international migration in the americasinternational migration in the americas between 2010 and 2015...
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SICREMI 2017
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATIONIN THE AMERICAS
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS
Fourth Report of the Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI)
2017
OAS Cataloging-in-Publication Data
International Migration in the Americas: Fourth Report of the Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI) 2017.p.; cm. Includes bibliographical references. (OAS. Official records ; OEA/ Ser.D)
ISBN 978-0-8270-6704-2
1. Emigration and immigration--Economic aspects. 2. Emigration and immigration--Social aspects. 3. Emigration and im-migration law. 4. Alien labor. 5. Refugees.
I. Organization of American States. Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity. Department of Social Inclusion. Migration and Development Program (MIDE).
II. Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI). III. Title: Fourth Report of the Con-tinuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI) 2017. IV. Series.
OEA/Ser.D/XXVI.2.4
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES17th Street and Constitution Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20006, USAwww.oas.org
All rights reserved.
Secretary General, OASLuis Almagro
Assistant Secretary General, OASNestor Mendez
Secretary for Access to Rights and EquityMauricio Rands
Director of the Department of Social InclusionBetilde Muñoz-Pogossian
The partial or complete reproduction of this document without previous authorization could result in a violation of the appli-cable law. The Organization of American States supports the dissemination of this work and will normally authorize permis-sion for its reproduction. To request permission to photocopy or reprint any part of this publication, please send a request to:
Secretariat for Access to Rights and EquityOrganization of American States1889 F ST N.W. Washington D.C. 20006, USAE-mail: [email protected]
The publication cover was designed by Miki Fernández of Ultradesigns, Inc.
This publication is available at www.migracionoea.org/sicremi
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The coordination and production of this Report was jointly managed by Juan Manuel Jiménez Martínez and Marcia Bebianno Simões, Specialists of the Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity of the Organization of American States (OAS) and Georges Lemaître, former principal
Administrator of the International Migration Division of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Véronique Gindrey, statistician of the OECD provided support in statistics and in the analysis of the labor market outcomes.
Katiuska Lourenço da Silva, Specialist of the Department of Social Inclusion of the OAS provided support in preparing the country notes and coordinating the publication process.
René Maldonado, coordinator of the Remittances and Financial Inclusion Program of the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA); Jesús Cervantes, Manager of Economic Statistics and coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Remittances Forum of CEMLA and Salvador Bonilla, Deputy Manager of Economic Statistics (CEMLA) contributed to the remittances portion of this report.
The content of this report is based on the official information provided and validated by the Network of National Correspondents designated by the OAS member countries participating in this report.
Preparation and dissemination of this document was made possible thanks to the contribution of the Agencia Española de Cooperación para el Desarrollo, AECID, and the People’s Republic of China.
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FOREWORD
We are very pleased to present the 2017 edition of International Migration in the Americas, the fourth report since 2011. As in previous editions, the report is based on the Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas, better known under its
Spanish acronym SICREMI. This work is a joint effort of the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Since its inception in 2009, the objective of the SICREMI project has been to compile, analyse and publish statistics on international migration in the western hemisphere, but also from the countries of the Americas to OECD countries located outside the western hemisphere. The publication is a useful source of information on recent changes in movements and in migration policies in the Americas. It is also aimed at supporting discussions and public debate on international migration. In addition, international comparisons can provide important insights into economic and social phenomena and how governments address them.
International migration in the Americas between 2010 and 2015 grew by 5% per year. This figure, however, exceeded 11% for the Latin America and Caribbean region. Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama have established themselves as the new immigration countries of the western hemisphere, drawing immigrants from many of their neighbouring countries. In the past 15 years, the total number of immigrants resident in LAC countries, originating both within and outside the region, increased by 2.6 million people or 45%. By comparison, during the same period, the number of migrants increased by 34% in the United States and by 30% in Europe (including intra EU migrants). Although South-North flows remain predominant in the hemisphere, this trend clearly illustrates the dynamism of international migration within and towards LAC countries.
In recent years, the deceleration of economic growth in Latin America and the global recovery in advanced countries have led to an increase in outflows from LAC, in particular to Spain and to the United States. In the latter case, total permanent immigration increased both in 2014 and 2015 – without, however, recovering its pre-crisis level – while temporary migration reached 1.9 million in 2015. In addition, annual entries to Canada represent about 1.7% of the total population, the highest rate after Barbados and before the United States. In the Americas, as in other parts of the world, migration trends have been reinforced by the increase in the number of people fleeing their countries, whether from natural catastrophes, or economic or political instability.
Labor market integration of Latin American emigrants in OECD countries was severely affected by the deterioration in labor market conditions in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008-2009. Those who arrived shortly before or after 2007 faced high risks of unemployment, notably in Spain. With the recovery finally taking hold almost everywhere, the labor market outlook of Latin
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American emigrants has improved both in North America and in other OECD countries. Remittances have also recovered from the severe decline observed during the crisis and are now 4% above their pre-crisis levels (in constant dollars). But this small increase illustrates the severe toll which the economic crisis has had on immigrant earnings and transfers to their countries of origin.
We trust that this publication will contribute to the debate on international migration, a phenomenon which is here to stay and which can bring great benefits to both origin and destination countries as well as to the migrants themselves.
Angel GurríaOECD, Secretary-GeneralOrganisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
Luis Almagro OAS, Secretary
Organization of American States
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MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
(OAS)
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
The Bahamas (Commonwealth of)
Barbados
Belize
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Brazil
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominica (Commonwealth of)
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Grenada
Guatemala
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Jamaica
Mexico
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Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago
United States of America
Uruguay
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
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MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC
CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Chile
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israël
Italy
Japan
Korea
Luxembourg
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Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
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NETWORK OF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENTS
SICREMI 2017
The participating organizations would like to express their special thanks to the National Correspondents of the participating OAS Member States and their teams, who worked hard to produce the national reports, on which this report is based.
ArgentinaHoracio José García, Director, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones
Diego H. Enriquez, Director, Dirección General de Información, Análisis y Control Migratorio, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones
Santiago De Carli, Analist, Dirección General de Información, Análisis y Control Migratorio, Dirección Nacional de Migraciones
BarbadosWayne Marshall, Chief Immigration Officer, Immigration Department
Janice Robinson, Immigration and Passport Department
BelizePermanent Mission of Belize to the Organization of American States
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)German Guaygua Choqueguaita, Chief of Consular Policy Unit, Dirección General de Asuntos Consulares, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
BrazilSimone Eliza Casagrande, Chief, Divisão de Nacionalidade e Naturalização, Ministerio de Justicia
CanadaXiaoyi Yan, Director, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
ChileCarlos Appelgren Balbontín, Director, Dirección General de Asuntos Consulares y de Inmigración, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Rolando Ortega Klose, Director of Consular Policy, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Pedro Osvaldo Hernández González, Deputy director of International Migration, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
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ColombiaLuz Stella Jara Portilla, Director, Dirección de Asuntos Migratorios, Consulares y Servicio al Ciudadano, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
César Camilo Vallejo, Advisor, Dirección de Asuntos Migratorios, Consulares y Servicio al Ciudadano, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Costa RicaGisela María Yockchen Mora, Director, Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería
Luis Alonso Serrano, Chief of Institutional Planning, Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería
Ada María Porras Salazar, Advisor, Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería
Dominican RepublicSamuel O. Jiménez Lorenzo, Director of Migratory Control, Dirección General de Migración, Ministerio de Interior y Policía
EcuadorJosé Luis Jácome, Viceminister of Human Mobility, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana
Rebeca Eloísa Pico Castro, Viceministry of Human Mobility, Third Secretary of Foreign Service, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Movilidad Humana
El SalvadorAngélica María Andreu, Chief of Planning, Dirección General de Migración y Extranjería, Ministerio de Justicia y Seguridad Pública de El Salvador
GuatemalaArabella Woolfolk, General Director, Dirección General de Asuntos Consulares y Migratorios, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
Miriam Fabiola Mazariegos Caravantes, Second Secretary of Consular Affairs and Migration, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
HondurasLiza Claudett Medrano Moncada, General Director, Protección al Hondureño Migrante, Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores y Cooperación Internacional
JamaicaToni-Shae Freckleton, Manager, Population and Health Unit, Social Policy, Planning and Research Division, Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ)
Network of National Correspondents / xiii
MexicoGraciela Martínez Caballero, Director of Statistics, Unidad de Política Migratoria, Secretaría de Gobernación de México
PanamaFlor Carrera Muñoz, Chief, Oficina de Asuntos Internacionales, Servicio Nacional de Migración Panamá
ParaguayJuan Ignacio Livieres, General Director, Dirección de Asuntos Consulares, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores
PeruAnibal Sánchez Aguilar, Deputy chief of Statistics, Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática
Juan Diomedes Trejo Bedon, Analyst, Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática
United States of AmericaGregory Holliday, Population, Refugee and Migration Bureau, State Department
UruguayFiorella Di Landri, Analyst, Departamento de Estadísticas Sociodemográficas, Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas
A special thanks to Antônio Tadeu Ribeiro de Oliveira, of the Migration Observatory and the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE), for his invaluable contribution to the national report of Brazil.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
An overview of immigration movements in 2014 and 2015
Immigration into countries of the Americas as a whole increased by 6% in 2015, only slightly more than the rate of increase observed on average over the 2010-2015 period. Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) immigration, on the other hand, resumed its strong growth in 2015 (11%) after
the barely 2% observed in 2014 relative to 2013. The increase in the Mercosur region was somewhat higher than for the LAC region as whole, at 13%. Overall movements in the LAC region reached 20% of all immigration into countries of the Americas, both permanent and temporary, in 2015. The level of migration into LAC countries stood at close to 880 thousand in 2015, an increase of almost 365 thousand compared to 2010.
The nature of migration in the Americas
Migration is driven by many different motives and the regulation of migration as embodied in the visas and permits granted to immigrants reflects this diversity. Family-related migration is expected to be relatively more common among permanent migration and work-related migration among temporary and this is indeed what one observes in general in virtually all countries of the Americas.
Study migration, while visible in almost all destination countries, plays a significant role in temporary migration in only a few, namely Barbados, Canada, Honduras and the United States. Humanitarian migration is evident only in Canada, the United States and in Brazil, which has granted permanent residence to many Haitian earthquake refugees in recent years.
Asylum seeking in the Americas
Asylum applications in the Americas increased 83% between 2013 and 2015, reaching 184 thousand applications. These represent 6% of all applications worldwide, which increased 187% in the same period, as a result of armed conflict in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Asylum seekers born in the Americas accounted for 56% of all asylum applications in the hemisphere, a 7% rise when compared to 2013 levels.
Between 2001 and 2015, the main countries of origin being Mexico (29%), Colombia (13%), El Salvador (12%), Haiti (12%), Guatemala (10%), Honduras (6%) and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (4%).
In the Americas there has been a progressive legislative harmonization with regard to the status of refugees, with countries incorporating the principles and standards of protection contained in the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Many countries of Latin America have also signed the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, which expands the definition of the 1951 Convention to
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include persons who have fled their countries because of internal conflicts, violations of human rights or other circumstances that have seriously disrupted public order. However, the right of free establishment introduced by the Mercosur Residence Agreement and which now applies to virtually all countries of South America, has made the broader concept somewhat redundant for the countries of the region, while the distance of South America from war zones in Africa and Asia as well as visa requirements have up to now limited the number of asylum requests on this basis.
While requests for asylum have been increasing in many countries of the Americas, refugee status is nonetheless granted to only a minority of applicants in most countries as is generally the case throughout the OECD zone.
The regional dimension of migration in the Americas
Immigration into countries of the Americas remains, for most countries of the region, an intra-American phenomenon, with a heavy predominance of migrants from other countries of the hemisphere. There are exceptions to this, with Canada and the United States, long-standing migration countries, showing relatively more immigrants from Asia in 2015 and indeed in most years, and Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, the three most populated countries of the LAC region, with some 15-20% of immigrants from Asia. Migration within signatory countries of regional agreements (Mercosur, NAFTA, CARICOM, SICA) accounts for a majority or more of all immigration from the Americas for the signatory countries of these agreements taken as a whole. The Mercosur bloc shows the strongest concentration of intra-bloc movements, with almost three quarters of its intra-hemispheric immigration coming from other Mercosur members.
A significant proportion of the increase in intra-American migration, however, can be attributed to persons fleeing conflict zones, natural catastrophes or conditions of economic collapse or underdevelopment, for example in Colombia, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela.
In other words, the increase in immigration in this region cannot be entirely viewed through the lens of a greater-economic-integration perspective.
The acquisition of nationality by immigrants in countries of the Americas
Overall, outside of Canada and the United States relatively few immigrants in LAC countries appear to take out the nationality of their adopted countries. The low propensity may be associated with the existence of numerous regional agreements facilitating movements among the countries concerned but also because much of the migration in LAC countries involves persons from neighboring countries, to whom settlement may not always appear as definitive.
Recent developments with regard to movements to the United States and Spain
The evolution of migration movements from the Americas to the United States, as tracked by the American Community Survey, shows a notable development, namely, the fact that immigration from Mexico had still not recovered from pre-crisis levels as of 2015. In that year, it stood at about half of the levels registered in 2006. Since authorized migration by Mexican nationals has actually increased by about 32% over this same period, largely as a result of temporary movements, the drop in overall migration suggests a strong decline in unauthorized migration from Mexico. The 2008 economic crisis saw a significant reduction in arrivals to the United States, especially from Mexico, with all regions showing a strong recovery by 2015 except Mexico. Stay rates of immigrants
Excecutive Summary / xvii
who arrived in the United States between 2006 and 2015 (mostly permanent and unauthorized, but including some temporary) have averaged around 70%.
In 2004, prior to the economic crisis, barely 1% of immigrants from the Americas in Spain left that country every year. As the Spanish economy fell into a deep recession, outflow rates of immigrants from the Americas stood at close to 6% in 2013. However, not all of this increase appears to be related to the economic crisis, since rates had already begun increasing strongly before the crisis hit. As in the United States, the highest departure rates from Spain were for immigrants from Canada and the Southern Cone. About one third of immigrants from the Americas present at any time in Spain from 2002 to 2016 had left as of 2015, ranging from under or close to 20% for immigrants from the Caribbean to over 40% for immigrants from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Paraguay. As in the United States, differences in mobility patterns among immigrants of different nationalities have changed the composition of immigration in Spain.
A general overview of emigration from countries of the Americas to Europe and to other countries of the Americas
Despite the strong increases in immigration observed in many countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years, they remain for the most part countries of emigration. From a situation where only 27% of migration movements from the Americas went to countries of Latin America and the Caribbean over the period 2009-2012, a mere three years later (2012-2015) it was fully 34% of movements. This is a large change over such a short period. Most of the change came at the expense of emigration to Europe and in particular to Spain.
Recent outflows from the Americas show signs of a partial return to traditional patterns of expatriation, but with continued strong increases in intra-LAC movements.
The labor market outcomes of migrants from the Americas in Europe and the United States
By 2015, migrants from the Americas had reached 22.8 million in the United States and more than 2.4 million in Spain. They represented fully 9.4% of the working-age population in the United States and 6.2% in Spain.
In 2014-2015, three quarters of immigrants from the Americas living in the United States or European OECD countries were in the labor force. Their employment rate reached 69%, a 1.6 percentage point increase since 2012-2013 and their unemployment rate 9%, down 2.7 percentage points. If all immigrant from the Americas groups saw their situation in the labor market improve recently, immigrants living in Spain are still lagging behind with an employment rate of 58% and an unemployment rate of fully 29%. Nonetheless, the risk of being unemployed has decreased for virtually every group of immigrants from the Americas between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015.
Migrant men living in Spain in particular gained from the employment recovery, with their employment rate increasing by 3.6 percentage points between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015.
In the United States, immigrant men from other countries of the Americas register higher participation and employment rates and lower unemployment rates than other foreign-born men and indeed, than US-born men. The situation for immigrant women from the Americas in the United States is the exact opposite.
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In Spain, the largest destination country in Europe for emigrants from the Americas, men and women face a higher risk of unemployment than the Spanish-born but a lower one than other immigrants.
In 2014-2015, in the United States and European OECD countries there were respectively 3.2 million and 800 000 employed tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas. Compared to other regions of origin, immigrants from the Americas represent 10% of the employed tertiary-educated immigrants in Europe – a more substantial share in Spain, 39% – and 29% in the United States.
Tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas are often over-qualified for the job they may hold. In particular, over-qualification affects more than half of Central Americans working in the United States and of Andeans working in Spain.
Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016
In 2016, remittance flows to Latin America and the Caribbean reached record levels in nominal terms, with an undoubtedly positive impact on millions of recipient households.
The most important characteristics of the flows were: i) the total amount reached USD 70 369 million, after increasing for 7 consecutive years; ii) the growth of the inflows from 2015 to 2016 was 7.2%, which is the highest growth rate recorded in the past 10 years, iii) the increase in remittances was general throughout all the different sub-regions; and iv) the increase stemmed from, among other factors, higher employment and higher average wages and, consequently, a larger total wage bill for migrant workers from the main destination countries.
After the fall in remittances experienced in 2009, the flows of remittances recovered, albeit at a much slower rate than had been observed prior to the financial crisis. By 2014 levels exceeded those observed before the financial crisis in nominal terms. In real terms, the pre-crisis levels were exceeded only in 2016, by about 4%. In countries such as Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Jamaica and Guatemala, income from remittances was between 10% and 29% of GDP in 2016.
