Selected Immigration Policy Practices

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September 18, 2007

Anne Schwieger

Practice #1: Labor Quota System

• Has been used from time to time (1993-1995, 1997-1999, and 2002) to respond to unmet demand in labor market

• 2002 reform of system– Requires that quotas be determined annually by National Employment

Institute – Government only hires foreign workers directly from their countries of

origin and through bilateral agreements with sending countries

• Criticism: Does not meet labor needs – labor unions estimated a need for 10,000 additional workers in 2002

• Data to seek: – Labor market demand (past, present and projected) by sector and

geographical area

http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=97

Practice #2: Regularization• At most basic level, offers migrants who are in a country without authorization the

opportunity to legalize their status

• Most regularization programs fall into one of two categories– De facto: grants permanent residency to migrants after they have lived in a country for a

certain number of years (UK requires continuous stay of 14 years to attain status)

– “One-shot”: targets a finite number of migrants who have specific residency and work requirements

• Spain has implemented at least 8 different regularization programs between 1991 and 2005. One in 2001 is named the Extraordinary Program for Ecuadorians

• Major controversy regarding who is eligible– Certain categories of migrants – People who have been in the country and/or working for a certain length of time

• Data to seek: – Population of non-authorized migrant people by geographic area– Categories of migrants that Spain has accepted in the past, categories that the country is

expected to accept in the future

http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/print.cfm?ID=330

Number Submitted Percent of Total

Andalucía 84,372 12.28

Aragón 18,186 2.65

Asturias 2,776 0.40

Castilla la Mancha 26,608 3.87

Canarias 23,211 3.38

Cantabria 1,947 0.28

Castilla y León 11,420 1.66

Cataluña 138.537 20.16

Ceuta 66 0.01

Extremadura 2,932 0.43

Galicia 6,545 0.95

Islas Baleares 21,308 3.10

La Rioja 6,579 0.96

Madrid 170,784 24.85

Melilla 215 0.03

Murcia 43,732 6.36

Navarra 8,038 1.17

País Vasco 13,171 1.92

Comunidad Valenciana 106,711 15.53

Total 687,138 100

Regularization Applications Submitted by Autonomous Community *

* The 3,541 applications submitted between 9pm and 12am on May 7, 2005 are not included

Source: Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales, Spain http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=331

Top 10 Countries of Origin for Regularization Applications*

* The 3,541 applications submitted between 9pm and 12am on May 7, 2005 are not included

Source: Ministerio de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales, Spain http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=331

Practice #3ish: Spain and Morocco

• European Mediterranean Association Agreements (EMAA) signed between EU and Morocco in 1996 to support Morocco’s “economic transition”– Implemented primarily through MEDA program which seeks to increase

competitiveness by developing the private sector and promoting good governance

– Significant funds target the stated goal of immigration reduction• Annual MEDA aid is equal to only two percent of remittances

• All association agreements contain clauses dealing with political dialogue; the free movement of goods, services and capital; economic cooperation; social and cultural cooperation; financial cooperation and institutional arrangements

• Data to seek: – Current and projected rate of migration from Morocco (or entire Maghreb) – Funds to be directed to Morocco (or entire Maghreb)

p. 10 EURO-MED ASSOCIATION AGREEMENTSIMPLEMENTATION GUIDE http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/euromed/asso_agree_guide_en.pdf