This page offers an overview of developments around the world in thinking and policy concerning the integration of migrants. It highlights recent noteworthy events and policy changes, longer-term trends, and a selection of recent research publications from Europe and beyond.

Our editor is Elizabeth Collett, a policy analyst at the European Policy Centre, an independent Brussels-based policy think tank.

Elizabeth coordinates the Migration and Integration Forum at the EPC, which is run in collaboration with the King Baudouin Foundation and is European policy partner for MPI’s Transatlantic Council on Migration. Previously, she worked for the International Organization for Migration in Geneva, and for the Institute for the Study of International Migration in Washington DC. She has a law degree from Oxford University, and a Masters in Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Canada’s immigrant integration programs are examined by Metropolis, an international network for comparative research and public policy development on migration, diversity, and immigrant integration.

To learn more about Australia’s integration programs, click here.

For more on European integration programs, visit IMISCOE, the network of 23 European research institutes studying migration, integration, and social cohesion issues.

The summary to Gaining from Migration, a 2007 report for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is available here.

A review of international headlines in recent years (Riots in Paris. Debates about how well immigrants are assimilating. Tensions over religious views.) suggests that all is not well with Europe’s societies, and that change is occurring faster than can be absorbed. Much of the blame is placed upon the shoulders of migrants, particularly Muslim immigrants, and the policymakers who let them in.

Beyond the headlines, Europeans are struggling with a number of deeper issues, often sparked by flashpoint incidents: Should women be allowed to wear headscarves in schools and public life? Should immigrants vote in local elections? How much of the native language should they be asked to learn?

The frequency and urgency of these debates is leading policymakers to rethink their approaches towards immigrant integration. Whether promoting assimilation into a secular society, an acceptance of multicultural societies, or developing integration policies for the first time, it is clear that Europe has not yet found the golden formula for the integration of their immigrant populations, new and old.

In this policy shake-up, a number of trends have emerged. One is the recognition that national governments are not the final, or even most important, arbiter of integration success. Cities and regions have become key actors in the integration field.

Several key aspects of integration are emerging as a priority for policymakers. Labor market participation is considered essential, not least in promoting a positive perception of immigration within the host society. Education is becoming both a key indicator as well as a vital facilitator of integration, particularly for the children of immigrants.

Language acquisition is a priority for many governments. More countries are focusing on compulsory testing the language skills of migrants, in some cases as a condition of entry into the country, in others a necessity for citizenship.

And some form of citizenship testing is increasingly becoming the norm, aimed at improving integration outcomes by ensuring that new members of society have sufficient skills to succeed. Beyond this, a number of politicians – for example in France and Spain – have raised the idea of an immigrants ‘charter’ of rights and responsibilities, an idea which is taking hold.

A European Year of Intercultural Dialogue has been launched in the European Union, with a broad approach to linking different voices in society. It follows on from the European Year of Equal Opportunities. One of the themes is the link between intercultural dialogue and migrant integration, and this short paper outlines some of the parameters and issues associated with this:
Conversations across Cultures: Making Integration Work in a Changing Europe
By Elizabeth Collett, February 2008

The children that Europe forgot
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Werner Weidenfeld,
Co-Chairs, Transatlantic Task Force on Immigration and Integration
Op-Ed in the European Voice, September 20, 2007

EU Integration Policies – An Overview
By Elizabeth Collett, April 2008

Handbook on Integration for policymakers and practitioners, European Commission, May 2007.

Social Integration of Migrants in Europe: A Review of the European Literature 2000 – 2006, Sarah Spencer and Betsy Cooper, MPI and OECD, September 2006

Managing Integration: The European Union's Responsibilities towards Immigrants, Süssmuth R. and W. Weidenfeld (eds.), MPI and Bertelsmann Foundation, 2005

European Union Integration Contract? - France is to push for an EU immigration pact to be signed during its Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2008. One key element of the pact is agreement by Member States to ensure all new immigrants learn the host language and sign an integration ‘contract’. However, this proposal has faced opposition from both government and non-government ranks.