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CONTENTS
PART I: Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes ............. 1
Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3An overview of immigration movements in 2014 and 2015 .................................................................. 3The nature of migration in the Americas .............................................................................................. 8
Immigration by permanent / temporary status .....................................................................................8The diversity of migration movements ..................................................................................................11
Asylum seeking in the Americas ......................................................................................................... 15Decisions on asylum applications in the Americas, 2001-2015 ...........................................................20
The regional dimension of migration in the Americas ....................................................................... 23The acquisition of nationality by immigrants in countries of the Americas ...................................... 29Recent developments with regard to movements to the United States and Spain ........................... 30
Entry into and departure from the United States by persons from the Americas, 2006-2015 ..........30Entry into and departure from Spain by emigrants from the Americas, 2002-2016 ..........................36
A general overview of emigration from countries of the Americas to Europe and to other countries of the Americas .................................................................................................................................... 40The labor market outcomes of migrants from the Americas in Europe and the United States ...... 46Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016 ................................................................ 54
Mexico ....................................................................................................................................................56Central America ....................................................................................................................................56The determinants of the increase in remittance flows to Mexico .......................................................57The Caribbean .......................................................................................................................................59South America .......................................................................................................................................59The determinants of remittance flows .................................................................................................59United States .........................................................................................................................................60Spain ......................................................................................................................................................62At the Origin – Latin America and the Caribbean ................................................................................62
References ........................................................................................................................................... 65Annex A1. Using the American Community Survey to track migration flows ................................... 66
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PART II: Country Notes ..................................................................................... 75
Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 77 Argentina ................................................................................................................................... 79Country note ........................................................................................................................................ 79Country note table ................................................................................................................................ 80 Barbados ................................................................................................................................... 81Country note ......................................................................................................................................... 81Country note table ................................................................................................................................ 82 Bolivia ........................................................................................................................................ 83Country note ........................................................................................................................................ 83Country note table ................................................................................................................................ 84 Brazil ......................................................................................................................................... 85Country note ........................................................................................................................................ 85Country note table ................................................................................................................................ 87 Canada ....................................................................................................................................... 88Country note ........................................................................................................................................ 88Country note table ................................................................................................................................ 91 Chile .......................................................................................................................................... 92Country note ........................................................................................................................................ 92Country note table ................................................................................................................................ 94 Colombia .................................................................................................................................... 95Country note ........................................................................................................................................ 95Country note table ................................................................................................................................ 97 Costa Rica .................................................................................................................................. 98Country note ........................................................................................................................................ 98Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 100 Dominican Republic ................................................................................................................. 101Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 101Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 103 Ecuador ................................................................................................................................... 104Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 104Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 106 El Salvador .............................................................................................................................. 107Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 107Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 108
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Guatemala ............................................................................................................................... 109Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 109 Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 111
Honduras ................................................................................................................................. 112Overview of the History of International Migration ........................................................................... 112Immigration ........................................................................................................................................ 112Emigration .......................................................................................................................................... 114Legal Framework Governing International Migration ...................................................................... 116Regulations Governing Entry and Stay .............................................................................................. 116Entry categories ................................................................................................................................. 117Acquisition of Nationality and Citizenship ......................................................................................... 118Asylum, refugees and complimentary protection ............................................................................. 119References .......................................................................................................................................... 120Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 121 Jamaica ................................................................................................................................... 122Country note ....................................................................................................................................... 122Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 123
Mexico ..................................................................................................................................... 124Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 124Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 127 Panama .................................................................................................................................... 128Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 128Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 130 Paraguay ................................................................................................................................. 131Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 131 Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 132 Peru ......................................................................................................................................... 133Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 133Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 135 United States of America ......................................................................................................... 136Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 136Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 139
Uruguay ................................................................................................................................... 140Country note ...................................................................................................................................... 140Country note table .............................................................................................................................. 142
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PART III: Statistical Annex .............................................................................. 143
Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 145The table-lettering system ..................................................................................................................145Sources and definitions .......................................................................................................................146
Statistical tablesI.a.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality .......................................................... 150I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality ................................ 152Argentina ............................................................................................................................................ 152Barbados............................................................................................................................................. 153Belize .................................................................................................................................................. 153Bolivia (Plurinational State of) ........................................................................................................... 154Brazil ................................................................................................................................................... 154Canada ................................................................................................................................................ 155Chile .................................................................................................................................................... 156Colombia ............................................................................................................................................. 156Costa Rica ........................................................................................................................................... 157Dominican Republic ........................................................................................................................... 157Ecuador ............................................................................................................................................... 158El Salvador .......................................................................................................................................... 158Honduras ............................................................................................................................................ 159Jamaica ............................................................................................................................................... 159Mexico ................................................................................................................................................. 160Panama ............................................................................................................................................... 160Paraguay ............................................................................................................................................. 161Peru..................................................................................................................................................... 161United States of America ................................................................................................................... 162Uruguay .............................................................................................................................................. 162Metadata related to Tables I.a.fl. and I.d.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality ................................................................................................................................ 163
I.a.as. Inflows of asylum seekers ............................................................................................. 168Metadata related to Tables I.a.as. and I.d.as. Inflows of asylum seekers ................................ 169
I.a.fb. The foreign-born population .......................................................................................... 170Metadata related to Table I.a.fb. The foreign-born population ................................................ 171
I.a.an. Acquisitions of nationality ............................................................................................. 171I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality ...................................... 172Barbados............................................................................................................................................. 172Belize .................................................................................................................................................. 172Bolivia (Plurinational State of) ........................................................................................................... 173Canada ................................................................................................................................................ 173Chile .................................................................................................................................................... 174Colombia ............................................................................................................................................. 174Costa Rica ........................................................................................................................................... 175
Contents / xxiii
Dominican Republic ........................................................................................................................... 175Ecuador ............................................................................................................................................... 176Honduras ............................................................................................................................................ 176Guatemala .......................................................................................................................................... 177Jamaica ............................................................................................................................................... 177Mexico ................................................................................................................................................. 178Peru..................................................................................................................................................... 178United States of America ................................................................................................................... 179Uruguay .............................................................................................................................................. 179Metadata related to Tables I.a.an. and I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality ................................ 180
E.a.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries by country of nationality .......... 181E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination .............................................................................................................. 182Antigua and Barbuda ......................................................................................................................... 182Argentina ............................................................................................................................................ 182The Bahamas, Commonwealth of ..................................................................................................... 183Barbados............................................................................................................................................. 183Belize .................................................................................................................................................. 183Bolivia, Plurinational State of ............................................................................................................ 184Brazil ................................................................................................................................................... 184Canada ................................................................................................................................................ 185Chile .................................................................................................................................................... 185Colombia ............................................................................................................................................. 186Costa Rica ........................................................................................................................................... 186Cuba .................................................................................................................................................... 187Dominica ............................................................................................................................................. 187Dominican Republic ........................................................................................................................... 188Ecuador ............................................................................................................................................... 188El Salvador .......................................................................................................................................... 189Grenada............................................................................................................................................... 189Guatemala .......................................................................................................................................... 190Guyana ................................................................................................................................................ 190Haiti ..................................................................................................................................................... 191Honduras ............................................................................................................................................ 191Jamaica ............................................................................................................................................... 192Mexico ................................................................................................................................................. 192Nicaragua ........................................................................................................................................... 193Panama ............................................................................................................................................... 193Paraguay ............................................................................................................................................. 194Peru..................................................................................................................................................... 194Saint Kitts and Nevis .......................................................................................................................... 195Saint Lucia .......................................................................................................................................... 195Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ...................................................................................................... 195Suriname ............................................................................................................................................ 196Trinidad and Tobago ........................................................................................................................... 196United States of America ................................................................................................................... 197Uruguay .............................................................................................................................................. 197
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Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of ..................................................................................................... 198Metadata related to Tables E.a.fl. and E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries.................................................................................................................................. 199
E.a.fb.US. The population born in the Americas living in the United States ............................. 102E.a.fb.SP. The population born in the Americas living in Spain ................................................ 103Metadata related to Tables E.a.fb.US. and E.a.fb.SP. The population born in the Americas and living in the United States and Spain ........................................................... 103
E.a.an. Acquisitions of nationality in OECD countries and other countries of the Americas ..... 104E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality ....................................................................... 105Antigua and Barbuda ......................................................................................................................... 105Argentina ............................................................................................................................................ 105The Bahamas, Commonwealth of ..................................................................................................... 105Barbados............................................................................................................................................. 206Belize .................................................................................................................................................. 206Bolivia, Plurinational State of ............................................................................................................ 206Brazil ................................................................................................................................................... 207Canada ................................................................................................................................................ 207Chile .................................................................................................................................................... 208Colombia ............................................................................................................................................. 208Costa Rica ........................................................................................................................................... 209Cuba .................................................................................................................................................... 209Dominica ............................................................................................................................................. 210Dominican Republic ........................................................................................................................... 210Ecuador ............................................................................................................................................... 211El Salvador .......................................................................................................................................... 211Grenada............................................................................................................................................... 212Guatemala .......................................................................................................................................... 212Guyana ................................................................................................................................................ 212Haiti ..................................................................................................................................................... 213Honduras ............................................................................................................................................ 213Jamaica ............................................................................................................................................... 213Mexico ................................................................................................................................................. 214Nicaragua ........................................................................................................................................... 214Panama ............................................................................................................................................... 215Paraguay ............................................................................................................................................. 215Peru..................................................................................................................................................... 216Saint Kitts and Nevis .......................................................................................................................... 216Saint Lucia .......................................................................................................................................... 216Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ...................................................................................................... 217Suriname ............................................................................................................................................ 217Trinidad and Tobago ........................................................................................................................... 217United States ...................................................................................................................................... 218
Uruguay .............................................................................................................................................. 218Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of ..................................................................................................... 219Metadata related to Tables E.a.an. and E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in OECD countries and countries of the Americas ........................................................................................................ 220
E.a.em. Employment rates of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2008 to 2015............................................................................................................................. 222E.a.un. Unemployment rates of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2008 to 2015............................................................................................................................. 223E.a.pr. Participation rates of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2008 to 2015............................................................................................................................. 224Metadata related to Tables E.a.em., E.a.un., and E.a.pr. Labor force outcomes of emigrants from the Americas in the United States and Europe ........................................... 225
Contents / xxv
xxvi / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Index of Tables and Figures
Tables
Table 1. International migration inflows in the Americas, permanent and temporary, 2010-2015 ........................................................................................................................... 4Table 2. Asylum seekers in the Americas, 2001-2015 ................................................................. 16Table 3. The extent of immigration from the Americas to and from signatory countries of
regional agreements, 2015 .............................................................................................. 26Table 4. Emigration from selected origin countries towards regions of the Americas,
permanent and temporary migration, 2010-2015 .......................................................... 28Table 5. Acquisitions of nationality in countries of the Americas, 2005-2015 ............................. 29Table 6. Entries to and departures from Spain of immigrants from the Americas, 2002-2016 ......................................................................................................................... 37Table 7. Emigration from the Americas to destination regions in the Americas and to OECD
countries, 2009-2015 ....................................................................................................... 41Table 8. Percent change in emigration from the Americas to OECD countries and other
countries of the Americas, 2009-2015 ............................................................................ 44Table 9. Labor market outcomes of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States
and European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 averages .................................................................................................................. 48
Table 10. Over-qualification among employed tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas in European OECD countries and the United States, 2014-2015 ................................... 52
Table 11. Exchange rate and inflation effects in remittances, 2014-2016 ..................................... 63Table 12. Income from remittances in Latin America and the Caribbean .................................... 64
Figures
Figure 1. Inflows, permanent and temporary, as a percentage of the population, 2010 and 2015 .................................................................................................................. 17Figure 2. Percent of immigration which is permanent, 2010 and 2015 ........................................ 10Figure 3. International migration inflows by type, 2015 ................................................................. 13Figure 4. Main asylum destination countries for asylum seekers born in the Americas, 2001-2015 ......................................................................................................................... 19Figure 5. Decisions on asylum requests by country of asylum, 2001-2015 .................................. 21Figure 6. Decisions on asylum requests by country of origin, 2001-2015 ..................................... 22Figure 7. Immigration into countries of the Americas, permanent and temporary, by continent of origin, 2015 .............................................................................................. 24Figure 8. Evolution of immigrant arrivals in the United States, by region of origin, American
Community Survey, 2006-2015 ........................................................................................ 32Figure 9. Distribution of immigrant arrivals into the United States of America 2006-2015, by
region of origin, American Community Survey ............................................................... 33Figure 10. Rate of outflow per year from the United States, immigrants from the Americas,
percent of the stock, 2007-2015 ...................................................................................... 34Figure 11. Immigrants from the Americas who arrived in the United States from 2006-2015, by presence in the United States in 2015, selected countries ....................................... 35Figure 12. Immigration to Spain from the Americas, by region of origin, 2002-2015 .................... 39Figure 13. Gap in employment rates between men and women in the United States and in
European OECD countries, by country of region of birth, 2014-2015 ............................ 51Figure 14. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2001-2016 ...................................... 55
Figure 15. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008-2016 ...................................... 56Figure 16. USA: Change from 2013 to 2016 in selected employment and earnings of Mexican
immigrant workers .......................................................................................................... 57Figure 17. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008-2016 ...................................... 58Figure 18. Intraregional remittances to selected countries of Latin America and the Caribbean,
2012-2015 ......................................................................................................................... 61Figure A1. Immigrants in the United States by years since arrival, 2006-2010 arrival cohorts
combined, American Community Survey ........................................................................ 66Figure A2. Year-to-year change in the estimated number of immigrants from other countries of
the Americas to the United States, 2006-2015, American Community Survey ............. 67
Boxes
Box 1. Defining permanent and temporary migration ................................................................. 8Box 2. Spotlight on Brazil ........................................................................................................... 14Box 3. The determinants of remittances in 2016: The case of Mexico ..................................... 57
Contents / xxvii
xxviii / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
ACRONYMS
AECID Agencia Española de Cooperación para el Desarrollo
CAN Andean Community
CARICOM Caribbean Community and Common Market
EU European Union
GDP Gross Domestic Product
LAC Latin American and the Caribbean
Mercosur Southern Common Market
NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement
OAS Organization of American States
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
SICA Central American Integration System
SICREMI Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
PART I
Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 3
Introduction
The countries of the Americas have seen somewhat lower Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth since 2013 relative to the post-2008 crisis recovery years, with growth nonetheless remaining positive almost everywhere, except in the Bahamas and Brazil but showing signs of a strong downturn in Ecuador and Uruguay. In Spain, one of the two main destination countries for emigrants from Latin America, growth finally became positive in 2014 and exceeded 3% in 2015. In the United States it was close to 2.5% in both years.1
We will examine what effect these economic developments have had on migration movements in the Americas in 2014 and 2015. As analyses of OECD countries have shown, it is generally free circulation or free establishment movements as well as temporary migration which react the most to changes in economic conditions, with employers recruiting less and workers tending to remain at home closer to family support networks in times of economic downturns (OECD 2011). Family migration can be delayed if immigrants intending to bring in family members lose their means of livelihood, but the migration of family members is not mainly motivated by the availability of work.
This chapter presents an overview of migration movements in and out of the Americas in 2014 and 2015. Recent movements are presented first, followed by a discussion of the permanent/temporary nature of the immigration observed (section 2), the diversity of the types of immigration (work, family, study, etc.) and the extent of asylum seeking (section 3). Next is reviewed the regional nature of immigration (section 4) into countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and the acquisition of nationality in the countries of the Americas (section 5). The United States and Spain remain major destination countries for emigrants from the Americas and movements into and out of these countries are covered next. This is followed by a broader overview of emigration in general (section 7). The chapter closes with a section on the labor force outcomes of emigrants from the Americas in the United States and Europe and one on the remittances transmitted by emigrants to their families in origin countries.
An overview of immigration movements in 2014 and 2015
In view of the fact that changes in economic conditions have not been strongly positive or negative, except perhaps in a few countries, in 2014-2015, one might have expected smaller changes in migration movements in the Americas relative to the past and this is indeed what one observed in 2014 in Latin America and the Caribbean; 2015, however, showed a stronger overall increase, but one which needs to be nuanced by country (Table 1).
1 The most recent reference year for the analyses in this section concerns 2015. Irregular migration into LAC countries, which is significant, will not be covered in this issue. The reader is referred to the Annex of Chapter 1 of the previous addition of this publication, where a number of indicators of the extent of irregular migration were presented.
4 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Tabl
e 1.
Inte
rnat
iona
l mig
rati
on in
flow
s in
the
Am
eric
as, p
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry, 2
010-
2015
% c
hang
e al
l mig
rati
onIn
flow
s as
a %
age
of to
tal
popu
lati
on
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2015
/201
420
15/2
010
annu
alis
ed20
1020
15
Arge
ntin
aP
erm
anen
t 9
6 10
0 1
29 3
00 1
26 7
00 1
39 3
00 1
07 7
00 1
34 4
0031
90.
430.
62
Tem
pora
ry 8
2 10
0 1
29 9
00 1
64 8
00 1
39 4
00 9
7 90
0 1
34 6
00
Bar
bado
sP
erm
anen
t
300
40
0
400
50
0
400
40
0-1
2-4
2.25
1.83
Tem
pora
ry 6
000
6 6
00 6
900
5 4
00 5
500
4 8
00
Bol
ivia
(1)
Per
man
ent
1 0
00
900
1 3
00 3
800
9 3
00 5
900
-39
0.18
0.25
Tem
pora
ry 1
6 70
0 2
0 30
0 2
2 90
0 1
5 50
0 1
8 30
0 2
0 80
0
Bra
zil
Per
man
ent
25
400
33
200
41
900
51
200
49
700
66
800
37
0.05
0.07
Tem
pora
ry 7
2 10
0 8
8 20
0 9
0 90
0 9
6 50
0 8
3 30
0 7
0 10
0
Can
ada
Per
man
ent
280
700
248
700
257
800
259
000
260
300
271
800
00
1.59
1.54
Tem
pora
ry26
1 00
026
7 50
029
0 60
029
8 80
029
3 80
028
0 2
00
Chi
leP
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry 6
7 70
0 6
2 60
0 6
9 30
0 8
6 80
0 8
5 40
0 1
03 8
0022
90.
400.
58
Col
ombi
aP
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry 1
5 10
0 2
0 90
0 2
3 70
0 2
9 70
0 7
0 40
0 6
1 90
0-8
330.
030.
13
Cos
ta R
ica
Per
man
ent
8 4
00 8
900
10
600
16
500
14
800
16
100
-418
Tem
pora
ry 5
500
7 4
00 6
400
6 9
00 1
7 90
0 1
5 20
00.
310.
65
Dom
inic
an
Rep
ublic
Per
man
ent
90
0 1
100
30
0
200
10
0 3
300
215
80.
060.
08
Tem
pora
ry 4
800
2 3
00 3
500
4 1
00 2
500
4 9
00
Ecua
dor
Per
man
ent
0
3 2
00 9
200
14
900
28
300
25
100
-456
0.07
0.41
Tem
pora
ry
0 7
900
10
900
15
200
40
400
40
700
El S
alva
dor
Per
man
ent
30
0
400
60
0 1
600
70
0
500
-12
-10.
040.
03
Tem
pora
ry 2
000
1 4
00
700
2 8
00 1
800
1 7
00
Gua
tem
ala
Per
man
ent
60
0 2
700
1 3
00 1
900
1 8
00 1
900
1335
0.01
0.04
Tem
pora
ry
800
4 1
00 2
800
3 8
00 3
700
4 3
00
Hon
dura
sP
erm
anen
t
300
40
0
400
40
0
400
30
0-2
416
0.01
0.02
Tem
pora
ry
600
2 0
00 2
300
2 3
00 2
100
1 6
00
Jam
aica
Per
man
ent a
nd te
mpo
rary
4 8
00 4
800
8 9
00 8
300
9 3
00 9
400
114
0.17
0.33
Mex
ico
Per
man
ent
26
200
22
000
18
200
63
000
43
500
34
400
-66
0.06
0.07
Tem
pora
ry 3
8 80
0 4
1 10
0 3
9 40
0 3
3 90
0 5
1 30
0 5
4 50
0
Pan
ama
Per
man
ent
2 4
00 3
500
4 5
00 3
500
5 8
00 1
0 00
010
522
0.15
0.39
Tem
pora
ry 3
200
2 9
00 4
400
1 6
00 1
700
5 4
00
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 5
% c
hang
e al
l mig
rati
onIn
flow
s as
a %
age
of to
tal
popu
lati
on
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2015
/201
420
15/2
010
annu
alis
ed20
1020
15
Par
agua
yP
erm
anen
t 5
600
6 6
00 9
800
5 6
00 6
500
7 4
0025
170.
100.
19
Tem
pora
ry
300
40
0 3
400
90
0 3
700
5 3
00
Per
uP
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry 1
5 50
0 1
8 20
0 1
9 20
0 2
0 80
0 2
6 40
0 2
5 20
0-5
100.
050.
08
Uni
ted
Stat
esP
erm
anen
t 1
042
600
1 0
62 0
00 1
031
600
990
600
1 0
16 5
00 1
051
000
64
0.78
0.92
Tem
pora
ry 1
357
400
1 4
52 8
00 1
510
600
1 6
30 6
00 1
787
500
1 9
07 9
00
Uru
guay
Per
man
ent
2 2
00 1
100
2 4
00 1
000
2 8
00 7
600
9832
0.07
0.25
Tem
pora
ry 2
700
1 6
00 1
100
All
cou
ntri
esA
B 3
468
800
3 6
80 0
00 3
808
100
3 9
61 1
00 4
159
900
4 3
99 9
006
50.
400.
48
100
106
110
115
120
127
All
cou
ntri
es le
ss C
anad
a an
d th
e U
nite
d St
ates
A 5
14 7
00 6
33 6
00 7
05 4
00 7
79 9
00 7
94 9
00 8
79 3
0011
110.
100.
16
100
123
137
152
154
171
Mer
cosu
r m
embe
rs a
nd a
ssoc
iate
cou
ntri
es40
8 70
052
1 60
059
3 90
062
3 30
063
1 60
071
0 60
013
120.
110.
19
100
128
145
153
155
174
A a
s a
perc
enta
ge o
f AB
14.8
17.2
18.5
19.7
19.1
20.0
Sour
ce: N
atio
nal a
dmin
istr
ativ
e da
ta o
n vi
sas
and
resi
denc
e pe
rmits
. N
otes
: Est
imat
es h
ave
been
rev
ised
for
Bol
ivia
, Bra
zil,
Chi
le, E
cuad
or a
nd P
eru.
Sta
tistic
s fo
r Ec
uado
r no
min
ally
bas
ed o
n 20
10 e
stim
ates
hav
e be
en c
alcu
late
d us
ing
2011
est
imat
es. F
or c
erta
in c
ount
ries
, ent
ry v
isas
or
perm
its d
o no
t dis
tingu
ish
clea
rly
betw
een
mig
rant
s al
low
ed to
ent
er fo
r a
limite
d tim
e (fo
r ex
ampl
e, s
easo
nal w
orke
rs) a
nd th
ose
on a
per
man
ent m
igra
tion
trac
k (in
vest
ors
or fa
mily
mem
bers
of n
atio
nals
). F
or s
uch
coun
trie
s, e
ntri
es o
f mig
rant
s ar
e sh
own
as a
com
bina
tion
of b
oth
perm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry m
igra
tion.
(1) P
luri
natio
nal S
tate
of
Tabl
e 1.
Inte
rnat
iona
l mig
rati
on in
flow
s in
the
Am
eric
as, p
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry, 2
010-
2015
(con
t.)
6 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Immigration into countries of the Americas as a whole increased by 6% in 2015, only slightly more than the rate of increase observed on average over the 2010-2015 period. Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) immigration, on the other hand, resumed its strong growth in 2015 (11%) after the barely 2% increase observed in 2014 relative to 2013. The 11% is in line with the annualized five-year rate of immigration over the 2010-2015 period. The increase in the Mercosur region was somewhat higher than for the LAC region as whole, at 13%. Overall movements in the LAC region reached 20% of all immigration into countries of the Americas, both permanent and temporary, in 2015. The level of migration into LAC countries stood at close to 880 thousand in 2015, an increase of almost 365 thousand compared to 2010.
As Table 1 illustrates, however, the overall picture of migration movements into this region masks a highly contrasted situation, with a number of countries showing very large increases relative to 2014, in particular Panama and Uruguay, where entries at least doubled2, and others with rather significant declines, namely Barbados (-12%) and Honduras (-24%). Among the migration countries with higher levels of immigration, increases have exceeded 20% in both Argentina and Chile but have remained largely stable in Brazil and Canada and showed a modest increase (6%) in the United States. The granting of green cards in the United States, largely subject as these are to numerical limits, increased by scarcely 3%, while temporary migration rose by close to 7%. Migration to Mexico declined by 6%, largely as a consequence of the fall in persons changing status from temporary to permanent, a movement which had increased significantly following the implementation of the new migration law in late 2012. Still immigration remains a relatively modest phenomenon in almost all countries of the LAC region, with only Argentina, Barbados, Chile and Costa Rica showing immigration rates exceeding half of a percent of the population per year (Figure 1). Brazil and Mexico, the most populated countries of the region, show rates of scarcely 0.07% per year. Overall, the immigration rate in the region stood at 0.16% in 2015. Although the extension of the Mercosur Residence Agreement to virtually all countries of South America, in combination with the decline of migration to the United States and Spain following the economic crisis, has undoubtedly spurred intra-American migration, levels remain in general relatively low.
2 Note that entries here may include regularisations or changes from temporary to permanent status in some coun-tries, for which entry into the country did not necessarily occur in the year when it is recorded.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 7
Figure 1. Inflows, permanent and temporary, as a percentage of the population, 2010 and 2015
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Barbados
Canada
United States of America
Costa Rica
Chile
Argentina
Ecuador
Panama
Jamaica
Uruguay
Bolivia (1)
Paraguay
Colombia
Peru
Dominican Republic
Mexico
Brazil
Guatemala
El Salvador
Honduras
2010 2015
Source: National administrative data on visas and residence permits.Note: The 2010 data shown for Ecuador are from 2011.(1) Plurinational State of
Still, the 11% annual increase observed over 2010-2015 is far from insignificant and, if it persists, will bring much higher levels of immigration in the LAC region in the future. Indeed, if this rate of increase is maintained, immigration levels into LAC countries as a whole will reach 2.5 million by 2025. This would correspond, roughly speaking, to immigration for the LAC region that is proportionally comparable to what Ecuador and Panama experienced in 2015, but still significantly below the immigration rates of Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica.
