan for the long term. This brief explores the policy response thus far and challenges ahead.

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