Italian crackdown - The incoming Italian government has unveiled a number of legislative proposals aimed at reducing popular concern over the level of illegal immigration into Italy. This occurs alongside crackdowns of unauthorized camps on the outskirts of Rome, occupied predominantly by Roma (also known as Gypsies). The EU, the Spanish government, and leading groups such as Amnesty International, have criticized the moves as racist and xenophobic.

Testing the test - Six months after its introduction, the Australian citizenship test is to be reviewed by an independent committee. Despite a 93% pass rate, the number of citizenship applications has dropped substantially over the past year, and the committee will review the content and operation of the test, which has been a controversial move in Australian citizenship policy.

Migration Nation
Office for the Minister of Integration, Ireland, May 2008
This statement is arguably the Irish government’s first comprehensive integration strategy. The document sets out key principles, such as working in partnership with non-governmental organizations, as well as more practical elements such as increased spending on language classes.

Making Migration Work: the role of employers in migrant integration
Elizabeth Collett and Karolina Sitek, European Policy Centre, May 2008
This Working Paper considers what role employers can – and do - play in integrating migrant workers in Europe.

Building the Future: a time for reconciliation
Gérard Bouchard, Charles Taylor, May 2008
This final report of The Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences presents 37 recommendations, including the adoption by the government of basic texts in order to define open secularism and typically Québec-style interculturalism.

Getting On - From Migration to Integration
Alice Feldman, Mary Gilmartin, Steven Loyal, Bettina Migge, Immigrant Council of Ireland, May 2008
This report assesses the experience of four migrant groups - Nigerians, Chinese, Indians and Lithuanians - across a selection of political, economic and social indicators in Ireland.

Citizenship: Our Common Bond
Lord Goldsmith QC, Citizenship Review, March 2008
This report presents the findings of a five-month investigation into the current condition of citizenship in the UK and offers policy recommendations for strengthening a shared sense of citizenship in the future.

Housing and the Integration of Migrants in Europe
Eurofound and Council of Europe, 2008
The first research results from the Cities for Local Integration Policy (CLIP) network, presents successful practices and strategies from 20 cities across Europe.

Migrant Integration Policy Index
British Council and Migration Policy Group, 2007
The Migrant Integration Policy Index measures policies to integrate migrants in 25 EU Member States and three non-EU countries (Canada, Norway and Switzerland).

Council conclusions on the strengthening of integration policies in the EU by promoting unity in diversity
Council of the European Union, June 2007
Following an informal meeting of EU Ministers responsible for integration in May 2007, these Council Conclusions set out a new EU integration agenda, assess the need for further action and identify priorities.

The Migration Policy Institute has been a consistent presence on the immigration and integration policy fronts in Europe since 2002, working as the sole policy partner with the four European Union Presidencies that thus far have prioritized immigration reform – Greece, the Netherlands, Germany, and Portugal. The Institute also has a vibrant US immigrant integration program, through the 2007 launch of its National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, which has distinguished itself as a top-flight destination for serious research, policy proposals, and sharing of best practices across the integration field.

In its European work, MPI has launched the:

Transatlantic Council on Migration
This is a new nonpartisan initiative created by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) in Washington, together with founding members Antonio Vitorino, Ana Palacio, Trevor Phillips, Rita Süssmuth, and Xavier Becerra. Its primary goal is to frame vital policy issues in a comparative perspective and thus inform policymaking in North America and Europe.  The Council collaborates with the European Policy Centre and was launched in April 2008 at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Study and Conference Center in Italy.

Transatlantic Task Force on Immigration and Integration
MPI has convened a task force to promote thoughtful immigration policies and assess and respond to the profound challenges of integrating immigrants and building stronger communities on both sides of the Atlantic. It addresses its recommendations to European Union institutions and Member State governments, the governments of the United States and Canada, and state and local governments and civil society everywhere.

Reports:

• Integrating Islam: A New Chapter in “Church-State” Relations
  By Jonathan Laurence, Boston College, October 2007
• Early Education for Immigrant Children
  By Paul Leseman, Utrecht University
• Pathways to Success for the Children of Immigrants
  By Maurice Crul, University of Amsterdam
• Language Policies and Practices for Helping Immigrants and Second-Generation Students Succeed
  By Gayle Christensen, Urban Institute, and Petra Stanat, Free University of Berlin