8 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
The nature of migration in the Americas
Immigration by permanent / temporary status
As immigration becomes a more common phenomenon in Latin American and Caribbean countries, one might expect movements to begin to respond to general economic conditions, as structural movements (marriage migration, cultural exchange, retirement, etc.) decline in importance relative to overall movements. This would mean in principle an increase in the relative importance of temporary migration, which tends to be more heavily skewed towards labor-related migration, with immigrants moving to take advantage of significantly better wages than are available in their own countries or regions and then returning home with their savings. But other factors can come into play as well, in particular, movements of persons fleeing persecution or conflict zones or indeed, changes in migration laws and regulations which either restrict or facilitate migration movements.
With the recovery from the economic crisis of 2008, one might have expected an increase in temporary migration, as more favorable conditions in destination countries reasserted themselves. However, even a strong economic downturn such as occurred in 2008-2009 does not result in a disappearance in economic movements; demand may decline significantly, but not uniformly across sectors, and labor shortages may persist in certain occupations which have come to depend on immigrant labor. In short, migration movements will be recovering from a base which is higher than what existed in the past.
The change in the permanent / temporary nature of migration between 2010 and 2015 (see Box1), as exemplified by the proportion of permanent residence permits granted in the destination countries, is depicted in Figure 2, with a number of countries, however, showing a strong increase in permanent migration, contrary to expectations, while one (Paraguay) showed a very strong decline. It is instructive to examine these situations a little more closely, in order to understand what has been driving these movements.
Box 1. Defining permanent and temporary migration
The immigration statistics for countries of the Americas presented in this chapter are based on administrative data on grants of visas or residence permits. These evidently are not designed to measure immigration in the way that demographers normally understand the term but rather to keep track of national regulation of entry and stay in the country by persons of foreign nationality. They also by definition exclude unauthorized immigrants, unless such persons manage to obtain a permit of some kind while they are in the country and thereby enter the statistics of persons authorized to stay. In such cases, they will “enter” the country in the year when they “enter” into the statistics and not in the year when they originally arrived.
The administrative data on visas or permits have been adapted to measure “immigration” in the way that most countries reflect it in their laws and regulations, that is, an entry into the national territory by a foreigner for a specific purpose, either indefinitely (a permanent migrant) or for a specified period (a temporary migrant). Excluded from consideration are entries for tourism, business visits (for prospection or purchases), to exercise diplomatic functions or to transport passengers or goods into the country.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 9
A temporary immigrant is defined as a person admitted with a visa or granted a permit which is of limited duration and which is either not renewable or only renewable on a limited basis. These may include stays of very short duration, such as those of performing artists or equipment installers, but also those of international students, which may last for the entire period during which they are studying.
A permanent migrant is a person who is granted a permit of indefinite duration at entry or, equivalently, one that is of limited duration but indefinitely renewable, even if there may be conditions which must be satisfied for the renewal to occur.
Many countries allow certain temporary migrants to change status and to become permanent migrants after several years of residence in the country. In this chapter, such persons are considered to be permanent migrants in the year when they change status. Perhaps the best-known example of this are persons in the United States who adjust their status from a temporary one and obtain “green cards”, that is, obtain the status of lawful permanent residents. In recent years, over half of green cards were granted to persons who were adjusting their status. Such persons are included as permanent immigrants in the statistics of this chapter.
In practice, this means that status changers are counted twice, once when they enter as temporary migrants and once when they change status and become permanent. One notable example of this is that of international students who apply for and are allowed to stay on after the completion of their studies.3 The double-counting for such persons, however, is not substantially different from that in which a person arriving as a temporary migrant, leaves the country, applies abroad for the right of permanent residence, is accepted and returns. Such persons are also counted twice. Indeed, in some countries in the past, changes in status were not allowed and temporary migrants who wished to become permanent had to leave the country and apply from abroad.
Internationally there are other definitions used in addition to this one, among them, that of long-term vs short-term immigration, where the distinction is made on the basis of the actual stay of the immigrant in the country. The definitional cut-off that distinguishes between long-term and short-term in this case is generally one year. National immigration statistics almost always need to be adjusted to conform to this definition, to the extent that it is possible to do so. Although this definition may appear to be conceptually simpler than the permanent/temporary distinction, it has not been retained here, because the one-year cut-off does not reflect a distinction which is meaningful in migration policy and because statistics on this basis are not generally recognizable or understandable to migration stakeholders in most countries. Indeed, almost everywhere, the permanent/temporary distinction is, from a policy perspective, a fundamental one.
Note that statistics for a number of countries covered by this report have been revised since the last issue of this publication in 2015. This is notably the case for Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. Such revisions can occur for a number reasons. The changes may reflect corrections or revisions to national data by countries, or a better understanding of national permit systems allowing a more accurate classification of permits or visas or more simply, the identification and correction of processing or tabulation errors. Every effort is made to produce and publish
3 OECD studies suggest that up to 30% of international students eventually stay on in the country where they studied (OECD, 2011).
Box 1. Defining permanent and temporary migration (cont.)
10 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Box 1. Defining permanent and temporary migration (cont.)
the most accurate data possible for the countries presented in this publication. As time series of permit or visa data accumulate, errors or inaccuracies in principle should become less common, as more information is obtained about the nature of the data and as year-to-year measures of change provide for the possibility of identifying statistical anomalies.
Figure 2. Percent of immigration which is permanent, 2010 and 2015
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
2010 2015
Barba
dos
Bolivia
(1)
El Salv
ador
Dominica
n Rep
ublic
Brazil
Ecuad
or
Hondu
ras
Mexico
United S
tates
Panam
a
Guatem
ala
Canad
a
Argen
tina
Costa
Rica
Parag
uay
Urugu
ay
Source: National administrative data on visas and residence permits.Note: The 2010 data shown for Ecuador are from 2011.(1) Plurinational State of
Now the large increase in permanent migration from 2010 to 2015 in the case of the Dominican Republic and Brazil are both due essentially to the belated effect of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, with significant numbers of Haitians receiving the right of permanent residence after spending a number of years of residence in both countries. In Brazil in particular, almost 43 000 Haitian migrants were granted the right of permanent residence in 2015 (and almost 33 000 from 2012-2014). The Dominican Republic granted permanent residence to about 1 660 Haitians in 2015 but also to about 1 470 citizens of the United States. Indeed, these two countries alone accounted for more than 60% of immigration to the Dominican Republic in 2015, both permanent and temporary.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 11
Likewise, Ecuador saw considerable conflict-related movements from Colombia from 2010 to 2015, as well as of Cubans, for whom no visa was required at the time and who expected to make their way through Colombia and Central America to the United States border to take advantage of special policies for Cubans who arrived in the United States by land.4 In both cases some migrants from the countries concerned settled in Ecuador.
On the other hand, the large increase in permanent migration observed in Bolivia and the decline in Paraguay are, paradoxically, both linked to migration under the Mercosur free establishment regime. In Bolivia, more and more Mercosur migrants are applying for permanent residence after having lived for the two years in the destination country required before this status can be granted. Most of these immigrants are from Brazil and Peru.
Under the Paraguayan migration regime in 2010, almost 90% of immigrants received the right of permanent residence at entry. Under the Mercosur regime, however, Mercosur migrants receive a two-year permit upon entry, which has increased the percentage of temporary migrants, since migrants from Mercosur countries account for over 80% of immigration in Paraguay.
Finally, Honduras has seen a generalized fall in immigration from all continents of origin, while in Panama, it was the reverse; the latter is associated with the phased-in implementation of the new migration law (Law Decree No. 3 of 22 February 2008) between 2009 and 2013 which has made immigration into Panama relatively easier.
Thus, in general, if economic prospects in the destination country are what drive many migration movements, of more immediate effect may be unpredictable causes such as natural catastrophes and changes in the regulation of migration, either of which may act as an impetus to movements which might not otherwise have occurred, or occurred less frequently.
The diversity of migration movements
All countries regulate the entry into and stay of foreigners within their territory and the extent of this regulation depends on the nature of the migration. Most countries, for example, recognize the right of permanent residents, whether nationals of foreigners, to marry or adopt whom they wish and a certain proportion of international movements every year concerns persons who are spouses or children of nationals who married while abroad as students or expatriate workers and are returning to their home country.
Others are family members who are joining former migrants as new residents. Such movements can be said to be non-discretionary, in that destination countries which recognize the rights of family members to live together, generally the case in most countries, exercise limited discretion with regard to limiting these movements. There may be requirements that foreign residents have a certain minimum income and decent lodgings in order to bring in their families, but these requirements are generally modest and not normally such as would exclude significant proportions of nationals, were they to be applied to this population.
4 Under the so-called wet-foot, dry-foot policy, Cubans who arrived at a land border of the United States were ad-mitted and allowed to apply for permanent residence one year later. Cubans caught at sea would be returned to Cuba or sent to a third country.
12 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Certain other types of movements are bound by international treaties signed by countries, such as the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or treaties involving free circulation or establishment for nationals and permanent residents of the signatory countries, such as the Treaty of Rome for the European Union and the 2002 Mercosur Residence Agreement. For these as well, governments have limited discretion in limiting movements, once they have signed the treaties, although there may exist certain requirements for entry or settlement, such as the absence of a criminal record or sufficient means of livelihood.
Other forms of migration, on the other hand, such as migration for work or study, are generally subject to discretionary control, with the objective, for example, of limiting competition with the domestic workforce in the case of labor migration. Certain forms of labor migration concern the movements of very limited duration, such as those of artists, performers and athletes, and operate on the basis of flexible rules and reciprocity agreements with other countries. Movements of investors and entrepreneurs and temporary assignments of employees of multinational corporations also tend to be facilitated, because of the economic contribution they are considered to make to the host country. The same applies to international students, professors and researchers, whose stay is believed to stimulate the internationalization of higher education and of research, as well as paving the way to the possible definitive settlement of the persons concerned in the country. Migrants with university degrees obtained in the host country tend to be viewed favorably by destination countries.
Labor migration involving domestic work contracts in jobs that could in principle be held by residents tends to be the most regulated form of migration, especially with regard to lesser or medium-skilled jobs, for whose incumbents job mobility or retraining is not always perceived as being as possible or accessible as for workers with high levels of educational attainment. For jobs involving such labor, there is often some form of verification of the domestic labor market, at least at the local level, to ensure that no already resident workers could occupy the jobs for which employers want to recruit from abroad. Governments often have a preference for temporary labor migration for these kinds of jobs, as a way of satisfying immediate labor needs not being met on the domestic labor market, while ensuring that there is no lasting impact on the domestic work force.
In summary then, migration is driven by many different motives and the regulation of migration as embodied in the visas and permits granted to immigrants reflects this diversity. In view of the observations made above, one might expect family-related migration to be relatively more common among permanent migration and work-related migration among temporary and this is indeed what one observes in general (Figure 3).
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 13
Figure 3. International migration inflows by type, 2015
Panama
El Salvador
Honduras
Canada
Barbados
Costa Rica
Brazil
Mexico
Bolivia (1)
Ecuador
United States
Dominican Republic
Argentina
Paraguay
Jamaica
Peru
Colombia
Honduras
United States
Dominican Republic
Barbados
El Salvador
Canada
Ecuador
Mexico
Argentina
Panama
Paraguay
Costa Rica
Bolivia (1)
Brazil
Tem
pora
ryP
erm
anen
tP
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Family Other and unknown Humanitarian International agreements Study Work
Source: National administrative data on visas and residence permits.Note: The 2010 data shown for Ecuador are from 2011.(1) Plurinational State of
14 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
The picture, however, is somewhat clouded by the fact that free establishment visas or permits do not always identify the nature of the migration because the migrants are, like nationals, largely free to come and go as they wish and governments do not always record the reason underlying a move when a migrant requests the right to enter a country. This is especially the case for Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay for temporary migration and for Argentina and Bolivia in the case of permanent migration. In addition, for temporary migration in the Dominican Republic and permanent migration in Costa Rica and Paraguay, the available visa / permit statistics do not yet allow a clear delineation of the precise nature of the types of migration involved.5
As is evident, study migration, while visible in virtually all destination countries, plays a significant role in temporary migration in Barbados, Canada, Honduras and the United States and, to a somewhat lesser extent, in Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico and Panama. Labor migration is also not necessarily uncommon in permanent migration, as the examples of Canada, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama illustrate.
Finally, humanitarian migration is evident only in Canada, the United States and especially Brazil, where the granting of permanent residence to Haitian earthquake refugees in 2015 is clearly apparent. Persons fleeing the conflict in Colombia for Ecuador started to be granted Mercosur permits in 2014 and thus no longer appear in the humanitarian migration stream in that country. For the rest of the world, LAC countries remain remote asylum destinations which have seen some but not yet significant entries of persons fleeing persecution or war zones.
Box 2. Spotlight on Brazil
Brazil is the most populated country in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a population of close to 210 million people. Although it has a long history of immigration, in recent decades immigration has been at very low levels. The immigrant population stood at less than half of one percent of the total population in 2010 and annual inflows, as we have seen, are very low in proportion to the population.
Still, more and more attention is being accorded in Brazil to immigration policy and statistics and an Observatory of International Migration was established in 2014, with the objective of deepening the knowledge and understanding of immigration, emigration and return migration. In its mandate is also the objective of creating a database to facilitate analysis of migration phenomena.
The regulation of migration in Brazil, with the exception of entry visas, is in the hands of two bodies, the National Immigration Council (CNIg) and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).
Up until 2017, the general legal framework is defined by the migration law, No. 6.815, of 19 August 1980, commonly known as the Estatuto do Estrangeiro. The CNIg is responsible for applying the law and in particular, issues Normative Resolutions which define the precise conditions regarding the entry and stay of particular categories of migrants, within the framework defined by the migration law. This is a rather unique and flexible system, in that migration regulations can be adapted to changing circumstances without the need for the passage of a new law
5 When migrants change from a temporary to a permanent status in some countries, neither the nature of the original migration nor that of the change in status is recorded.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 15
to respond to each situation. The role of the CNIg in this regard appears to have evolved in response to numerous migratory situations not specifically addressed in the immigration law.
Among other things, the CNIg oversees the implementation of immigration policy; conducts surveys about the needs of qualified foreign workers for permanent or temporary admission, and about other issues related to immigration; makes decisions on immigration cases that are not provided for in Brazilian Law; and reviews proposed legislation related to immigration (Marques da Fonseca Neto, 2009).
The discretionary authority of the CNIg was most visibly exercised recently when almost 35 thousand Haitians were granted residence in 2015 for humanitarian reasons, under Normative Resolution 97.
The Ministry of Justice is the other body concerned with migration in Brazil and is responsible for temporary extensions of stay, for changes in status to permanent as well as for the granting of permanent residence to foreigners who are spouses or parents of Brazilian nationals.
Brazil has a fairly well-developed labor migration system, which issued almost 70 thousand work permits in 2011, a number which dropped to 47 thousand in 2014 and to 37 thousand in 2015, with the economic downturn. Many of the permits involve work on offshore platforms and ships, which are related to oil exploration and production. Almost all are temporary. The work permit system also specifically identifies a group of migrants who come to work in Brazil to provide technical assistance or to transfer technology, but without a Brazilian work contract. These are known as service providers in international trade parlance and represented 20% to 30% of work permits prior to the onset of the recession.
The immigration statistics presented in this chapter are taken from work permit data for labor migration and from entries into the Foreigners’ Register for all other forms of migration. However, the Foreigners’ Register is in part limited as a data source by the fact that it only keeps on file the most recent status of an immigrant, which may not reflect the status of the immigrant at the time of entry. Statistics for Brazil on the reason for migration (for reasons other than work) may be distorted as a result. In May 2017, a new migration law No. 13.445/2017 was approved and took effect in November 2017 (see country note on Brazil later in this publication).
Asylum seeking in the Americas
Asylum applications in the Americas increased 83% between 2013 and 2015, reaching 184 thousand applications. These represent 6% of all applications worldwide, which increased 187% in the same period, as a result of armed conflict in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq (see Table 2).
The increase in asylum applications was more marked in Canada and the United States of America (98%) than in Latin America and the Caribbean (31%). There are 437 applications per million inhabitants in Canada and the United States, while only 30 in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is what the pattern has been historically. In short, Latin America and the Caribbean are not common destinations for asylum seekers (OAS/OECD, 2015).
Box 2. Spotlight on Brazil (cont.)
16 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Tabl
e 2.
Asy
lum
see
kers
in th
e A
mer
icas
, 200
1-20
15
Ave
rage
20
01-2
005
Ave
rage
20
06-2
010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
% o
f cha
nge
2015
/201
3
Num
ber
of
appl
icat
ions
pe
r m
illio
n po
pula
tion
(2
015)
Mai
n co
untr
ies
of o
rigi
n 20
14-
2015
Cou
ntry
of a
sylu
m
Can
ada
32 4
0228
506
24 9
8520
223
10 3
5613
661
19 5
1188
543
Chi
na, P
akis
tan,
Nig
eria
, H
unga
ry, C
olom
bia,
Iraq
, Syr
ian
Arab
Rep
., So
mal
ia
Uni
ted
Stat
es o
f Am
eric
a49
084
40 3
9360
587
66 1
0168
243
96 1
5213
5 96
499
425
Mex
ico,
El S
alva
dor,
Chi
na,
Gua
tem
ala,
Hon
dura
s, V
enez
uela
(B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f)
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
es81
486
68 8
9885
572
86 3
2478
599
109
813
155
475
9843
7
Antig
ua a
nd B
arbu
da..
....
.. 1
.. 1
515
0015
0Sy
rian
Ara
b R
ep.
Bah
amas
27
0 9
50
95
5 5
-95
13C
hina
, Cub
a
Bar
bado
s..
....
.. 2
....
… …
Cub
a 4
2 1
8 6
63
29
25
129
345
11Af
ghan
ista
n,Ir
an (I
slam
ic R
ep.
of),S
yria
n Ar
ab R
ep.
Dom
inic
a..
.. 1
....
....
… …
Dom
inic
an R
epub
lic..
1 2
8 1
2 7
3 2
2 3
2-5
63
Hai
ti, C
uba,
Syr
ian
Arab
Rep
.
Gre
nada
.. 1
....
....
1 …
9Sy
rian
Ara
b R
ep.
Guy
ana
....
1..
.. 1
0 …
…
Hai
ti..
5 2
8 1
2..
15
251
Ethi
opia
, Cub
a
Jam
aica
....
.. 1
4..
525
2C
uba
Sain
t Kitt
s an
d N
evis
....
.. 1
1..
.. …
…
Sain
t Luc
ia..
1 2
.. 1
.. 2
100
11
Sain
t Vin
cent
and
the
G
rena
dine
s..
.. 1
....
....
… …
Suri
nam
e..
1 4
....
2 6
…11
Libe
ria,
Nig
eria
Trin
idad
and
Tob
ago
.. 4
9 2
9 5
44
181
129
293
95C
uba,
Syr
ian
Arab
Rep
.
Car
ibbe
an 6
9 7
7 8
3 1
40 2
62 2
36 3
3929
9
Bel
ize
21
12
32
58
52
74
637
1 12
51
773
El S
alva
dor,
Gua
tem
ala,
H
ondu
ras
Cos
ta R
ica
2 43
7 9
61 9
641
170
954
1 84
32
730
183
568
Col
ombi
a, E
l Sal
vado
r,Ve
nezu
ela
(Bol
ivar
ian
Rep
ublic
of),
Cub
a
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 17
Ave
rage
20
01-2
005
Ave
rage
20
06-2
010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
% o
f cha
nge
2015
/201
3
Num
ber
of
appl
icat
ions
pe
r m
illio
n po
pula
tion
(2
015)
Mai
n co
untr
ies
of o
rigi
n 20
14-
2015
El S
alva
dor
10
37
15
4 7
12
25
257
4Sy
rian
Ara
b R
ep.,
Hon
dura
s, Ir
aq
Gua
tem
ala
33
30
21
18
48
120
157
227
10N
epal
, El S
alva
dor,
Hon
dura
s,
Cub
a
Hon
dura
s 7
5 4
1 9
9 5
7 1
1 1
6-7
22
Nic
arag
ua, E
l Sal
vado
r
Mex
ico
408
578
753
811
1 29
61
524
3 42
316
427
Hon
dura
s, E
l Sal
vado
r
Nic
arag
ua 1
5 1
13 3
9 6
9 1
05 1
35 1
3730
23El
Sal
vado
r, H
ondu
ras
Pan
ama
203
388
1 39
6 7
56 8
271
184
1 83
012
146
1C
olom
bia,
Ven
ezue
la (B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f), N
icar
agua
, Cub
a, E
l Sa
lvad
or
Cen
tral
Am
eric
a3
201
2 16
03
229
2 89
53
346
4 90
38
955
168
52
Bol
ivia
(1)
21
75
32
36
20
42
34
703
Col
ombi
a, N
iger
ia
Col
ombi
a 3
2 1
60 8
4 9
9 2
29 7
45 4
4996
9C
uba,
Vene
zuel
a (B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f)
Ecua
dor
19 4
9614
647
14 1
7112
090
8 28
0 …
… …
…
Per
u 1
34 2
51 4
66 3
76 4
39 3
92 4
32-2
14Ve
nezu
ela
(Bol
ivar
ian
Rep
ublic
of
), C
olom
bia,
Cub
a
Vene
zuel
a (2
) 9
282
418
3 17
62
004
3 49
72
480
1 48
8-5
748
Col
ombi
a
And
ean
Reg
ion
19 1
0915
132
17 9
2914
605
12 4
653
659
2 40
3-8
117
Arge
ntin
a 3
50 6
63 8
711
467
614
831
1 26
410
629
Sene
gal,
Cub
a, S
yria
n Ar
ab R
ep.,
Ukr
aine
, Hai
ti, C
olom
bia
Bra
zil
553
705
4 98
01
124
4 72
48
950
14 7
7021
371
Sene
gal,
Syri
an A
rab
Rep
., N
iger
ia, G
hana
, Dem
. R
ep. o
f Con
go, A
ngol
a,
Ban
glad
esh,
Vene
zuel
a (B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f)
Chi
le 1
59 4
92 3
05 1
68 2
49 2
82 6
2915
335
Col
ombi
a
Par
agua
y 1
1 1
9 2
5 1
0 3
37
69
2200
10Sy
rian
Ara
b R
ep.,C
uba
Uru
guay
14
26
20
37
37
63
87
135
25C
uba,
Syr
ian
Arab
Rep
., C
olom
bia
Sout
hern
Con
e1
087
1 90
56
201
2 80
65
627
10 1
6316
819
199
60
Tabl
e 2.
