INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION STATISTICS The challenges and the solutions

1. INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION STATISTICSThe challenges and the solutions UNESCWA / DESA /ALO MEDSTAT Regional Training Workshop on International Migration Statistics Cairo – Egypt 30th June – 3rd July 2009 Ann Singleton

2. The context There is a growing need for good quality statistical data on migration and asylum …which is not being met because…

3. The context: problems with the data Problems of quality and comparability stemming from different: • Definitions • Legislative arrangements • Data collection systems • within countries • between countries

4. The causes of these differences • The difference between concepts and definitions used • Who/what is an international migrant? - according to the United Nations - according to each country - according to each data collection agency

5. Time criteria defining an immigration examples from European Union countries (Poulain and al., 2006)

6. The causes of these differences • Sources have been created or exist for administrative, fiscal or planning purposes (other than the collection of migration data) • …they respond to various administrative and policy needs of the national administration or government not necessarily to the need for harmonised migration data • Consequently…… • There is no single source of statistics • Data from different sources have to be brought together

7. What is international migration? • It includes the following categories and concepts • Asylum • Labour • Temporary • Permanent • International, internal • Citizenship (nationals, non-nationals, acquisition of citizenship) • Dependants/family members • These categories overlap in the statistics

8. Data sources • Asylum applications and decisions • Ministries of the Interior • Labour (work permits/residence permits/visas) • Ministries of Interior and Employment • Temporary (Work permits/residence permits/visas) • Population registration systems, Ministries • Permanent migration (Population censuses, surveys) • Statistical offices • Citizenship • Ministries of Justice and Interior • Illegal immigration (Border control, police and immigration data) • Estimates • Returns • Ministries of the Interior

9. Different types of migration data • ‘Stocks’ • Flows: immigration and emigration (short and long-term) • Asylum • Labour migration • Family reunification ((re-) formation)

10. Data variables Minimum variables needed: • Previous country of residence • Citizenship • Sex • Age

11. Estimating the size and composition of the foreign and migrant population • Surveys in-country • Censuses • Residence permits databases • Population registers and/or registers of foreigners and/or censuses and registers • Estimates of undocumented migration

12. Data sources • Censuses • Administrative registers • Population registers • Other administrative databases relating to: • Residence permits/permits to stay • Asylum procedures • Surveys Large-scale national surveys (eg LFS) • Customs data; surveys at the borders

13. Estimating migration flows: data sources • In-country survey • Ireland • Border survey • Cyprus, UK • Customs • Bulgaria • Databases on residence permits • France, Portugal, Greece, Romania • Population registers and/or registers of foreigners • A,B,CZ,D,E,H,I,FIN,DK,NL,SK,S (+CH, IS, N)

14. Estimating stocks of foreign population: data sources • Survey in-country • Census • Residence permit databases • Population registers and/or registers of the foreign population and/or cenusus + register

15. Problems for the users • Incompatability of concepts and definitions • Data quality is often mediocre and coverage is partial • Double counting • Untimely production and dissemination • Unreliable • Lack of transparency and confidence in the data • Lack of reliability, accuracy • Lack of clarity about what the data measure

16. Problems for policy-makers • The difficulty of: • Monitoring the implementation of legislation and the effectiveness of policy • Anticipating and planning for public service provision • Planning for the needs of the local and national labour market

17. What was the solution ? • Closer collaboration between Ministries and statistical offices • Documentation of the databases • Funding of projects to correct the databases • With the collaboration (amongst others) of: • Universities • Statistical Offices • Ministries • Research Institutes

18. What was the limitation of these measures ? • Diversity of data collection systems • Absence of a single harmonised definition, • Lack of political will • Reluctance of authorities to admit the unreliablity and poor quality of some data • Reluctance of authorities to release statistical data on asylum applications and decisions and illegal immigration

19. What might be the solution ? • More transparency; more data users; more user feedback • Timely dissemination of compiled, checked and documented data • Regular Public reports (monthly, quarterly, annual) • Use of the internet, simple Excel sheets, online databases • Where appropriate: acknowledgement of the need to introduce legislation on statistics on migration and asylum

20. What might be the solution ? • Knowing the strengths and the limitations of obtaining statistical data through voluntary agreements • Acknowledgement of the need to introduce legislation on community statistics on migration and asylum