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Immigration by category of entry
Using new data recently compiled on permanent-type immigration according to the mode of entry, it is now possible to have a clearer idea of the nature of international immigration flows for a large number of OECD countries.
Definition
Immigrants here are defined as persons entering the resident population with a permit that is permanent or more or less indefinitely renewable. Also included are persons arriving on a long-term basis under a free-movement regime. Note that not all persons joining the resident population have actually entered the country during the data year shown. Some of them may have entered in a previous year on a temporary basis, such as international students, working holidaymakers, trainees, etc. and been subsequently granted the right to stay in the country on a long-term basis. These are known as "status changers”.
Comparability
The series shown are the first attempt to apply a standardised definition to statistics of international immigration. They are not, however, based on the definition specified in the United Nations Recommendations on International Migration Statistics (1998), which defines a long-term international migrant as a person who moves to a country other than that of his or her usual residence for a period of at least a year. This definition was not used because it is not possible to produce comparable statistics on this basis for very many countries.
The statistics presented here are based on permit data, which may have a certain number of limitations. Not every international immigrant requires a permit. A permit may be granted in one year but used in another, it may never actually be used and in some cases, a person may receive more than one permit. However, the quality problems associated with these are likely to be small compared to the serious comparability problems associated with using published national statistics, whose coverage varies by as much as a factor of one to three.
For certain countries in the accompanying table, the number of persons in the accompanying-family-of-worker category cannot be estimated separately and is included in the family-reunification column. For the OECD average, the two categories have been combined and the total appears in the family reunification column.
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Overview On average across the countries shown in the table, over twenty-five percent of total immigration consists of persons arriving for labour-related reasons. Most immigration, however, remains family related and consists of family reunification and formation as well as of family members accompanying workers. In all countries a certain proportion of inflows consist of movements over which governments have limited discretionary control, essentially because they involve movements subject to international treaties or conventions (free movement within the European Union, the Geneva Convention on Refugees, etc.) or that are considered as generally recognised human rights (the right of residents or citizens to live with their families or to marry or adopt whom they wish). In some countries (France, Norway, Sweden), long-term immigration consists almost entirely of such non-discretionary movements, whereas other countries (Australia, Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom) admit significant number of additional immigrants, who are generally workers and their families. In countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the national administration plays a significant role in selecting labour immigrants, assigning points to candidates based on characteristics such as age, education and occupation that are deemed to contribution to integration, and selecting those candidates that have more than a threshold level of points. In most other countries, it is employers who select immigrant workers based on their labour needs and subject to constraints (for example, minimum qualifications or salary levels) imposed by national governments. |
Source
- OECD (2006), International Migration Outlook: SOPEMI – 2006 Edition, OECD, Paris.
Further information
Analytical publications
- OECD (2006), "Managing migration – Are quotas and numerical limits the solution?”, International Migration Outlook: SOPEMI – 2006 Edition, OECD, Paris.
Statistical publications
- OECD (2005), OECD Employment Outlook – 2005 Edition, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2006), Labour Force Statistics 1985-2005: 2006 Edition, OECD, Paris.
- OECD (2006), OECD Employment Outlook, OECD, Paris.
Methodological publications
- Lemaître, G. (2005), "The Comparability of International Migration Statistics, Problems and Prospects”, OECD Statistics Brief, No. 9, July, OECD, Paris.
- Lemaître, G., T. Liebig and C. Thoreau (2006), Harmonised statistics on immigrant inflows – preliminary results, sources and methods.
Online databases
| Texts | |
| • | Indicator web page |
| • | Indicator in PDF |
| Tables (xls) | |
| • | Immigration by category of entry |
| Graphics | |
| • | Immigration by category of entry, standardised definition |
Immigration by category of entry, standardised definition
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