Asy
lum
see
kers
in th
e A
mer
icas
, 200
1-20
15 (c
ont.)
18 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Ave
rage
20
01-2
005
Ave
rage
20
06-2
010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
% o
f cha
nge
2015
/201
3
Num
ber
of
appl
icat
ions
pe
r m
illio
n po
pula
tion
(2
015)
Mai
n co
untr
ies
of o
rigi
n 20
14-
2015
Lati
n A
mer
ica
and
the
Car
ibbe
an12
342
19 2
7427
442
20 4
4621
700
18 9
6128
516
3130
Col
ombi
a, S
eneg
al, E
l Sal
vado
r,
Syri
an A
rab
Rep
., C
uba,
H
ondu
ras,
Ven
ezue
la (B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f), N
iger
ia, G
hana
, D
em. R
ep. o
f the
Con
go
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
es81
486
68 8
9885
572
86 3
2478
599
109
813
155
475
9843
7
Mex
ico,
Chi
na, E
l Sal
vado
r,
Gua
tem
ala,
Hon
dura
s, V
enez
uela
(B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f), In
dia,
Ec
uado
r, H
aiti,
Ukr
aine
All
cou
ntri
es o
f the
A
mer
icas
93 8
2888
172
113
014
106
770
100
299
128
774
183
991
8314
2
El S
alva
dor,
Mex
ico,
Chi
na,
Gua
tem
ala,
Hon
dura
s,
Vene
zuel
a (B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic
of),C
olom
bia,
Indi
a, S
yria
n Ar
ab
Rep
All
cou
ntri
es o
f the
W
orld
812
418
776
487
864
232
923
155
1 0
61 0
74 1
616
565
3 0
41 1
9918
741
2Sy
rian
Ara
b R
ep.,
Afgh
anis
tan,
U
krai
ne, I
raq,
Ser
bia
and
Kos
ovo,
P
akis
tan,
Dem
. Rep
. of t
he C
ongo
Sour
ce: U
nite
d N
atio
ns H
igh
Com
mis
sion
er fo
r R
efug
ees
(UN
HC
R) P
opul
atio
n D
atab
ase,
201
7.N
ote:
For
Ecu
ador
, 200
1-20
05 a
vera
ge c
orre
spon
ds to
yea
rs 2
004-
2005
. Dat
a fo
r Ec
uado
r no
t ava
ilabl
e af
ter
2013
.(1
) Plu
rina
tiona
l Sta
te o
f; (2
) Bol
ivar
ian
Rep
ublic
of
Tabl
e 2.
Asy
lum
see
kers
in th
e A
mer
icas
, 200
1-20
15 (c
ont.)
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 19
Asylum seekers born in the Americas accounted for 56% of all asylum applications in the hemisphere, a 7% rise when compared to 2013 levels.
Between 2001 and 2015, Canada and the United States received between 54-91%, depending on the year, of all asylum applications from asylum seekers born in the Americas, the main countries of origin being Mexico (29%), Colombia (13%), El Salvador (12%), Haiti (12%), Guatemala (10%), Honduras (6%) and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (4%). Although data for Ecuador is only available until 2013, its share as a receiver of requests for asylum increased steadily between 2000 and 2010, reaching a maximum of 51% of all asylum requests from the Americas. Almost all were from Colombians.
Figure 4. Main asylum destination countries for asylum seekers born in the Americas, 2001-2015
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Canada United States Ecuador Other
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Population Database, 2017.Note: Data available for Ecuador only up to 2013.
The implementation in Ecuador of the Expanded Registration Program in 2009-2010 resulted in the granting of refugee status to approximately 24 thousand Colombians. More recently, the beginning of the peace process in 2012 has reduced the number of asylum requests, while the ratification of the Mercosur Residence Agreement in 2014 obviated the need for such requests, as Colombians became eligible for Mercosur permits.
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Decisions on asylum applications in the Americas, 2001-2015
Once an asylum request has been filed, a legal or administrative process is launched, known as Refugee Status Determination. The RSD is the process by which governments determine whether a person seeking international protection is considered a refugee under international, regional or national law.
The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees does not prescribe the mechanisms that treaty signatories should use to determine whether or not a person fits the definition of refugee; as a result, asylum seekers are assessed in varying ways around the world, depending on the different legal and political regimes in place (UNHCR, 2016).
In the Americas there has been a progressive legislative harmonization with regard to the status of refugees, with countries incorporating the principles and standards of protection contained in the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol.
According to the Convention and the subsequent Protocol, a refugee is defined as “a person who owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, in unwilling to avail himself the protection of than country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.”
However, other regional reference instruments have also been developed whose concepts have been included in the national legislation of several countries of the region and which adopt a broader concept of “refugee”.
The 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees expands the definition of the 1951 Convention to include persons, who have fled their countries because their life, security or freedom have been threatened by widespread violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive violation of human rights or other circumstances that have seriously disrupted public order.
Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay have adopted this broader concept of refugee.
However, the right of free establishment introduced by the Mercosur Residence Agreement and which currently applies to virtually all countries of South America, has made the broader concept somewhat redundant for the countries of the region, while the distance of South America from war zones in Africa and Asia as well as visa requirements have up to now limited the number of asylum requests on this basis.
With the recent suspension of Venezuela from Mercosur, citizens from that country who emigrate due to a deterioration of economic and political conditions could in principle no longer avail themselves of Mercosur permits in order to establish themselves freely elsewhere. However, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay have continued granting Mercosur permits to Venezuelans and Peru has renewed the Mercosur permits of persons who had been granted them before the suspension. In the case of Ecuador there is an Ecuador-Venezuela agreement of residence since 2011, while Brazil has introduced a special resolution offering temporary residence to Venezuelans.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 21
Elsewhere, in the United States in particular, humanitarian migrants who do not qualify as refugees may be eligible for humanitarian protection under the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) program. TPS is granted to eligible nationals of certain countries (or parts of countries) who are already in the United States and unable to return because of a) ongoing armed conflict (such as civil war) b) environmental disaster (such as earthquake or hurricane), or an epidemic c) other extraordinary and temporary conditions. TPS does not confer permanent residency, citizenship, or any right to ongoing immigration status and once the U.S. government has ended a country’s TPS designation, persons revert to their prior immigration status.
El Salvador, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen are countries currently under the TPS program with an estimated 195 000 Salvadorans, 50 000 Haitians, 57 000 Hondurans and 2 250 Nicaraguans in the program.
In practice, governments may also adapt their regulations on asylum to specific circumstances, especially in cases where the movements are significant and the situation in the country of origin is especially difficult. The case of Ecuador and the Expanded Registration Program has already been mentioned. Following the 2010 earthquake, many Haitians relocated in Brazil but evidently did not satisfy the criteria of the Geneva Convention in order to be considered refugees. They were nevertheless eventually granted a residence permit for humanitarian reasons through Normative Resolution 97/2012, allowing them to legally establish and work in the country and granting them access to health and educational services.
Figure 5. Decisions on asylum requests by country of asylum, 2001-2015
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Accepted Rejected
Argen
tina
United S
tates
Ecuad
or
Mexico
Canad
a
Costa
RicaBra
zil
Amer
icas
Venez
uela(1)
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Population Database, 2017.Note: Rejections include those in both first and second instances; rejection rates are thus inflated and acceptance rates underestimated. Acceptances include positive decisions on refugee status but also on complementary protection.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
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While asylum has become more accessible in many countries of the Americas, refugee status is nonetheless granted to only a minority of applicants in most countries, as is generally the case throughout the OECD zone.
Figure 5 shows the decisions on requests for asylum in the eight most important recipient countries of the region, covering 99% of the decisions taken in the Americas for the period 2001-2015. The figure excludes situations where no decision was taken on a request, either positively or negatively, because the applicant withdrew his or her application before the interview took place, did not show up for the interview or if the application was considered inadmissible.
The percentage of positive decisions includes the granting of either refugee status or other protection statuses and varies between countries from a minimum of 24% to a maximum of 57%, with the overall percentage for the Americas being 46%.6
Finally, Figure 6 shows decisions on asylum requests by nationality of origin for 14 nationalities accounting for 69% of all decisions. There is high variability in the decisions according to nationality, which reflect different assessments of the situation in the countries of origin as well as of the evidence or narrative provided by the applicant in support of the request.
Figure 6. Decisions on asylum requests by country of origin, 2001-2015
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Peru
El Salv
ador
Guatem
ala
Indones
iaCuba
Hondu
ras
India
Albania
Colom
bia
Venez
uela(1)
Pakist
anChina
Haiti
Amer
icas
Mexico
Accepted Rejected
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Population Database, 2017.Note: See Figure 5.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
6 The statistics on acceptances/rejections may be somewhat distorted because they include decisions in both first and second instances. For example, a request denied initially may be approved on appeal. Both are counted here. This evidently inflates the rejection rates.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 23
In summary then, although LAC countries are far from the main sources of refugees in Africa and Asia, because of civil conflicts, problems of security, economic and social crises and natural catastrophes, they have been faced with many of the same challenges as countries closer to current war zones, that is, that of providing refuge to persons who may not be persecuted, strictly speaking, but are in need of protection or indeed, have no homes or prospects to return to.
The regional dimension of migration in the Americas
Immigration into countries of the Americas remains, for most countries of the region, an intra-American phenomenon, with a heavy predominance of migrants from other countries of the hemisphere (Figure 7). There are exceptions to this, with Canada and the United States, long-standing migration countries, showing relatively more immigrants from Asia in 2015 and indeed in most years, in particular from China, India and the Philippines. In Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, the three most populated countries of the LAC region, which are destinations with large markets offering attractive economic opportunities, some 15-20% of immigrants are from Asia. The case of Jamaica is more surprising, where over 40% of immigrants are from Asia, most on work permits and largely from China and India (see country note on Jamaica later in this publication).
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Figure 7. Immigration into countries of the Americas, permanent and temporary, by continent of origin, 2015
Uruguay
Argentina
Chile
Paraguay
Brazil
Costa Rica
Honduras
El Salvador
Panama
Mexico
Dominican Republic
Barbados
Jamaica
United States
Canada
Bolivia(1)
Ecuador
Peru
Colombia
Sout
hern
Con
eC
entr
al A
mer
ica
Car
ibbe
anAn
dean
Reg
ion
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
es
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Americas Africa Asia Other Europe
Source: National administrative data on visas and residence permits.Note: The 2010 data shown for Ecuador are from 2011.(1) Plurinational State of
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 25
Immigrants from Europe are still a relatively significant group almost everywhere in countries of the Americas, with a somewhat more important presence in the large countries. In the high immigration countries of Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica, on the other hand, over 90% of immigrants are from other countries of the Americas.7 These countries have GDP per capita levels which are two to three times that of neighboring countries such as Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru in the case of Argentina and Chile, and Nicaragua in the case of Costa Rica.
In countries south of Mexico as a whole, more than half of immigrants coming from outside the Americas are from Europe and almost 70% of these are from Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
To complete this picture of regional migration in the Americas, Table 3 shows the extent of migration among signatory countries of regional agreements, of which there are six in the hemisphere, with several having overlapping membership. The agreements generally include special provisions to facilitate movement of certain persons or workers of countries which are members or associate members of the trading blocs. For four of the six agreements close to a majority or more of immigration from the Americas into the signatory countries of the agreements are from other signatory countries. The exceptions are the Andean Community and the Pacific Alliance, only about one third of whose immigration from the Americas comes from signatory countries but about 55% from Mercosur countries. The Mercosur bloc shows the strongest concentration of intra-bloc movements, with almost three quarters of its intra-hemispheric immigration coming from other Mercosur members.
7 Table A1 in the annex to this chapter provides more detail, showing, for each destination country of the Americas for which the statistics were available, the share of total migration taken up by the top ten countries of origin and the distribution of immigration by type (family, work, study and other) for each of these.
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Table 3. The extent of immigration from the Americas to and from signatory countries of regional agreements, 2015
Destination regions
Origin countries NAFTA CARICOM SICA MERCOSURAndean
CommunityPacific
Alliance
Canada 21 310 570 540 3 050 1 860 4 540
United States 58 320 1 050 6 320 29 580 16 110 26 770
Antigua and Barbuda 500 130 < 5 < 5 < 5 < 5
Barbados 1 230 80 < 5 30 20 20
Cuba 62 370 460 490 12 810 9 290 9 790
Dominica 370 80 < 5 < 5 < 5 10
Dominican Republic 58 630 380 870 4 510 670 2 430
Grenada 820 120 < 5 < 5 < 5 < 5
Guyana 6 480 1 740 10 50 10 20
Haiti 22 010 130 2 280 50 150 470 7 130
Jamaica 44 180 340 30 180 80 100
Saint Kitts and Nevis 380 70 < 5 10 < 5 < 5
Saint Lucia 1 560 200 < 5 10 < 5 10
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1 220 350 < 5 10 < 5 < 5
Suriname 220 40 < 5 30 10 10
The Bahamas (1) 2 450 180 < 5 10 10 10
Trinidad and Tobago 6 190 700 10 140 100 100
Other CARICOM 260 170 < 5 10 < 5 < 5
Belize 1 450 60 30 20 10 190
Costa Rica 5 220 10 360 780 530 990
El Salvador 25 050 10 1 030 1 140 580 2 700
Guatemala 24 220 40 1 010 910 530 3 000
Honduras 16 160 70 870 790 360 3 620
Mexico 411 650 410 1 310 10 590 5 970 4 710
Nicaragua 5 250 0 21 730 2 360 2 160 2 700
Panama 3 450 40 560 710 460 560
Bolivia (2) 3 400 10 100 87 700 1 670 22 060
Colombia 44 180 90 3 230 78 880 29 500 31 380
Ecuador 16 450 60 440 10 950 3 720 7 140
Peru 21 500 10 500 70 580 11 100 28 630
Argentina 17 450 20 460 19 670 5 100 11 460
Brazil 73 940 50 650 28 470 11 700 7 170
Chile 10 880 10 210 12 210 5 530 3 480
Paraguay 1 590 < 5 40 109 200 1 260 1 120
Uruguay 2 350 < 5 70 8 390 790 1 220
Venezuela (3) 28 910 80 7 350 31 110 16 800 23 890
Other Americas 120 < 5 10 970 20 10
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 27
Destination regions
Origin countries NAFTA CARICOM SICA MERCOSURAndean
CommunityPacific
Alliance
Total immigration from Americas 1 001 740 7 740 50 490 575 990 126 450 206 980
Percent
from NAFTA countries 49 26 16 8 19 17
from CARICOM countries 9 57 5 9 1 4
from SICA countries 14 8 52 2 4 8
from MERCOSUR countries 19 4 11 74 56 55
from Andean Community countries
9 2 8 43 36 43
from Pacific Alliance countries 49 7 10 30 41 33
Source: National adminstrative data on visas and permits.Notes: Shaded cells in each country row reflect membership in the regional bloc specified in the column heading. Percentages add up to more than one hundred because of overlapping membership. Covers all destination countries of Table 1 except Guatemala, for which no country-of-origin data were available CARICOM in this table is represented by only two destination countries, Barbados and Jamaica. The table includes, among destination countries, both full and associate members of the specified agreements, where possible.(1) Commonwealth of; (2) Plurinational State of; (3) Bolivarian Republic of
This picture of economic migration in the LAC region, driven by labor needs in regional labor markets which transcend national borders, is not a complete one without a mention of what might be called “flight migration”, from conflict zones, natural catastrophes or conditions of economic collapse or underdevelopment. Although FARC-related strife saw large movements of persons fleeing from Colombia to Ecuador, Colombian nationals in fact fanned out over the entire continent. This was also somewhat the case of Haitians leaving their island in the aftermath of the earthquake devastation of 2010 and of Cubans seeking to reach the United States and other countries in search of better economic prospects and, in some cases, freer political expression as well. Preliminary indications are that movements out of Venezuela are showing the same pattern, with Venezuelans fanning out to Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, Argentina and Chile.
In 2015 Colombian emigration to other countries of the Americas was still increasing (Table 4) but can be expected to taper off with the 2016 peace agreement signed between the Colombian government and the FARC. In the Andean region, Ecuador in particular has been on the front lines as a destination country for three of the four origin countries concerned by “flight migration”, but it is the Southern Cone which has absorbed more than 55% of the increase in migrants from these countries since 2010. Note that the four origin countries shown in Table 3 are by themselves responsible for 24% of migration in LAC countries in 2015 and fully 47% of the change in immigration over the 2010-2015 period. In other words, the increase in immigration in this region cannot be entirely viewed through the lens of a greater-economic-integration perspective. Still, whatever the reason for the migration increases, they may nonetheless contribute to closer economic
Table 3. The extent of immigration from the Americas to and from signatory countries of regional agreements, 2015 (cont.)
28 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
integration over the short to medium term, because of a tendency for migration channels to persist once established and because the presence of foreign nationals tends to stimulate and facilitate economic links with their origin countries.
Table 4. Emigration from selected origin countries towards regions of the Americas, permanent and temporary migration, 2010-2015
Region of destination
Country of origin 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Canada and the United States
133 900 137 000 132 800 128 500 135 300 138 400
Colombia 44 600 44 000 43 200 43 300 39 200 38 000
Cuba 35 600 38 800 35 500 34 900 49 000 56 300
Haiti 31 600 30 900 30 800 26 400 20 600 21 700
Venezuela (1) 22 100 23 300 23 300 23 800 26 400 22 400
Caribbean 2 200 1 100 1 000 1 800 1 300 3 700
Colombia 500 300 400 400 300 200
Cuba 400 300 200 500 600 600
Haiti 1 100 200 0 700 200 2 400
Venezuela (1) 300 300 400 300 300 400
Central America 13 000 13 300 13 100 17 000 20 300 29 500
Colombia 4 900 5 000 4 800 6 300 7 000 9 300
Cuba 3 100 4 000 4 300 5 700 6 900 6 400
Haiti 700 300 200 300 400 400
Venezuela (1) 4 200 4 000 3 800 4 800 6 100 13 500
Andean Region 4 000 10 700 16 400 24 100 61 200 56 100
Colombia 2 400 4 200 7 700 12 500 32 200 29 500
Cuba 700 1 400 2 300 4 000 11 900 9 300
Haiti 0 100 200 300 800 500
Venezuela (1) 800 4 900 6 200 7 300 16 300 16 800
Southern Cone 20 000 32 700 46 700 67 600 63 900 115 600
Colombia 15 200 23 100 31 600 41 600 34 100 49 000
Cuba 900 1 000 900 6 400 7 900 3 500
Haiti 1 300 4 600 10 100 14 800 15 500 49 700
Venezuela (1) 2 500 4 000 4 100 4 900 6 400 13 400
All countries 173 100 194 700 210 000 239 100 281 900 343 200
Colombia 67 600 76 600 87 600 104 100 112 800 126 000
Cuba 40 800 45 600 43 300 51 400 76 200 76 100
Haiti 34 800 36 100 41 400 42 500 37 400 74 600
Venezuela (1) 29 900 36 400 37 700 41 100 55 500 66 600
All countries except Canada and the United States
39 200 57 700 77 300 110 600 146 700 204 800
Percent of total immigration in LAC region
8 9 11 14 19 24
Source: National administrative data on visas and residence permits.Note: Destination countries include all countries of Table 1 except Guatemala and Uruguay.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 29
Finally, the political conflict and economic collapse in Venezuela, although still in its early stages in 2015, was associated with a slow rise in the exodus of Venezuelan nationals from their country, which reached 66 thousand persons per year in 2015. In proportional terms relative to the population of Venezuela, this amounts to 80% of the departure rate of Colombians from their country in the same year. It seems likely, however, that the departure rates for Venezuelans have been or will be significantly higher in 2016 and 2017.
The acquisition of nationality by immigrants in countries of the Americas
An analysis in the previous issue of this publication (2015) showed that more and more emigrants from the Americas to OECD countries were remaining in their new countries of residence and that with the extension of the period of residence, more and more were taking out the nationality of their adopted countries. What then is the reverse situation, that is, of persons emigrating to countries of the Americas and receiving the right of permanent residence. Table 5 gives an overview of this for countries for which data on acquisitions of nationality were available. In addition to the number of acquisitions for the years shown, the table includes an indicator of the “rate of acquisition” by recent permanent immigrants, that is, the numbers of persons acquiring the nationality over the period 2013-2015 relative to the number of permanent immigrants for a three-year period five-years earlier. The 5-year offset is intended to take into account the fact that the acquisition of nationality generally requires a minimum number of years of residence in the country, which varies from country to country.
Table 5. Acquisitions of nationality in countries of the Americas, 2005-2015
2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Ratio of acquisitions 2013-2015 to permanent
immigrants 2008-2011
Bolivia (1) -- 400 350 540 630 720 780 0.29
Canada 198 740 143 700 181 490 113 170 129 040 262 640 252 090 0.83
Chile 520 740 1 030 1 230 680 1 050 690 0.01
Colombia 120 110 130 -- -- 150 270 0.02
Costa Rica 1 600 3 350 3 380 -- -- 2 020 3 790 0.31
Ecuador -- -- 650 1 310 2 080 2 170 -- 0.23
El Salvador -- 80 60 50 10 130 30 0.13
Guatemala 390 550 120 160 180 -- -- 0.16
Honduras -- 60 100 110 90 40 -- 0.14
Mexico 5 610 2 150 2 630 3 590 3 580 2 340 2 740 0.13
Paraguay -- 10 10 30 -- -- 10 0.00
Peru 790 920 1 220 1 130 730 400 520 0.03
United States of America
604 280 619 910 694 190 757 430 779 930 653 560 730 350 0.66
Uruguay -- 210 240 270 330 360 300 0.10
Source: SICREMI acquistions database.Notes: The periods used in calculating the ratio have been adapted according to the availability of the data. See text for Bolivia.(1) Plurinational State of
30 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
The persons acquiring nationality in 2013-2015 are of course not necessarily those who entered in 2008-2010; the ratio is intended to give a general indication of the propensity for immigrants to take out the nationality of the host country, which can be affected by the legal requirements but also the perceived advantages to the immigrants themselves. In most countries of the Americas, the legal requirements are relatively modest, especially for nationals of neighboring countries, which constitute the bulk of migration for most countries of the hemisphere.8
In the settlement countries of Canada and the United States, the ratio of acquisitions of nationality to permanent immigrants is about two-thirds to three quarters. The Canadian figure is somewhat inflated by the increase in naturalizations which occurred in 2014 and which maintained itself in 2015, created by an increase in applications in anticipation of a hardening of naturalization conditions in 2014 and the reduction of a sizable backlog in applications (400 thousand) over the 2-year period.
Overall, as is clear from the table, outside of Canada and the United States relatively few immigrants in LAC countries appear to take out the nationality of their adopted countries. In certain countries, such as Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru, the ratio is very small. The low propensity may in some cases be associated with the existence of numerous regional agreements facilitating movements among the countries concerned but especially, because much of the migration in LAC countries involves persons from neighboring countries, to whom settlement may not always appear as definitive. This is a pattern observed among migrants in the European Union. The increase in immigration in LAC countries is relatively recent, however, and as the duration of stay increases, the acquisition of the nationality of the host country may begin to seem a sensible and attractive choice.
Recent developments with regard to movements to the United States and Spain
Entry into and departure from the United States by persons from the Americas, 2006-2015
The United States remains the main destination country within the Americas for emigrants from the hemisphere, with over 50% of emigrants who remain within the Americas migrating to that country. In 2015 more than half of these migrants were legal permanent residents, that is, recipients of so-called “green cards”.9 The United States has also been the destination of choice for a significant number of unauthorized migrants moving north in response to labor demand and crossing the border without inspection or overstaying their visas. Their numbers have systematically exceeded the number of places available for workers among legal permanent residents and temporary migrants. It is estimated that in 2015, the number of such migrants resident in the United States was about 11 million, of which 5.55 million were from Mexico, 1.8 million from Central America, 650 thousand from South America and 425 thousand from the Caribbean (Passel and Cohn, 2017). This estimate represents a significant decline from the peak value of 12.2 million in 2007, before
8 For Bolivia, the residence requirement is especially short (at most two years, and in many cases one year) and the number of permanent immigrants has risen strongly in recent years. Accordingly, to give a more realistic figure, the ratio has been calculated as 2014-2015 acquisitions relative to 2012-2013 permanent migrants.
9 We will be departing from the terminology commonly used in the United States for migrants with a visa of limited duration, for work, study, family visit, etc. Such migrants are designated as “non-immigrants” in United States statistics and grouped with tourists and business visitors. Here they will be referred to as “temporary migrants”.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 31
the onset of the economic crisis. As we have seen in past issues of this publication, the post-crisis period saw a decline in emigration to both the United States and Spain, the main destination countries for emigrants from Latin America and an increase of emigration to other countries of the Americas.
What was the precise stay and departure behavior of migrants from the Americas in the United States in response to the 2008 economic crisis? Have the movements north reasserted themselves in 2015, after 6 consecutive years of positive GDP growth in the United States? To examine these questions and others related to movements in and out of the United States, we will be using the American Community Survey (ACS), a survey of 3.5 million persons conducted every year to provide detailed information on households and persons in the period between population censuses. Although the coverage of immigrants in sample surveys is not perfect (see Annex A1 on this), the ACS has the virtue of covering in principle all immigrants, including the unauthorized, although they cannot be distinguished specifically in the sample from authorized immigrants. In fact, the ACS is the source commonly used to produce estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States by a number of researchers (Passel et al. 2014, Hoefer et al. 2012, Warren and Warren, 2013).
The evolution of migration movements from the Americas to the United States, as tracked by the ACS, shows a notable development, namely, the fact that immigration from Mexico had still not recovered from pre-crisis levels (Figure 8) as of 2015. In that year, it stood at about half of the levels registered in 2006. Since authorized migration by Mexican nationals has actually increased by about 32% over this same period, largely as a result of temporary movements, the drop in overall migration suggests a strong decline in unauthorized migration. (see also Passel and Cohn, 2017).
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Figure 8. Evolution of immigrant arrivals in the United States, by region of origin, American Community Survey, 2006-2015
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Andean
Reg
ion
Canad
a
Caribb
ean
Centra
l Am
erica
Mexico
South
ern C
one
All orig
in regio
ns
2006=100 2009 2012 2015
Source: American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau.Notes: Immigrants here include temporary and unauthorised immigrants as well as legal permanent residents. Estimates may be subject to undercoverage of each of these. See Annex A1.
Among Central Americans, overall migration declined by about a quarter after 2006 but had rebounded to about 120% of its 2006 level by 2015. The largest increases in 2015 relative to 2006 are actually observed among immigrants from Canada (almost 90% above 2006 levels) and from the Southern Cone (73% higher). But such is the weight of Mexican migration that despite the fact that all other destination regions are showing strong increases, arrivals overall are still 10% below 2006 levels.10
This stagnation of Mexican migration in the presence of strong increases from other parts of the Americas evidently implies that the composition of migration to the United States has changed substantially over the decade 2006-2015. Indeed, immigration from the Americas into the United States has over the 2006-2015 period become more diverse (Figure 9), with all origin regions except Mexico having increased their shares of total entries. It is too early to say whether this will be a
10 In conjunction with the depressed level of migration to Europe and the greater propensity to remit of recent migrants, the decline in new migrants over the decade 2006-2015 may explain why remittances to countries of the Americas, in constant dollar terms, were in 2015 barely 4 percent above their pre-crisis level.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 33
lasting phenomenon, but the monotonic nature of the trend may suggest more than a temporary response to the difficult economic conditions brought about by the 2008 economic crisis.
Figure 9. Distribution of immigrant arrivals into the United States of America 2006-2015, by region of origin, American Community Survey
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
800000
700000
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000
0
Mexico Caribbean Central America Andean Region Canada Southern Cone
Source: American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau.Notes: See Annex A1.
The crisis itself led to an increase in departures from the United States, with a doubling of the annual overall outflow rate of immigrants from the Americas, from 2% of the stock in 2007 to 4% a year later, and an even greater increase in departures for migrants from Mexico (from 2% to almost 5.5% of the stock, Figure 10). This latter rate of departure is comparable to that observed in Spain in 2010 for all immigrants from the Americas. With the recovery in 2010, departures rates from the United States plummeted to about 1% of the resident stock per year, before climbing back erratically to 2-3% levels in 2013.
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Figure 10. Rate of outflow per year from the United States, immigrants from the Americas, percent of the stock, 2007-2015
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
All origin regions Mexico
Source: American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau.Notes: The outflow rate excludes older immigrants. See Annex A1. The estimated outflow rate for Mexico for 2014 is based on a low estimate
of outflows and is therefore subject to significant sampling variability.
These estimates give some idea of the extent of departures among all migrants, but they tend to understate the likelihood of departures among recent migrants. As was described in the previous issue of this publication (2015), the duration of residence of immigrants from the Americas in the United States and the European Union is increasing and, as they become settled, more of them are taking out the nationality of the countries they have moved to. Recent migrants have looser ties in the countries of destination and can be expected to be more mobile. Some of them in fact may not even intend to settle, such as international students or workers on temporary contracts, many of whom can be expected to return to their countries of origin once they have completed their studies or the job for which they were initially hired. Departure rates for this group can thus be expected to be higher than those for immigrants as a whole.
The ACS makes it possible to examine this question, although it cannot substitute for administrative data on departures, such as those to be presented later in this chapter for Spain. For technical reasons related to data quality, it was not possible to produce outflow or departure rates for immigrants from all countries of the Americas using the ACS.11 But those shown here are no doubt
11 The criterion for retention of a country was that the immigrant cohorts who entered from 2006 to 2010 had to show a decline in numbers in the years following arrival. Those not retained had estimates which were either unreliable due to small sample sizes or were subject to undercoverage problems in the early years after arrival which distorted cohort behaviour over time. See Annex 1A on this point.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 35
indicative of those for immigrants of other countries. Note that these departures are not necessarily returns to the country of origin, but could involve emigration to a third country. However, it is likely that most of the departures were in fact returns.
On average, about 30% of immigrants who arrived in the United States from 2006 to 2015 from the countries shown, had left the country by 2015, ranging from a low of 17% for Colombia to a high of almost 50% for Canada (Figure 11). Mexico shows a departure rate of 27% as of 2015 among immigrants who entered the United States from 2006 to 2015. Departure rates ranged between 35 and 40% in Argentina, Chile and Brazil. Departure rates were thus highest in Canada and the Southern Cone, precisely the countries where arrivals have increased the most since 2006, which suggests that the increase in movements may concern temporary migrants.
Figure 11. Immigrants from the Americas who arrived in the United States from 2006-2015, by presence in the United States in 2015, selected countries
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Brazil
Argen
tina
Chile
Mexico
Jam
aica
Costa
Rica
All cou
ntries
show
n
Colom
bia
Canad
a
Still present Left
Source: American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau.Note: See annex A1.
In summary then the 2008 economic crisis saw a significant reduction in arrivals to the United States, especially from Mexico, with all regions showing a strong recovery by 2015 except Mexico. Departure rates were sharply up in 2008, before declining strongly in the following year, and have been erratic since then but hovering around pre-crisis levels. Stay rates of immigrants who arrived in the United States between 2006 and 2015 (mostly permanent and unauthorized, but including some temporary) have averaged around 70%.
36 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Entry into and departure from Spain by emigrants from the Americas, 2002-2016
The Spanish municipal population register makes it possible to give a comprehensive picture of movements into and out of Spain over the period 2002-2016 of immigrants from the Americas, for all countries. The statistics are not subject to sampling variability and cover unauthorized immigrants as well as the authorized, since there is no legal impediment to registration by the unauthorized nor is their legal status identified specifically when they register. Over the period 2002 to 2016, over three million immigrants from the Americas entered Spain. To give some idea of the scale of these movements, if the United States had received the same proportion of immigrants (permanent, temporary and unauthorized) from the Americas relative to its population as Spain did over this period, the migrants would have numbered over 21 million persons, which is more than three times the number of authorized immigrants from the Americas who entered the United States over the period.
In 2004, prior to the economic crisis, barely 1% of immigrants from the Americas in Spain left that country every year (Table 6). As the Spanish economy fell into a deep recession, overall unemployment rates rose from about 8% in 2007 to 26% in 2013. Outflow rates of immigrants from the Americas stood at 5.7% per year in 2013. However, not all of this increase appears to be related to the economic crisis. Indeed, departure rates of immigrants from the Americas had been increasing steadily since 2003 and were already at 4.6% in 2007, before the economic crisis actually hit. Thus, it would appear that many emigrants to Spain may well have had return intentions at the outset and that the high departure rates initially may have not have had much to do with the strongly deteriorating conditions in the Spanish labor market which developed later. As in the United States, the highest departure rates are observed for Canada and the Southern Cone.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 37
Tabl
e 6.
Ent
ries
to a
nd d
epar
ture
s fr
om S
pain
of i
mm
igra
nts
from
the
Am
eric
as, 2
002-
2016
2002
-201
6A
nnua
l out
flow
rat
es
Out
flow
rat
e (a
ll
pers
ons
pres
ent
over
per
iod)
Infl
ows
Out
flow
sN
et c
hang
e20
0420
0720
1020
1320
1620
02-2
016
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
es 8
2 60
0 4
4 28
0 3
8 32
00.
88.
37.
810
.210
.739
.4
Can
ada
9 0
70 4
830
4 2
400.
85.
97.
07.
98.
235
.8
Uni
ted
Stat
es 7
3 53
0 3
9 45
0 3
4 07
00.
88.
78.
010
.611
.039
.9
Car
ibbe
an 3
16 8
70 8
7 53
0 2
29 3
400.
94.
74.
44.
64.
120
.6
Cub
a 1
37 8
80 3
6 41
0 1
01 4
700.
52.
93.
22.
83.
318
.6
Dom
inic
a 1
030
23
0
800
0.5
1.8
2.2
3.4
2.7
13.0
Dom
inic
an R
epub
lic 1
77 9
60 5
0 90
0 1
27 0
700.
93.
33.
13.
53.
622
.3
Cen
tral
Am
eric
a 2
50 9
70 9
0 44
0 1
60 5
401.
58.
57.
27.
55.
431
.3
Cos
ta R
ica
6 6
40 3
150
3 4
901.
17.
69.
39.
98.
338
.7
El S
alva
dor
16
670
5 0
50 1
1 61
01.
35.
95.
46.
33.
925
.6
Gua
tem
ala
12
960
5 0
70 7
890
0.8
6.8
7.5
7.4
4.8
32.7
Hon
dura
s 8
5 63
0 2
0 79
0 6
4 84
01.
96.
96.
26.
33.
823
.2
Mex
ico
81
870
43
150
38
720
1.6
10.6
8.6
8.9
7.5
41.4
Nic
arag
ua 4
0 35
0 9
640
30
700
0.9
4.9
5.5
6.4
4.9
22.6
Pan
ama
6 8
60 3
580
3 2
801.
56.
17.
18.
67.
038
.8
Ande
an R
egio
n 1
506
640
666
460
840
190
1.2
4.0
4.8
5.3
3.8
31.5
Bol
ivia
(1)
319
980
155
740
164
240
2.5
6.1
8.5
8.0
4.4
46.4
Col
ombi
a 3
67 5
40 1
58 1
70 2
09 3
600.
93.
84.
24.
73.
927
.6
Ecua
dor
377
170
203
500
173
670
1.2
3.5
4.1
5.1
3.8
31.9
Per
u 2
24 2
70 8
1 19
0 1
43 0
801.
13.
64.
34.
83.
128
.7
Vene
zuel
a (2
) 2
17 7
00 6
7 85
0 1
49 8
400.
83.
44.
14.
73.
423
.5
Sout
hern
Con
e 8
88 7
10 4
35 8
90 4
52 8
201.
15.
67.
57.
04.
839
.4
Arge
ntin
a 3
04 4
90 1
41 0
20 1
63 4
701.
04.
65.
24.
53.
933
.3
Bra
zil
246
090
135
540
110
550
1.4
8.1
12.7
10.6
6.5
47.5
38 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
2002
-201
6A
nnua
l out
flow
rat
es
Out
flow
rat
e (a
ll
pers
ons
pres
ent
over
per
iod)
Infl
ows
Out
flow
sN
et c
hang
e20
0420
0720
1020
1320
1620
02-2
016
Chi
le 8
4 54
0 4
9 01
0 3
5 53
01.
66.
97.
58.
25.
442
.5
Par
agua
y 1
62 4
20 7
1 75
0 9
0 67
02.
37.
58.
911
.35.
843
.5
Uru
guay
91
180
38
570
52
610
0.9
3.5
5.0
4.4
3.4
32.6
All a
bove
cou
ntri
es 3
045
790
1 3
24 6
00 1
721
200
1.1
4.6
5.5
5.7
4.2
32.7
Sour
ce: N
atio
nal S
tatis
tical
Inst
itute
, Spa
in, M
unic
ipal
Pop
ulat
ion
Reg
iste
r.N
otes
: Th
e an
nual
out
flow
rat
e is
def
ined
as
the
outf
low
s ov
er th
e ye
ar d
ivid
ed b
y th
e po
pula
tion
of th
e gi
ven
orig
in p
rese
nt a
t the
beg
inni
ng o
f the
yea
r. Th
e cu
mul
ativ
e ou
tflo
w r
ate
is th
e to
tal o
f all
outf
low
s ov
er th
e pe
riod
div
ided
by
the
sum
of t
he p
opul
atio
n fr
om th
e Am
eric
as p
rese
nt a
t the
beg
inni
ng o
f 200
2 pl
us th
e in
flow
s ov
er th
e pe
riod
. In
shor
t, it
is th
e to
tal o
f all
outf
low
s di
vide
d by
the
popu
la-
tion
of im
mig
rant
s pr
esen
t at a
ny ti
me
in S
pain
from
200
2-20
16.
(1) P
luri
natio
nal S
tate
of;
(2) B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f
Tabl
e 6.
Ent
ries
to a
nd d
epar
ture
s fr
om S
pain
of i
mm
igra
nts
from
the
Am
eric
as, 2
002-
2016
(con
t.)
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 39
As the unemployment rate more than tripled in the years from 2007 to 2013, the departure rate of immigrants from the Americas only increased by one percentage point.12
About one third of immigrants from the Americas present at any time in Spain from 2002 to 2016 had left as of 2015, ranging from under or close to 20% for immigrants from the Caribbean to over 40% for immigrants from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Paraguay.
As in the United States, differences in mobility patterns among immigrants of different nationalities have changed the composition of immigration in Spain (Figure 12). With a strong decline in immigration from the Andean Region and the Southern Cone, the distribution of immigrants to Spain had by 2013 become much more diverse, with the relative share of immigrants from other regions having increased, especially of Central Americans, who are largely from Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua. But with the pick-up in immigration levels beginning in 2014, the former dominance of immigrants from the Andean Region and the Southern Cone is starting to reassert itself; migration from Central America, however, appears to be maintaining its share.
Figure 12. Immigration to Spain from the Americas, by region of origin, 2002-2015
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Andean Region Southern Cone Central America Caribbean Canada and the United States
Source: Municipal Population Register, National Institute of Statistics (INE), Spain.
12 These annual departure rates cannot be compared to those generated from the ACS, which is subject to under-coverage of recent entries for certain countries which may significantly affect the estimated outflow rates.
40 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
A general overview of emigration from countries of the Americas to OECD countries and to other countries of the Americas
Despite the strong increases in immigration observed in many countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years, they remain for the most part countries of emigration. The economic crisis of 2008, however, did dampen movements to the traditional main destination countries of the United States and especially to Spain and stimulated an increase in migration to neighboring countries, at the same time as the implementation of the Mercosur Residence Agreement in 2009 facilitated movements by nationals of member and associate member states (OAS/OECD, 2015). These developments were reviewed in the previous issue of this publication; here we update the picture to 2015.
From a situation where only 27% of migration movements from the Americas went to countries of Latin America and the Caribbean over the period 2009-2012, fully 34% of such movements were intra-American (outside of Canada and the United States) a mere three years later (2012-2015). This is a remarkable change over such a short period. Most of the change came at the expense of emigration to Europe and in particular to Spain. Table 7 portrays cells where the change was positive in blue and those where the change was negative in gray; the darker shades are for cells where the change (positive or negative) exceeded 5 percentage points. The pattern in the table is striking: every country of the Americas except Guyana saw an increase in outflows to LAC countries, and for many if not all, a decline in emigration to Canada and the United States and to OECD countries outside the Americas. In addition, all of the high-increase situations concern the same destination region, namely the Americas excluding Canada and the United States, and all of the high-decline situations concern either Canada-and-the-United States as a destination region or OECD countries outside of the Americas.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 41
Tabl
e 7.
Em
igra
tion
from
the
Am
eric
as to
des
tina
tion
reg
ions
in th
e A
mer
icas
and
to O
ECD
cou
ntri
es, 2
009-
2015
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
- D
esti
nati
on r
egio
ns -
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
--
C
anad
a an
d th
e U
nite
d St
ates
Am
eric
as e
xcep
t for
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
esO
ECD
out
side
of A
mer
icas
All
des
tina
tion
reg
ions
P
erce
nt o
f all
em
igra
nts
Per
cent
of a
ll e
mig
rant
sP
erce
nt o
f all
em
igra
nts
Num
ber
of e
mig
rant
s
Ori
gin
coun
trie
s an
d re
gion
s 20
09-2
012
2012
-201
520
09-2
012
2012
-201
520
09-2
012
2012
-201
520
09-2
012
2012
-201
5
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
es
27
25
17
22
56
53 1
010
700
1 0
61 1
00
Can
ada
35
34
12
15
53
51
198
800
205
800
Uni
ted
Stat
es o
f Am
eric
a
25
23
18
23
56
54 8
11 8
00 8
55 3
00
Car
ibbe
an
77
69
9
20
14
11 9
95 8
00 1
088
900
Antig
ua a
nd B
arbu
da
85
77
12
19
3
4 2
700
2 8
00
Bar
bado
s
90
86
1
4
9
9 6
500
6 0
00
Cub
a
69
62
12
25
19
13 2
18 9
00 2
83 5
00
Dom
inic
a
54
51
9
10
37
40 4
700
3 9
00
Dom
inic
an R
epub
lic
75
73
6
10
19
17 2
88 7
00 2
82 8
00
Gre
nada
82
81
9
11
9
8
5 6
00 4
800
Guy
ana
69
73
28
23
3
4
44
900
37
700
Hai
ti
77
47
13
46
10
7 1
60 1
00 2
10 4
00
Jam
aica
92
94
1
1
7
5
180
100
184
100
Sain
t Kitt
s an
d N
evis
87
79
7
10
6
10
2 2
00 2
200
Sain
t Luc
ia
80
77
9
11
11
12 1
0 60
0 9
300
Sain
t Vin
cent
and
the
Gre
nadi
nes
78
75
17
20
5
4
10
400
7 9
00
Suri
nam
e
13
13
1
3
85
84 8
500
7 8
00
The
Bah
amas
(1)
96
91
2
6
2
3
9 5
00 1
0 00
0
Trin
idad
and
Tob
ago
89
85
6
10
5
5
42
600
35
800
Cen
tral
Am
eric
a
88
85
6
9
6
6 1
728
600
2 0
10 4
00
Bel
ize
81
76
15
21
4
3
6 8
00 6
900
Cos
ta R
ica
68
62
17
22
15
16
27
200
29
200
El S
alva
dor
82
79
8
13
10
9
104
100
109
300
Gua
tem
ala
81
78
13
17
5
5
99
600
108
200
Hon
dura
s
53
53
15
19
32
28 7
0 10
0 9
0 20
0
42 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
- D
esti
nati
on r
egio
ns -
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
--
C
anad
a an
d th
e U
nite
d St
ates
Am
eric
as e
xcep
t for
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
esO
ECD
out
side
of A
mer
icas
All
des
tina
tion
reg
ions
P
erce
nt o
f all
em
igra
nts
Per
cent
of a
ll e
mig
rant
sP
erce
nt o
f all
em
igra
nts
Num
ber
of e
mig
rant
s
Ori
gin
coun
trie
s an
d re
gion
s 20
09-2
012
2012
-201
520
09-2
012
2012
-201
520
09-2
012
2012
-201
520
09-2
012
2012
-201
5
Mex
ico
94
94
2
3
4
4
1 3
31 3
00 1
533
900
Nic
arag
ua
28
16
53
73
19
11 7
1 40
0 1
14 0
00
Pan
ama
65
59
21
27
14
14
18
100
18
700
And
ean
Reg
ion
28
24
52
63
20
13
1 5
95 7
00 1
728
300
Bol
ivia
(2)
4
3
87
91
9
6
366
900
400
700
Col
ombi
a
44
32
31
53
25
15 4
12 8
00 5
11 8
00
Ecua
dor
40
44
20
29
40
27
156
400
139
200
Per
u
21
19
61
69
19
12 4
81 4
00 4
28 7
00
Vene
zuel
a (3
)
51
39
29
45
21
17 1
78 3
00 2
47 9
00
Sout
hern
Con
e
26
27
47
52
27
20 1
299
500
1 3
89 1
00
Arge
ntin
a
36
30
39
49
25
20 1
62 6
00 1
82 0
00
Bra
zil
43
47
14
19
43
34
541
600
579
300
Chi
le
38
35
37
44
25
22 1
03 4
00 1
09 0
00
Par
agua
y
1
1
91
95
8
4 4
49 6
00 4
71 9
00
Uru
guay
22
17
58
68
19
14
42
400
47
100
All
abo
ve c
ount
ries
50
48
27
34
22
18
6 6
30 3
00 7
277
800
Sour
ce: S
ICR
EMI a
nd O
ECD
dat
abas
es o
n in
tern
atio
nal m
igra
tion.
Not
es: A
gra
y/bl
ue s
hadi
ng in
dica
tes
a de
clin
e/in
crea
se fr
om 2
009-
2012
to 2
012-
2015
in th
e sh
are
of e
mig
rant
s to
the
give
n re
gion
; a d
arke
r gr
ay/b
lue
shad
ing
indi
cate
s a
decl
ine/
incr
ease
of m
ore
than
five
pe
rcen
tage
poi
nts
in th
e sh
are.
(1
) Com
mon
wea
lth
of; (
2) P
luri
natio
nal S
tate
of;
(3) B
oliv
aria
n R
epub
lic o
f
Tabl
e 7.
Em
igra
tion
from
the
Am
eric
as to
des
tina
tion
reg
ions
in th
e A
mer
icas
and
to O
ECD
cou
ntri
es, 2
009-
2015
(con
t.)
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 43
Caribbean emigration, although still largely oriented towards Canada and the United States, more than doubled its share of emigration to other countries of the Americas. Cuban and Haitian migration were largely responsible for this numerically, but every country of the Caribbean without exception increased its share of emigrants going to other countries of the Americas. Other regions where there was a shift towards countries of the Americas are evidently the Andean Region and the Southern Cone, with Colombia and Venezuela showing positive shifts in the share of emigrants moving to other countries of the Americas of 22 and 16 percentage points, respectively. Venezuelan emigration was largely redirected from the United States and Colombian outflows about equally from the United States and Europe.
Does this reflect a fundamental reorientation of movements away from the traditional destination country of the United States and the more cent recent one of Spain? The answer is not entirely obvious, as Table 8 illustrates. Emigration to Canada and especially the United States has reasserted itself from 2012 to 2015, showing an increase of 13% compared to a decline of 4% over the previous three years. Likewise, migration to OECD countries outside the Americas is no longer declining in 2015 relative to 2012 after having dropped 15% from 2009 to 2012.
44 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Tabl
e 8.
Per
cent
cha
nge
in e
mig
rati
on fr
om th
e A
mer
icas
to O
ECD
cou
ntri
es a
nd o
ther
cou
ntri
es o
f the
Am
eric
as, 2
009-
2015
Per
cent
cha
nge
over
the
peri
od in
dica
ted
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
- D
esti
nati
on r
egio
ns -
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
--
C
anad
a an
d th
e U
nite
d St
ates
Am
eric
as e
xcep
t for
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
esO
ECD
out
side
of A
mer
icas
All
des
tina
tion
reg
ions
N
umbe
r of
per
sons
Num
ber
of p
erso
nsN
umbe
r of
per
sons
Num
ber
of p
erso
ns
Ori
gin
coun
trie
s an
d re
gion
s 20
12/2
009
2015
/201
220
12/2
009
2015
/201
220
12/2
009
2015
/201
220
12/2
009
2015
/201
2
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
es
5-
11
60
20
4
1
12
1
Can
ada
- 9
4
41
12
1
7
1
7
Uni
ted
Stat
es o
f Am
eric
a
10-
17
63
21
5
- 1
14
0
Car
ibbe
an-
9
11
87
175
- 1
- 1
7-
2
27
Antig
ua a
nd B
arbu
da-
15
- 1
1
73
1
29
47-
5-
7
Bar
bado
s-
8-
17
- 7
4 1
404
- 4
22
- 9
- 8
Cub
a-
14
59
45
14
7-
4-
9-
7
60
Dom
inic
a-
51
- 1
0
55-
34
16
- 3
1-
24
- 2
3
Dom
inic
an R
epub
lic-
13
20
14
4
4
0-
30
- 5
8
Gre
nada
- 2
6-
20
50
- 1
8-
29
- 1
8-
22
- 2
0
Guy
ana
- 2
0-
4-
33
- 3
3
5
0-
23
- 1
2
Hai
ti
2-
30
43
7
398
24
- 3
29
73
Jam
aica
0
6
48
- 2
2-
23
- 2
- 1
5
Sain
t Kitt
s an
d N
evis
- 3
- 1
8
41
50-
2
130
0
- 2
Sain
t Luc
ia
1-
27
46
- 2
3-
46
38
- 4
- 2
1
Sain
t Vin
cent
and
the
Gre
nadi
nes
- 2
1-
31
- 1
- 2
2-
37
- 2
6-
18
- 2
9
Suri
nam
e-
12
- 2
0
42
98
10-
19
7
- 1
7
The
Bah
amas
(1)
- 1
0
14
42
204
2
77
- 9
21
Trin
idad
and
Tob
ago
- 1
8-
30
31
- 1
- 2
2
12-
16
- 2
6
Cen
tral
Am
eric
a
1
23
30
86
21
17
3
26
Bel
ize
- 1
7-
2
24
11-
44
- 1
- 1
4
0
Cos
ta R
ica
- 1
0
3
83
28
12
23
4
11
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 45
Per
cent
cha
nge
over
the
peri
od in
dica
ted
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
- D
esti
nati
on r
egio
ns -
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
----
--
C
anad
a an
d th
e U
nite
d St
ates
Am
eric
as e
xcep
t for
Can
ada
and
the
Uni
ted
Stat
esO
ECD
out
side
of A
mer
icas
All
des
tina
tion
reg
ions
N
umbe
r of
per
sons
Num
ber
of p
erso
nsN
umbe
r of
per
sons
Num
ber
of p
erso
ns
Ori
gin
coun
trie
s an
d re
gion
s 20
12/2
009
2015
/201
220
12/2
009
2015
/201
220
12/2
009
2015
/201
220
12/2
009
2015
/201
2
El S
alva
dor
- 1
6
18
13
99
35
6-
10
24
Gua
tem
ala
- 3
5
- 2
5
65
5
8-
6
12
Hon
dura
s
13
28-
21
12
3
40
43
14
45
Mex
ico
2
24
82
51
17
11
4
25
Nic
arag
ua-
18
3
47
11
6
18
11
20
71
Pan
ama
- 2
3
23
3
68-
4
10-
16
31
And
ean
Reg
ion
- 1
5-
6
46
22-
40
- 3
5
11
Bol
ivia
(2)
- 3
2-
4
41-
10
- 2
8-
8
30-
10
Col
ombi
a-
14
- 1
2
133
88
- 3
8-
7
7
32
Ecua
dor
- 1
6
10
8
56-
50
- 2
4-
28
10
Per
u-
29
- 8
24
- 1
2-
45
- 2
7-
5-
13
Vene
zuel
a (3
)
7-
4
83
185
- 1
2
85
19
75
Sout
hern
Con
e-
7
14
47-
1-
29
9
8
5
Arge
ntin
a-
21
6
16
53
- 3
0
27-
11
31
Bra
zil
1
17
13
4
12-
26
6
- 1
12
Chi
le-
21
12
26
22
- 1
3
14-
4
17
Par
agua
y-
19
21
45
- 1
5-
51
- 3
33
- 1
4
Uru
guay
- 2
2-
9
15
23-
30
15
- 3
16
All
abo
ve c
ount
ries
- 4
13
48
25
- 1
5
1
5
15
Sour
ce: S
ICR
EMI a
nd O
ECD
dat
abas
es o
n in
tern
atio
nal m
igra
tion.
Not
e: A
gra
y/bl
ue s
hadi
ng in
dica
tes
a de
clin
e/in
crea
se in
the
flow
of m
ore
than
15%
ove
r th
e pe
riod
con
side
red.
(1) C
omm
onw
ealt
h of
; (2)
Plu
rina
tiona
l Sta
te o
f; (3
) Bol
ivar
ian
Rep
ublic
of
Tabl
e 8.
Per
cent
cha
nge
in e
mig
rati
on fr
om th
e A
mer
icas
to O
ECD
cou
ntri
es a
nd o
ther
cou
ntri
es o
f the
Am
eric
as, 2
009-
2015
(con
t.)
46 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
The very high growth rate (48%) registered by emigrants to destination countries in the Americas other than Canada and the United States has declined to 25%, which remains a high level. However, it is only among Caribbean countries that one sees large declines for this destination region in 2015 relative to 2012.
Outside of Canada and the Caribbean, the United States has rebounded as a destination region, particularly for Central America and for Brazil and Paraguay in the Southern Cone. A similar pattern holds for OECD destination countries outside the Americas, with only Ecuador and Peru continuing to show large declines in outflows to these countries.
The tepid increase in outflows overall from 2009 to 2012 of only 5% has increased to a more substantial growth rate of 15% from 2012 to 2015. However, although this growth rate in outflows is lower than the growth rate of inflows into LAC countries, the outflows in 2015 still exceeded the inflows by a factor of about two to one. The question this raises then is the following: how long before immigration into LAC countries outweighs emigration from these same countries? Taking the average growth rates observed over 2010-2015 and extrapolating into the future yields a figure of a little over twelve years. Note that this does not necessarily mean that LAC countries will necessarily be net immigration countries; the net will depend on the relative proportion of permanent and temporary migration and the extent to which immigrants/emigrants stay on in their adopted countries of residence.
In summary, then, recent outflows from the Americas show signs of a partial return to traditional patterns of expatriation, but with continued strong increases in intra-LAC movements. As noted previously, migration corridors once opened tend to maintain themselves, not the least because information channels are created conveying information on job opportunities and modalities of entry from migrants in destination countries back to family and friends in origin countries. And migration to neighboring countries, whether from Peru to Chile, Paraguay to Argentina or Nicaragua to Costa Rica are simpler, cheaper and in many cases less uncertain than a movement north or a transatlantic move to country thousands of kilometers from home.
The labor market outcomes of migrants from the Americas in Europe and the United States
In 2010-2011, three out of four migrants leaving the Americas for Europe and other countries of the Americas were going to Spain and the United States.
By 2015, their numbers had reached 22.8 million in the United States and more than 2.4 million in Spain. They represented fully 9.4% of the working-age population in the United States and 6.2% in Spain. This section describes how this population fares in the labor markets of the United States and Europe.
There has been progress on the employment front, based on stronger economic growth in the United States and economic recovery in Europe
OECD countries’ economies grew by more than 2 percent on average in 2014 and 2015. Taken as a whole, the European Union saw rates of growth of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014-2015 that the United States had experienced in 2013-2014. The latter experienced a more sustained growth in 2014 and 2015, 2.6% and 2.9% respectively, between half a point and a point above the European
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 47
growth. The Spanish economy is showing strong signs of recovery with 3.2% GDP growth in the year 2015.
In 2014-2015, three quarters of American immigrants living in the United States or European OECD countries were in the labor force. Their employment rate reached 69%, a 1.6 percentage point increase since 2012-2013 and the unemployment rate reached 9%, down 2.7 percentage points. If all American immigrant groups saw their situation in the labor market improve recently, immigrants who were living in Spain, were still lagging behind with an employment rate of 58% and an unemployment rate as high as 29%.
Table 9 that presents the labor market outcomes of American emigrants living in the United States or European OECD countries in 2014-2015. The blue/grey cells indicate an increase/a decrease of at least 1 percentage point in the participation or employment rates (vice-versa for the unemployment rate) since the preceding two-year period. The risk of being unemployed has decreased for virtually every group of immigrants from the Americas between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015. The only exceptions concern Bolivian men and Venezuelan women whose unemployment rates have increased in the period to reach 31% and 21% respectively, the highest unemployment rates observed in 2014-2015 for men and women respectively from the Americas. Compared to other immigrants from other countries, a relatively high share of immigrants from Bolivia and Venezuela has fewer than 10 years of residence in their main destination country, that is, Spain in the case of Bolivians and the United States for Venezuelans. They are more likely to have been affected by the crisis than migrants who had arrived earlier.
On average, participation rates of men and women born in the Americas remained constant in the US labor market. For those living in Europe, participation rates decreased by 2 percentage points on average, and by 1 percentage point in Spain. While the progress observed in employment in the period 2012-2013 was due to increased participation, this time the increase in employment rates came from increased opportunities for those already present in the labor market.
The employment rate of American immigrants in the United States or European OECD countries rose by 1.6 percentage points on average. The increase was higher for men, 2.0 percentage points, than for women, 1.4 percentage points. This can be explained by the fact that migrant men are relatively more often employed in sectors which are more sensitive to the business cycle, such as construction and accommodation and food service activities. Migrant men living in Spain in particular gained from the employment recovery, with their employment rate increasing by 3.6 percentage points between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015.
48 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Table 9. Labor market outcomes of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 averages
2012-2013 2014-2015
Participation rate %
Employment rate %
Unemployment rate %
Participation rate %
Employment rate %
Unemployment rate %
Country of birth Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Canada 81 67 74 77 63 70 5 7 6 82 69 75 78 65 71 5 5 5
United States 81 64 72 76 59 67 nr nr 6 79 66 72 75 61 68 nr nr nr
Canada and the United States
81 66 73 77 62 69 6 7 6 81 68 74 77 64 70 5 5 5
Antigua and Barbuda nr nr 86 nr nr 79 nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Bahamas 77 76 76 71 68 70 nr nr nr 74 75 74 65 69 67 nr nr nr
Barbados 76 78 77 66 74 71 nr nr 8 81 83 82 73 78 76 nr nr nr
Cuba 82 70 76 72 59 66 13 15 14 81 68 75 75 60 67 8 13 10
Dominica nr 78 79 72 72 72 nr nr nr 78 63 69 69 52 59 nr nr nr
Dominican Republic 81 71 75 69 59 63 15 17 16 78 69 73 69 60 64 12 13 13
Grenada 77 77 77 72 69 70 nr nr nr 85 76 80 80 71 75 nr nr nr
Guyana 82 75 78 72 66 69 12 11 12 82 71 76 75 64 69 9 10 9
Haiti 82 76 79 71 64 68 13 15 14 81 76 78 73 67 70 10 12 11
Jamaica 81 80 80 69 72 71 14 10 12 82 80 81 73 74 74 11 8 9
Trinidad and Tobago 83 75 79 74 66 69 12 12 12 81 75 77 73 69 71 10 8 9
Caribbean 81 74 77 71 64 67 13 14 14 80 73 76 73 64 68 10 11 11
Belize 80 72 76 72 60 66 nr nr 13 82 68 74 77 64 69 nr nr nr
Costa Rica 87 66 75 79 60 68 nr nr 9 84 67 75 78 62 70 nr nr 8
El Salvador 90 71 81 84 64 74 6 10 8 88 69 79 84 64 75 4 8 6
Guatemala 90 64 80 84 56 73 7 12 9 90 61 78 86 55 73 4 9 6
Honduras 87 69 78 79 60 70 9 14 11 87 66 76 82 59 70 6 11 8
Mexico 87 57 73 81 50 67 7 12 9 87 57 73 84 52 69 5 9 6
Nicaragua 87 71 79 79 64 71 9 10 10 88 73 80 83 68 74 6 7 6
Panama 82 71 76 74 65 69 10 8 9 78 72 74 73 66 69 nr 8 7
Central America 88 59 74 82 52 68 7 12 9 88 59 74 84 54 70 5 9 6
Bolivia (1) 85 83 84 62 70 66 27 16 21 84 80 82 59 70 65 31 12 20
Colombia 83 74 78 70 60 64 16 19 18 84 74 78 70 61 65 17 17 17
Ecuador 83 76 79 63 57 60 24 25 24 84 75 79 72 62 66 15 17 16
Peru 87 75 80 76 63 69 13 16 15 85 74 79 78 63 70 9 14 12
Venezuela (2) 83 69 76 70 56 63 15 19 17 81 67 73 71 53 61 12 21 17
Andean Region 84 75 79 68 60 64 19 20 19 84 74 78 71 61 66 15 16 16
Argentina 83 71 77 69 57 63 17 20 18 81 74 78 68 60 64 16 19 17
Brazil 85 68 75 75 56 63 11 18 15 82 65 72 75 54 62 8 17 13
Chile 82 72 77 68 61 65 17 16 16 81 71 76 69 60 64 15 15 15
Paraguay 82 83 83 56 71 67 31 14 19 81 82 81 64 71 68 21 13 16
Uruguay 89 78 83 69 58 63 22 26 24 88 75 82 72 59 66 18 21 19
Southern Cone 84 71 77 71 58 64 16 19 17 82 70 75 71 58 64 13 17 15
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 49
2012-2013 2014-2015
Participation rate %
Employment rate %
Unemployment rate %
Participation rate %
Employment rate %
Unemployment rate %
Country of birth Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Men
Wom
en
Men
and
wom
en
Destination: United States and European OECD countries
Born in Americas 86 66 76 77 57 67 10 14 12 85 65 75 79 58 69 7 11 9
Born elsewhere 82 65 73 73 57 64 12 12 12 82 65 73 73 57 65 11 11 11
Native-born 76 68 72 69 61 65 10 9 10 76 68 72 70 62 66 9 8 8
All persons 77 67 72 70 60 65 10 10 10 77 68 72 71 62 66 9 9 9
Destination: United States
Born in Americas 86 64 75 80 57 69 7 11 9 86 63 75 82 58 70 5 8 6
Born elsewhere 82 66 74 76 61 68 7 8 7 81 66 73 77 62 69 5 6 6
Native-born 74 69 71 67 63 65 10 9 9 74 69 71 68 64 66 8 7 7
All persons 76 68 72 69 62 65 9 9 9 75 68 72 70 63 67 7 7 7
Destination: European OECD countries
Born in Americas 83 75 78 63 57 60 24 23 24 81 73 76 65 57 60 20 21 21
Born elsewhere 82 63 72 69 53 61 15 16 16 82 64 73 70 54 62 14 15 15
Native-born 78 67 72 70 60 65 10 10 10 78 68 73 71 61 66 9 9 9
All persons 79 67 73 70 59 65 11 11 11 79 67 73 71 61 66 10 10 10
Destination: Spain
Born in Americas 84 81 82 55 55 55 35 32 33 84 79 81 58 57 58 30 28 29
Born elsewhere 85 68 77 54 43 49 37 36 37 85 67 76 58 44 51 32 35 33
Native-born 79 67 73 61 51 56 23 24 24 79 68 74 63 52 58 21 23 22
All persons 80 68 74 60 51 55 25 26 26 80 69 74 62 52 57 22 25 23
Sources: European Labor Force Surveys (Eurostat) for European OECD countries; American Community Surveys.Notes: Data refer to the population aged 15-64 (participation and employment rates) and to the active population aged 15-64 (unemployment rate). For the United States, the persons aged 15 were not asked about their employment status; they are considered here as inactive.A grey shading means a decline in the participation or employment of more than 1 percentage point or an increase in the unemployment rate of more than 1 percentage point. A blue shading reflects a positive evolution of these indicators of more than 1 percentage point.nr: not reliable(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
Labor market outcomes for specific countries or regions of the Americas are driven by the relative distribution of migrants between the two destination countries, with countries whose migrants are more concentrated in Spain evidently showing higher unemployment rates and lower employment rates than those who tend to go to the United States. Of the Caribbean emigrants and Central American emigrants living in the United States or Europe, respectively 92% and 99% are in the United States; they have on average relatively low unemployment rates, 10.5% and 6.1% respectively. By comparison, 38% of the emigrants from the Andean region and 50% of the emigrants from the
Table 9. Labor market outcomes of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2012-2013 and 2014-2015 averages (cont.)
50 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Southern Cone are based in Europe and their unemployment rates exceed 15%. The differences are smaller with respect to participation rates or employment rates. But the gap observed between American migrants based in the two major destination countries is wider than the one observed between the native-born in Spain and the United States. The relatively recent settlement of American immigrants in Spain – a third of them have been in Europe for less than 10 years compared to 21% in the United States – certainly contributes to this outcome.
The two economies’ fundamentals are too different to allow for more comparisons between them; the analyses below will restrict themselves to comparisons between labor market outcomes of workers in each country or region separately.
Gender gaps in labor market outcomes are wider among immigrants from the Americas than among immigrants from other continents
In the United States, immigrant men from other countries of the Americas register higher participation and employment rates and lower unemployment rates than the other foreign-born men and than US-born men. The situation for American immigrant women in the United States is the exact opposite. Compared to other foreign-born women and US-born women, they have low employment or participation rates and are more likely to be unemployed.
In Spain, the largest destination country in Europe for emigrants from the Americas, men and women face a higher risk of unemployment than the Spanish-born but a lower one than other immigrants. In Spain women from the Americas have high rates of participation and employment (79% and 57% respectively) compared to their native-born and foreign-born counterparts. While the employment rate of emigrant women from other countries of the Americas in the United States is 23 percentage points lower than men’s, it is nearly equal to that of men in Spain, with a difference is only of 1 percentage point. Employed emigrant women from the Americas in Spain are over-represented in elementary occupations and service and sales occupations; indeed 38% are directly employed by households. The average gender difference in employment rates among the emigrant population from the Americas living in the United States or European OECD countries is, at 21 percentage points, 5 percentage points higher than the difference observed among other immigrants and 14 percentage points higher than the one observed among the native-born (Figure 13). The large difference observed for emigrants from the Americans is essentially driven by what is observed among Mexicans. In fact, 46% of migrants from the Americas living in the United States or Spain are from Mexico, and migrants from this country show the largest difference in employment outcomes between men and women. At the other end of the spectrum, Paraguayan and Bolivian emigrant women are more likely to be in employment than men from the same countries. Indeed, the latter have the highest rates of unemployment of all emigrant men from the Americas. The unemployment rate is 21% for men from Paraguay and 31% for men from Bolivia. The unemployment rates of women from these same countries do not exceed 13%.
Emigrant women from the Caribbean record higher participation rates than emigrant women from other regions of the Americas. Their higher participation in the labor market may be due to the high prevalence of single-parent households. For example, in the United States in 2015, American Community Survey results show that 34% of working-age women from the Caribbean were in households with no adult men present, compared to 23% of emigrant women from other regions of the Americas.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 51
Brazil
Born in
Am
erica
s
United S
tates
Nicara
gua
Ecuad
or
Guyana
Belize
Peru
Costa
Rica
Dominica
Canad
a
Urugu
ayCuba
Born el
sewher
e
Hondu
ras
Guatem
ala
Bolivia
(2)
Grenad
a
Colom
bia
Barba
dos
Baham
as
Parag
uay
Venez
uela(1)
El Salv
ador
Jam
aica
Trinida
d and T
obag
oChile
Dominica
n Rep
ublic
Haiti
Panam
a
Argen
tina
Native
-bor
n
Mexico
Figure 13. Gap in employment rates between men and women in the United States and in European OECD countries, by country of region of birth, 2014-2015
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
-15
Source added: European Labor Force Surveys (Eurostat) for European OECD countries; American Community Surveys.Notes: Data refer to the population aged 15-64. For the United States, the persons aged 15 were not asked about their employment status; they are considered here as inactive.(1) Bolivarian Republic of; (2)Plurinational State of
Tertiary-educated American immigrants are often overqualified for the jobs they may hold
In 2014-2015, in the United States and European OECD countries there are respectively 3.2 million and 800 000 employed tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas (Table 10). Each destination country has in addition 8 million tertiary-educated immigrants originating from other regions of the world. Compared to other regions of origin, immigrants from the Americas represent 10% of the employed tertiary-educated immigrants in Europe – a more substantial share in Spain, 39% – and 29% in the United States.
In the United States, the number of employed highly educated immigrants from the Americas increased by 6% between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015, twice as rapidly as for the native-born. In Europe, however, where labor market conditions remain on average less favorable and where migration from the Americas includes a smaller share of migrants raised and educated in the destination country, the number of employed highly educated immigrants from the Americas progressed more slowly than those coming from other parts of the World or the native-born.
If migrants from Central America (including Mexico) to the United States are relatively low-educated – only 11% hold a tertiary degree, in absolute terms they represent the first region of origin of
52 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
tertiary-educated migrants from the Americas to the United States with 1.2 million immigrants, followed by the Caribbean (900 000 immigrants) for which one third of the emigrants have a tertiary degree. In Europe, the main group of employed tertiary-educated American migrants originates from the Andean region, followed by Canada and the United States.
Tertiary-educated immigrants include both immigrants who migrated during childhood or for study reasons and stayed on, as well as foreign-born persons who obtained their highest degree in the country of origin and migrated in adulthood under a work permit or – more often – under family or humanitarian grounds (OAS/OECD, 2015). Despite their education level, such persons may occupy medium- or low-skilled jobs, in which case they are said to be “over-qualified” for the jobs they are holding. This definition of over-qualification is based on a classification of the skill level of occupations according to the current normal educational attainment level required to enter an occupation. In Europe, 36% of the employed tertiary-educated persons from the Americas are over-qualified for the job they hold, which is comparable to what is observed for the native-born in Spain, the country in Europe where 46% of migrants from the Americas live. In the United States13, close to half (47%) of the employed tertiary-educated born in the Americas are over-qualified versus 37% of their native-born counterparts and less than a third of other foreign-born persons (32%). Still, over-qualification affects more than half of Central Americans working in the United States and of Andeans working in Spain. If the number of employed tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas increased by 4% in European OECD countries and by 6% in the United States, over-qualification rates of American-born workers remained fairly stable over the first half of the decade.
Table 10. Over-qualification among employed tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas in European OECD countries and the United States, 2014-2015
Number of employed tertiary-educated
immigrants (average 2014-2015)
Employed tertiary-educated immigrants as a percentage of all
employed immigrants (average 2014-2015)
Percent change in number of employed
tertiary-educated immigrants
(from 2012-2013 to 2014-2015)
Over-qualification rate of employed
tertiary-educated immigrants (2014-
2015)
in percentages
Country of birth
In European OECD
countriesIn the United
States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
Canada 77 700 346 100 63 62 +20 +3 14 24
United States 160 800 na 75 na -2 na 15 na
Canada and the United States
238 500 na 71 na +4 na 15 na
Antigua and Barbuda
nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Bahamas nr 11 000 nr 44 nr +0 nr 40
Barbados nr 13 900 nr 44 nr +9 nr 39
Cuba 35 800 226 900 49 34 +5 +9 44 52
Dominica nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Dominican Republic
13 300 168 700 15 25 +56 +10 59 60
13 The measurement of the extent of over-qualification is not fully comparable between Europe and the United States because of uncertainties in the harmonization of educational and occupational skill levels.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 53
Number of employed tertiary-educated
immigrants (average 2014-2015)
Employed tertiary-educated immigrants as a percentage of all
employed immigrants (average 2014-2015)
Percent change in number of employed
tertiary-educated immigrants
(from 2012-2013 to 2014-2015)
Over-qualification rate of employed
tertiary-educated immigrants (2014-
2015)
in percentages
Country of birth
In European OECD
countriesIn the United
States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
Grenada nr 8 200 nr 36 nr -9 nr 47
Guyana nr 61 800 nr 33 nr -0 nr 41
Haiti 8 400 132 900 18 30 nr +13 nr 49
Jamaica 24 900 187 800 37 37 -7 +7 38 43
Trinidad and Tobago
6 200 60 100 53 38 -29 -12 nr 38
Caribbean 96 900 884 100 31 32 +1 +6 40 49
Belize nr 10 400 nr 32 nr -15 nr 41
Costa Rica nr 21 000 78 34 nr +9 nr 44
El Salvador nr 106 000 nr 10 nr +4 nr 58
Guatemala nr 67 300 nr 10 nr -10 nr 59
Honduras 6 500 51 700 18 12 +31 +4 79 58
Mexico 29 100 812 200 69 10 +22 +10 30 56
Nicaragua nr 48 700 nr 27 nr -1 nr 51
Panama nr 44 000 nr 45 nr +1 nr 41
Central America 48 800 1 161 300 40 11 +14 +7 39 55
Bolivia (1) 16 900 21 700 14 39 -46 -5 72 51
Colombia 71 000 218 300 31 44 -4 +4 41 45
Ecuador 32 500 80 300 11 25 -7 +9 85 53
Peru 68 100 128 200 30 39 +42 +4 61 51
Venezuela (2) 60 200 110 400 50 62 +1 +22 34 41
Andean Region 248 600 558 900 25 41 +0 +8 53 47
Argentina 83 600 61 300 45 48 -2 +15 38 30
Brazil 78 200 115 700 31 42 +18 +2 37 37
Chile 28 100 31 500 43 46 +8 +12 40 37
Paraguay 7 800 6 700 14 43 -19 +55 73 nr
Uruguay 17 800 10 700 32 32 +26 +20 43 44
Southern Cone 215 400 225 800 35 44 +7 +9 39 36
All above countries
848 200 3 215 800 36 20 +4 +6 36 47
Excluding Canada and the United States
609 700 2 869 700 30 18 +4 +7 45 50
Other foreign-born
7 993 500 7 976 800 33 58 +12 +7 33 32
Table 10. Over-qualification among employed tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas in European OECD countries and the United States, 2014-2015 (cont.)
54 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Number of employed tertiary-educated
immigrants (average 2014-2015)
Employed tertiary-educated immigrants as a percentage of all
employed immigrants (average 2014-2015)
Percent change in number of employed
tertiary-educated immigrants
(from 2012-2013 to 2014-2015)
Over-qualification rate of employed
tertiary-educated immigrants (2014-
2015)
in percentages
Country of birth
In European OECD
countriesIn the United
States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
In European
OECD countries
In the United States
Native-born 60 077 900 56 444 600 34 40 +6 +3 21 37
Native-born in Spain
6 700 000 na 45 na +6 na 36 na
Source: European countries: Labour Force Surveys (Eurostat); United States: American Community Survey.Notes: The term over-qualification refers to a situation in which a person with a tertiary degree holds a job for which the usual entry-level educational requirement is lower than tertiary.na: not applicable; nr: sample size too small to yield a reliable estimate(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean in 201614
In 2016, remittance flows to Latin America and the Caribbean reached record levels, with an undoubtedly positive impact on millions of recipient households.
The most important characteristics of the flows were: i) the total amount reached USD 70 369 million, after increasing for 7 consecutive years; ii) the growth of the inflows from 2015 to 2016 was 7.2%, which is the highest growth rate recorded in the past 10 years, iii) the increase in remittances was general throughout all the different sub-regions; and iv) the increase stemmed from, among other factors, higher employment and higher average wages and, consequently, a larger total wage bill for migrant workers from the main destination countries.
After the fall in remittances experienced in 2009, the flows recovered their growth, albeit at a much slower rate than had been observed prior to the financial crisis. By 2014 levels exceeded the highest levels observed before the financial crisis. The recovery in the flows accelerated significantly during 2015, reaching an annual growth rate of 5.9%, which was exceeded in 2016.
14 This section is based on the publication “Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2016. New Re-cord”. René Maldonado, coordinator of the Remittances and Financial Inclusion Program of the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA); Jesús Cervantes, Manager of Economic Statistics and coordinator of the Latin American and Caribbean Remittances Forum of CEMLA and Salvador Bonilla, Deputy Manager of Economic Statistics (CEMLA), 2017.
Table 10. Over-qualification among employed tertiary-educated immigrants from the Americas in European OECD countries and the United States, 2014-2015 (cont.)
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 55
Figure 14. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2001-2016
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
USD billion
22.1
33.6
47.3
60.1
25.7
40.0
56.2
60.9
55.559.1
62.0
70.4
53.6
58.8 59.4
65.7
For the purposes of this analysis, the LAC region will be subdivided into Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.
For the second consecutive year all, sub-regions of the Americas exhibited positive growth rates, higher than those of the previous year in the case of Andean countries15, Mexico and Central America, but lower in South America and the Caribbean.
15 The Andean countries are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
Source: CEMLA based on figures from central banks, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
56 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
USD million
Figure 15. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008-2016
30000
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Mexico Central America Caribbean South America
Mexico
During 2016, Mexico received slightly more than 38% of all remittances sent to LAC, exceeding the record amount observed in 2007 (See Box 3). After several years of ups and downs, remittance flows received by Mexico over the past three years have exhibited a sustained recovery, reaching USD 26,972 million during 2016, an increase of 8.8% on the previous year.
Central America
Remittances received by Central American countries continued to increase at rates similar to those observed immediately after the 2008 financial crisis. In 2016, a new record was set for remittances received by this sub-region as well, the amount reaching USD 17 871 million; this was an increase of 8.5% relative to 2015, the highest observed over the last 6 years. The rate was the result of higher growth in remittances in Guatemala (13.9%), El Salvador (7.2%) and Nicaragua (5.9%), partly offset, as in 2015, by a decline in remittances received by Panama (-9.9%) and, to a lesser extent, Costa Rica (-0.5%).
Source: CEMLA based on figures from central banks, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 57
Box 3. The determinants of remittances in 2016: The case of Mexico
Mexico is the country with the fourth highest amount of remittances in the world, after India, China and the Philippines, and the first in Latin America. In 2016, the inflows of remittances accounted for 38.3% of remittances received by Latin America and the Caribbean. Remittances here as elsewhere have contributed to improving standards of living and to reducing poverty by helping to fund expenditure on consumer goods, education, health, housing, and in some cases investment in family businesses as well.
In 2016, remittance flows to Mexico reached record levels, surpassing the previous record of USD 26 059 million set in 2007. The inflows registered their third consecutive annual increase in 2016 measured as a proportion of GDP, accounting for 2.59 percentage points of GDP, after having been equal to 1.77 percentage points in 2013. This is relatively small compared to what is observed in other countries of the region, particularly those of Central America and the Caribbean where remittances account for more than 10% of GDP in some countries. Nevertheless, remittances accounted for a high proportion of GDP during 2016 in some states of Mexico, particularly the poorest ones such as Michoacán (11.4 points of state GDP), Guerrero and Oaxaca (9.3 points of GDP in both cases).
Figure 16. USA: Change from 2013 to 2016 in selected employment and earnings of Mexican inmigrant workers
2014 2015 2016 2014 2015 2016 2014 2015 2016
Total
Full time
Partial time
Men
Women
Change of employementNumber of workers
Total(annual variation)
Total(annual variation)
Total(annual variation)
Change of total earningsUSD millions
Change of average annual earnings
Dollars
276 855 402 944 -43 459 13 755 22 999 13 214854
1 532 1 988
636 340
654 146
-17 806
370 751
265 589
49 968
48 145
1 823
37 903
12 065
4 374
4 461
1 954
5 489
2 375
(9.5%)
(11.6%)
(-1.6%)
(8.3%)
(11.9%)
(26.5%)
(27.8%)
(11.9%)
(27.7%)
(23.4%)
(15.5%)
(14.4%)
(13.8%)
(17.9%)
(10.2%)
The determinants of the increase in remittance flows to Mexico
There are three factors that help explain the recent increase in remittance flows to Mexico. First, a sharp depreciation of the Mexican peso vis-à-vis the United States dollar which took place in 2015 and 2016 did not result in significantly higher price levels in Mexico. In other words, the increase in the purchasing power of remittances was higher than the increase in
58 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Box 3. The determinants of remittances in 2016: The case of Mexico (Cont.)
remittances measured in current dollars. From 2013 to 2016, annual flows from remittances rose by 20.9% in current dollars, but in constant pesos, i.e., in the purchasing power obtained by recipient households, it grew by 61.3%. Secondly, uncertainty among Mexican migrants re-garding whether the remittances they send from the United States might be subject to admin-istrative restrictions or even taxes in the future could also have accelerated the rate of such transfers.
Thirdly, the main factor explaining the increase in remittance flows to Mexico is the positive evolution in the United States of employment, average wages and the total wage bill for migrant workers from Mexico. In particular, although during 2016, the number of Mexican workers employed did not increase as was the case in 2014 and 2015, there were increases in average wages and thus in the total wage bill. In 2016, average wages among Mexican workers rose by USD 1 988 compared to the previous year, while the total wage bill increased by USD 13 214 million, with increases of USD 9 700 million for men and USD 3 514 million for women.
Figure 17. Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, 2008-2016
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
23%
18%
13%
8%
3%
-2%
-7%
-12%
-17%
South America Andean regions Mexico Central America Caribbean
Annual Percentage Change
Source: CEMLA based on figures from central banks, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 59
The Caribbean
The remittances received by this region have fluctuated widely since the international financial crisis, experiencing growth during and immediately after the natural disasters faced by countries such as Haiti with the 2010 earthquake, and remaining close to zero afterwards. Nevertheless, since the end of 2013, positive growth rates began to be observed, a trend which continued during the following years, reaching an increase of 6.5% on the previous year in 2016, a figure slightly lower than that of the previous year. Total remittances of USD 10 125 million were received in 2016, a higher figure than in previous years. Haiti and the Dominican Republic were again the countries whose remittances largely influenced this result, with increases in remittances of 11.3% and 6.1%, respectively.
South America
In contrast to Mexico and Central American countries, where remittances are mainly from the United States, in the South American region Spain is also a significant source of such flows. In addition, differences in levels of development and in economic conditions among the countries of the continent result in wage differences that foster intraregional migration, with remittances flowing from countries like Argentina and Brazil to Bolivia or from Paraguay and Colombia to Venezuela. However, the importance of these intraregional flows continues to be relatively small with respect to their impact on remittances, compared to those originating from the United States and Spain.
During 2016, remittances received by South America grew at a slower rate than those observed in other regions, with growth of 3.5% and total remittances amounting to USD 15 402 million. This was below the record levels registered in 2008. The countries that contributed most to this positive growth were Argentina (23.3%), Paraguay (18.6%) and Ecuador (9.4%), while negative growth rates were observed in Suriname (-77.6%), Venezuela (-6.3%), Chile (-6.5%) and Brazil (-3.8%).
In 2016, 75% of the remittances sent to South America were received by the Andean countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela), a figure slightly higher than that observed in 2015. In 2015 the Andean sub-region registered a growth rate of 5.6%, higher than that for South America as a whole, with total remittances amounting to USD 11 620 million. The growth was largely due to increases in remittances received by Ecuador (9.4%) and Peru (5.7%), offset in part by the fall in remittances received by Venezuela (-6.3%).
The determinants of remittance flows
The changes that have taken place in the amounts of remittances received in the Americas are evidently a function of trends in migration, employment and wages in the main destinations of migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean (United States, Spain and, to a lesser extent, other countries in the region). Furthermore, the economic situation and needs of remittance-receiving families also help to explain the behavior of these flows.
Although only a few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean publish information on remittance inflows by country of origin, countries where the intraregional remittances received are relatively more important do so. According to the information available, remittances sent from Spain in 2016 to countries such as Paraguay and Bolivia accounted for 51% and 41%, respectively, of all such inflows, exceeding those received from the United Sates. In the cases of Ecuador and Colombia,
60 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
although the proportion of remittances from Spain is very significant, representing 26% and 28%, respectively, most remittances in 2016 still came from the United States (56% and 46%, respectively). In other countries, such as Nicaragua, remittances from Spain are smaller, representing just 9% of all such inflows in the last year.
Intraregional remittances continued to be very significant for some countries of the region during 2016 exceeding 20% of the remittances they received (Nicaragua 30%, Bolivia 27% and Colombia 20%). For other countries such as Ecuador, intraregional remittances accounted for just 6% of total inflows.
As remittances from Spain decreased in Colombia, Ecuador and Chile from 2012 to 2016, they were replaced by remittances from the United States, while intraregional remittances remained relatively stable.
In Paraguay, Bolivia and Nicaragua, decreasing remittances from Spain and the United States were offset by a growth in remittances from neighboring countries.
United States
In 2016, an estimated 21.4 million16 migrants from the LAC region were living in the United States, which is 287 thousand (1.4%) more than in the previous year. This may partly explain the increase in remittances received by the region overall in that year.
Since 2010, the labor market for Latin American and Caribbean migrants in the United States has shown positive employment growth and declines in unemployment rates, with very few exceptions (between the last quarter of 2010 and the third quarter of 2016).
16 Estimates by Current Population Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 61
Figure 18. Intraregional remittances to selected countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2012-2015
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Colombia
Paraguay
Ecuador
Bolivia
Chile
Nicaragua
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Intraregional
Intraregional
Intraregional
Intraregional
Intraregional
Intraregional
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
Spain
Spain
Spain
Spain
Spain
Spain
Percent
Source: CEMLA elaboration based on information from the Central Banks.Note: For Chile, data is only until 2015.
62 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
In addition, the average weekly wage of LAC migrants in the United States in 2016 reached USD 627, the highest figure observed over in the past fifteen years, with a 3.8% annual growth rate compared to the previous year, the highest rate registered since the 2008-2009 financial crisis.
The growth of migration flows from Latin America and the Caribbean to the United States, as well as improvements in the labor market for migrants in that country, help to explain the increase in remittances observed, especially for origin countries such as Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and Haiti, whose remittances are mostly from the United States.
Spain
Spain remains the second source of remittances received by Latin American and Caribbean countries, even if the number of migrants from the region living in that country has fallen significantly in recent years, from 2.8 million in 2009 to 2.4 million in 2016. In that year, after several years of decreases in the number of migrants from LAC in Spain, for the first time since the crisis an increase of 4.0% in the number of migrants was observed, which was insufficient, however, to make up for the losses of immigrants over the past years.
The labor market in Spain for migrant workers from Latin America and the Caribbean countries has been showing signs of recovery since the end of 2015. This can be seen in growth rates during 2016 that reached 2.4% as compared to the previous year, with which the number of migrant workers amounted to just over one million, a figure still below that seen in 2009 when it was around two million.
Of the total number of migrants from the region in Spain, 58.6% are employed. It can be inferred from this information that total employment in 2016 recorded a growth rate of 5.7% on the previous year, while the unemployed population decreased by 1.6%.
At the Origin – Latin America and the Caribbean
Exchange rates and inflation in countries receiving remittances affect the purchasing power of the families benefitting from such flows. Given that most of these transfers are used for everyday expenses, it also affects the amounts that migrants decide to send.
Remittances are sent in foreign currency (US dollars, Euros or others) and need to be exchanged into local currency17 before they can be spent by the recipients. Thus, changes in local prices affect the purchasing power of the families receiving these transfers.
Now the aggregate value18 of currencies in Latin America and the Caribbean has depreciated by 10.8%. This, in combination with the growth observed in remittances, allowed beneficiaries to receive remittance amounts in local currency up to 18.2% higher than those received in 2015. The largest depreciations were registered in Mexico (19.4%), Argentina (69.9%), Venezuela (41.8%) and Haiti (25.8%).
17 Except in those countries where the dollar is a commonly-used currency.18 Regional and subregional figures for the deprecation or appreciation of local currencies were calculated by
weighting the changes in the value of the local currency in each country by its share of, total regional or subre-gional remittances.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 63
On the other hand, inflation in the remittance recipient economies decreases the purchasing power of beneficiary families i.e. they can purchase less with the money they receive. In this regard, aggregate inflation19 across the region was 4.1% in 2016. If the impact of inflation is combined with currency depreciation, the purchasing power of remittance recipients is nonetheless 14.1% higher than the previous year.
Table 11. Exchange rate and inflation effects in remittances, 2014-2016
Remmitances in 2016 (USD
millions)
Growth rates: 2015 - 2016
Remittances as a proportion of GDP
2016USDIn local
currency
In local currency adjusted for
inflation
South America 15 402 3.5% 11.8% 5.0% 0.4%
Argentina 349 23.3% 97.5% 53.6% 0.1%
Brazil 2 365 -3.8% -1.3% -9.2% 0.1%
Chile 248 -6.5% -4.3% -8.0% 0.1%
Guyana 155 47.1% 47.0% 47.0% 4.5%
Paraguay 547 18.6% 28.9% 24.1% 2.0%
Uruguay 116 -0.7% 9.0% -0.4% 0.2%
Suriname 2 77.6% 82.9% 87.5% 0.0%
Bolivia (1) 1 204 2.1% 2.4% -1.5% 3.4%
Colombia 4 857 4.8% 16.2% 8.3% 1.8%
Ecuador 2 602 9.4% 9.4% 7.7% 2.6%
Peru 2 879 5.7% 11.4% 8.1% 1.6%
Venezuela (2) 78 -6.3% 35.5% -76.7% 0.0%
Central America 17 871 8.5% 9.9% 8.8% 7.3%
Belize 85 3.4% 3.3% 3.3% 4.8%
Costa Rica 515 -0.5% 1.4% 91.9% 0.9%
El Salvador 4 576 7.2% 7.2% 5.0% 17.2%
Guatemala 7 160 13.9% 13.1% 8.8% 10.5%
Honduras 3 845 5.3% 10.1% 5.7% 18.4%
Nicaragua 1 264 5.9% 11.3% 4.9% 9.4%
Panama 426 -9.9% -9.9% -10.6% 0.8%
Caribbean 10 125 6.5% 16.0% 9.4% 8.7%
Dominican Republic 5 262 6.1% 8.3% 4.5% 7.4%
Haiti 2 443 11.3% 37.8% 22.3% 29.6%
Jamaica 2 292 2.9% 10.8% 7.1% 16.6%
Trinidad and Tobago 129 2.4% 6.7% 2.5% 0.6%
Mexico 26 970 8.8% 28.2% 24.7% 2.6%
LAC 70 369 7.2% 18.2% 14.1% 1.4%
Source: CEMLA based on figures from central banks and the International Monetary Fund.Note: Regional and subregional aggregates are calculated by weighting individual percentages by country by their share of total remittances.(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
19 Regional and subregional inflation figures were calculated by weighting changes in the consumer price indexes of each country by its share of total regional or subregional remittance flows.
64 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
At the sub-regional level, Mexico registered the largest growth in the purchasing power of families receiving remittances (24.7%), while in Central America and the Caribbean the growth of remittances combined with the depreciation of their currencies and inflation led to a net increase of 8.8% in purchasing power. In South America the growth of purchasing power was 5.0%.
Hence, in countries such as Haiti, Honduras, El Salvador, Jamaica and Guatemala, income from remittances was between 10% and 29% of GDP in 2016. In El Salvador and Honduras one in five, respectively, six families receive remittances20.
According to recent observations, the amount of remittances in relation to GDP continues to grow at a slow rate in most of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. This increase is coherent with the growth observed in such flows, with few exceptions such as Guyana, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Panama, Uruguay and Venezuela, where the weight of remittances in the GDP seems to have decreased slightly.
Table 12. Income from remittances in Latin America and the Caribbean
LAC Mexico Central America Caribbean South America
USD millions
2005 47 340 21 688 8 965 5 542 11 145
2006 56 183 25 567 10 800 6 217 13 599
2007 60 134 26 059 11 990 6 941 15 144
2008 60 856 25 145 12 528 7 349 15 834
2009 53 613 21 306 11 273 6 960 14 074
2010 55 483 21 304 11 984 7 846 14 349
2011 58 841 22 803 12 643 8 414 14 981
2012 59 112 22 438 13 549 8 686 14 439
2013 59 450 22 303 14 260 8 289 14 598
2014 62 019 23 647 15 454 8 834 14 084
2015 65 650 24 785 16 471 9 508 14 886
2016 70 370 26 972 17 871 10 125 15 402
Annual Percentage Change
2006 18.7 17.9 20.5 12.2 22.0
2007 7.0 1.9 11.0 11.6 11.4
2008 1.2 -3.5 4.5 5.9 4.6
2009 -11.9 -15.3 -10.0 -5.3 -11.1
2010 3.5 0.0 6.3 12.7 2.0
2011 6.1 7.0 5.5 7.2 4.4
2012 0.5 -1.6 7.2 3.2 -3.6
2013 0.6 -0.6 5.2 -4.6 1.1
2014 4.3 6.0 8.4 6.6 -3.5
2015 5.9 4.8 6.6 7.6 5.7
2016 7.2 8.8 8.5 6.5 3.5
Source: CEMLA based on figures from central banks, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
20 Remittance Recipients in Honduras: A Socioeconomic Profile. Lukas Keller and Rebeca Rouse, MIF 2015.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 65
References
OECD (2011). International Migration Outlook: SOPEMI 2011, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/migr_outlook-2011-en.
Marques da Fonseca Neto, João (2009). The Foreign National in Brazil, Legislation and Comments. 4th edition, EMDOC, São Paulo, Brazil.
Passel, Jeffrey S. and D’Vera Cohn (2017). “As Mexican share declined, U.S. unauthorized immigrant population fell in 2015 below recession level.” Pew Hispanic Centre, Washington, D.C.
Passel, Jeffrey, D’Vera Cohn, Jens Manuel Krogstad and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera (2014). “Methodology for Estimating the Size of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population”, Pew Hispanic Centre, Washington, D.C.
Hoefer, Michael, Nancy Rytina and Bryan C. Baker (2012). “Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2010”, Office of Immigration Statistics, Policy Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Warren, Robert and John Robert Warren (2013). “Unauthorized Immigration to the United States: Annual Estimates and Components of Change, by State, 1990 to 2010”, International Migration Review 2013 Jun 1; 47(2): 296–329.
OAS/OECD (2015). International Migration in the Americas: SICREMI 2015. Organization of American States, Washington and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris.
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Annex A1. Using the American Community Survey to track migration flows
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual survey of about 3.5 million households in the United States which collects detailed household and individual information in the period between censuses. The sample is distributed evenly over the months of the year and is representative of United States addresses on an annual basis.
The ACS collects information on the country of birth and the year of entry into the United States of all persons born abroad and in particular, of those who were not United States citizens at birth. This latter group corresponds to the immigrant population, which is the population of interest for our purposes.
The ACS surveys available for the analysis in this publication were those for the survey years 2006 to 2015. Because of the availability of the data over these 10 years, one can in principle track the size of the immigrant cohort which entered in 2006 for 9 years, that which entered in 2007 for 8 years, etc. Each such cohort should decrease in size over time, because immigrants do not always stay on in the country they emigrate to and some may decease. Thus, a look at cohort sizes over time should provide some information over how well the ACS tracks immigrants who arrived recently and their trajectories in the years after arrival.
Figure A1 provides an indication of the results for the regions of the Americas, as well as for Canada and Mexico separately. Note first of all that because the ACS is conducted over the entire year, it will pick up on average only about one half of the immigrants who entered during the survey year. For this reason, the estimate of the number of immigrants who entered during the survey year has been doubled, to more accurately represent the size of the entry cohort. In addition, the data have been pooled over the 2006-2010 cohorts to provide a better and more stable picture of the relative size of cohorts in the five years following arrival.
Figure A1. Immigrants in the United States by years since arrival, 2006-2010 arrival cohorts combined, American Community Survey
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Arrival year=100 1 year 2 years 3 years 4 years 5 years
Canada Caribbean Central America Mexico Southern ConeAndean Region
Source: American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 67
As is evident from the column charts, only in Canada, Mexico and the Southern Cone does one observe cohort estimates which correspond to expectations. For immigrants from the Andean Region there is only a slight decline in immigrant numbers with time in the country, for the Caribbean region the estimates are relatively stable, while the estimates of immigrants from Central America actually increase as the number of years spent in the country rises. In principle, the first two cases are not impossible, but given that the sample could include temporary migrants and that even permanent migrants do not necessarily stay on, they appear implausible. The third case is clearly impossible, but reflects known problems which household surveys commonly encounter in picking up recent migrants of certain origin groups. The response to surveys of such immigrants tends to improve over time, resulting in the kind of pattern observed for immigrants from Central America, that is, the initial high undercoverage outweighs the fall in numbers which one would observe if the coverage were adequate, but eventually, as coverage improves, one observes the usual expected decline in the size of an immigrant cohort over time.
A second element which one needs to take into account when examining ACS estimates over time is the impact which the incorporation of new Census results has on the weighting. Figure A2 shows the net change in the estimated number of immigrants from other countries of the Americas for each year from 2007 to 2015. The year 2010 stands out, showing a much larger increase than in any other year. However, this increase is not a real increase in the number of immigrants compared to 2009, but rather reflects the use of new demographic totals obtained from the 2010 census in the ACS weighting procedure, and in particular, new estimates of the population of Hispanic origin. The increase observed actually occurred over the entire period since the previous census, but since prior ACS waves have not been reweighted, it appears here as an increase over a single year, from 2009 to 2010. Indeed, if one examines the ACS estimate of the number of immigrants who entered the United States from 2009 to 2010, the number is less than the net change, which in principle is impossible. In the analysis of this chapter, the stock of immigrants for 2010 has therefore been adjusted to ensure that the change in the stocks from 2009 to 2010 and from 2010 to 2011 is proportional to the inflow for the same periods
Figure A2. Year-to-year change in the estimated number of immigrants from other countries of the Americas to the United States, 2006-2015, American Community Suvery
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
800000
600000
400000
200000
0
-200000
-400000
Source: American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau.
68 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Finally, the measures of outflows shown in the chapter are obtained by demographic accounting, as follows: net change in population = inflows – outflows, so that outflows = inflows – net change. Note that outflows can include both emigration and deaths. Since the objective here is to measure an outflow rate for emigration alone, however, the estimation of outflows has been carried out for a population under 60, in order to minimize the impact of deaths on the estimation of the rate of emigration. Furthermore, with an upper bound on age, net change now needs to be estimated by taking the difference between the population for the upper bound in a given year and that of persons one year younger in the previous year. However, because of the tendency of respondents to round their ages to multiples of 5, net change would be overstated if one took a multiple of five as the upper bound. Thus, to avoid problems related to rounding by respondents, the estimates of outflows were actually calculated for the population 58 years of age and under. All statistics concerning outflows based on the ACS in the chapter work with this restricted population.
As noted in the main body of the chapter, the ACS covers in principle all modalities of migration, that is, legal permanent residence, temporary migration and unauthorized entry. However, the ACS does not allow one to determine by which of these modalities an immigrant entered the country or his/her current status. However, it is likely that temporary migrants, in particular those with relatively shorter durations of residence, may not be well covered. The situation of unauthorized immigrants is, a priori, unclear. One might suppose that such migrants would attempt to avoid being interviewed, given their status in the country, but it is at least as and perhaps more likely that they would avoid behavior which draws attention to their possible unauthorized status. Refusing to respond to a government survey or claiming to be “just visiting” might be construed to be such behaviors. In any event, since the ACS is the principal source for the regularly appearing estimates of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, it is clear that many unauthorized immigrants do in fact respond in the ACS. The outflow or departure rates of immigrants presented here will reflect the situation of immigrants who entered by all three modalities, modulo possible undercoverage by immigrants in the three groups. It is likely, however, that the coverage tends to be skewed towards immigrants with longer expected durations, which will tend to depress the estimated departure rates shown in the chapter for the countries shown.
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 69
Tabl
e A
1: Im
mig
rati
on, p
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry, b
y co
untr
y of
ori
gin
and
type
of m
igra
tion
, top
ten
coun
trie
s of
ori
gin,
201
5
Des
tina
tion
co
untr
ySh
are
of to
tal m
igra
tion
- to
p te
n or
igin
cou
ntri
es
Par
agua
yB
oliv
iaP
eru
Col
ombi
aB
razi
lVe
nezu
ela
Chi
leU
rugu
ayC
hina
Uni
ted
Stat
esO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Arge
ntin
a
39
22
11
8
2
2
2
2
2
1
9
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
20
22
16
5
6
5
21
23
51
25
26
19
Oth
er
80
78
84
95
94
95
79
77
12
4
29
75
Wor
k
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
33
42
21
3
Stud
y
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
30
24
3
Guy
ana
Trin
idad
an
d To
bago
Uni
ted
Stat
esC
anad
aJa
mai
caU
nite
d K
ingd
omSa
int
Vinc
ent
Indi
aSa
int L
ucia
Nig
eria
Oth
er
coun
trie
sAl
l co
untr
ies
Bar
bado
s
31
7
7
6
6
6
6
3
3
2
21
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
6
2
3
4
10
9
5
12
5
1
3
5
Oth
er
3
7
5
6
11
16
6
0
9
4
2
5
Wor
k
70
37
51
49
36
41
32
45
29
5
48
51
Stud
y
21
54
41
41
43
34
57
43
57
91
48
39
Bra
zil
Per
uC
olom
bia
Arge
ntin
aC
hina
Spai
nU
nite
d St
ates
Chi
leP
arag
uay
Cub
aO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Bol
ivia
27
13
9
7
6
4
4
4
3
3
20
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
1
2
2
1
8
26
17
2
2
33
21
8
Oth
er
91
74
77
67
0
3
4
63
89
3
12
54
Wor
k
4
22
21
31
92
69
77
34
9
64
63
35
Stud
y
4
2
0
1
0
2
2
1
0
0
4
2
Hai
tiU
nite
d St
ates
Col
ombi
aB
oliv
iaAr
gent
ina
Chi
naFr
ance
Italy
Por
tuga
lP
eru
Oth
er
coun
trie
sAl
l co
untr
ies
Bra
zil
31
6
5
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
38
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
0
2
0
0
1
3
4
4
4
1
3
2
Oth
er
100
16
83
98
86
57
27
34
42
86
38
64
Wor
k
0
73
3
0
5
36
38
53
40
7
47
27
Stud
y
0
9
14
1
8
3
30
10
15
7
12
8
70 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Des
tina
tion
co
untr
ySh
are
of to
tal m
igra
tion
- to
p te
n or
igin
cou
ntri
es
Indi
aP
hilip
pine
sC
hina
Uni
ted
Stat
esFr
ance
Mex
ico
Kor
eaU
nite
d K
ingd
omP
akis
tan
Iran
Oth
er
coun
trie
sAl
l co
untr
ies
Can
ada
12
10
9
7
5
4
3
3
2
2
41
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
13
10
10
8
2
5
5
10
26
11
13
11
Oth
er
21
39
15
7
6
7
9
12
47
46
29
24
Wor
k
32
50
19
76
67
74
39
69
18
35
40
44
Stud
y
33
2
56
8
24
14
46
9
9
8
18
21
Per
uC
olom
bia
Bol
ivia
Vene
zuel
aH
aiti
Arge
ntin
aEc
uado
rSp
ain
Uni
ted
Stat
esC
hina
Oth
er
coun
trie
sAl
l co
untr
ies
Chi
le
25
20
20
6
6
5
3
3
2
2
9
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Oth
er
82
82
99
92
89
97
81
71
80
75
76
86
Wor
k
17
17
0
7
10
3
15
28
15
24
20
12
Stud
y
1
1
0
1
0
0
5
2
5
0
4
1
Vene
zuel
aU
nite
d St
ates
Chi
naSp
ain
Mex
ico
Indi
aC
uba
Nic
arag
uaEc
uado
rB
razi
lO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Col
ombi
a
15
13
8
6
5
4
4
3
3
3
37
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
15
9
0
18
7
1
8
1
10
7
9
9
Oth
er
20
49
14
19
8
6
3
8
60
42
33
27
Wor
k
55
40
85
58
59
93
88
90
19
44
49
56
Stud
y
11
3
1
6
27
0
1
1
11
7
9
8
Nic
arag
uaU
nite
d St
ates
Vene
zuel
aC
hina
Col
ombi
aEl
Sa
lvad
orP
anam
aH
ondu
ras
Mex
ico
Spai
nO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Cos
ta R
ica
67
6
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
11
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
14
36
65
21
30
28
12
24
61
52
37
21
Oth
er
52
44
23
20
45
33
38
25
16
14
29
45
Wor
k
32
12
5
53
11
21
43
28
8
8
10
27
Stud
y
2
8
8
5
15
18
7
23
15
25
24
7
Tabl
e A
1: Im
mig
rati
on, p
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry, b
y co
untr
y of
ori
gin
and
type
of m
igra
tion
, top
ten
coun
trie
s of
ori
gin,
201
5 (c
ont.)
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 71
Des
tina
tion
co
untr
ySh
are
of to
tal m
igra
tion
- to
p te
n or
igin
cou
ntri
es
Uni
ted
Stat
esH
aiti
Chi
naSp
ain
Vene
zuel
aC
uba
Italy
Mex
ico
Col
ombi
aFr
ance
Oth
er
coun
trie
sAl
l co
untr
ies
Dom
inic
an
Rep
ublic
37
27
5
4
4
2
2
2
2
2
13
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
2
0
5
6
14
18
10
8
10
10
8
4
Oth
er
94
86
95
92
84
80
90
92
89
90
90
90
Wor
k
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Stud
y
4
14
0
1
2
2
0
0
1
0
2
6
Col
ombi
aP
eru
Vene
zuel
aC
uba
Uni
ted
Stat
esSp
ain
Chi
naAr
gent
ina
Chi
leB
razi
lO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Ecua
dor
35
9
8
8
6
5
5
4
3
2
14
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
17
16
7
26
33
17
22
16
28
11
30
20
Oth
er
59
61
58
12
21
8
2
51
39
65
12
40
Wor
k
22
22
34
60
41
73
75
32
31
23
53
37
Stud
y
2
1
1
3
5
2
1
1
3
0
5
2
Gua
tem
ala
Uni
ted
Stat
esH
ondu
ras
Nic
arag
uaM
exic
oC
olom
bia
Spai
nC
osta
R
ica
Bra
zil
Vene
zuel
aO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
El S
alva
dor
16
15
10
10
8
7
5
4
3
2
20
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
18
18
33
32
18
39
28
30
21
42
32
27
Oth
er
17
14
14
13
9
9
12
8
12
7
11
12
Wor
k
63
68
44
52
72
48
58
63
66
51
52
57
Stud
y
3
0
10
3
2
4
2
0
1
0
6
3
Uni
ted
Stat
esEl
Sal
vado
rG
uate
mal
aEc
uado
rN
icar
agua
Mex
ico
Col
ombi
aC
hina
Italy
Cos
ta
Ric
aO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Hon
dura
s
26
11
10
7
6
6
4
3
3
2
22
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
23
25
23
9
37
20
36
43
6
30
26
25
Oth
er
5
2
0
0
1
1
1
0
6
3
4
3
Wor
k
70
42
40
8
44
76
52
57
16
63
55
52
Stud
y
1
31
36
83
19
3
11
0
73
5
15
20
Tabl
e A
1: Im
mig
rati
on, p
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry, b
y co
untr
y of
ori
gin
and
type
of m
igra
tion
, top
ten
coun
trie
s of
ori
gin,
201
5 (c
ont.)
72 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Des
tina
tion
co
untr
ySh
are
of to
tal m
igra
tion
- to
p te
n or
igin
cou
ntri
es
Chi
naIn
dia
Uni
ted
Stat
esC
uba
Mex
ico
Dom
inic
an
Rep
ublic
Uni
ted
Kin
gdom
Trin
idad
an
d To
bago
Spai
nC
anad
aO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Jam
aica
26
11
7
5
4
4
4
3
3
2
30
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
19
29
46
42
14
26
50
11
22
55
30
29
Oth
er
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Wor
k
80
69
50
53
84
73
35
10
76
34
48
60
Stud
y
1
2
4
5
1
1
15
79
1
12
21
11
Uni
ted
Stat
esVe
nezu
ela
Col
ombi
aC
uba
Spai
nC
hina
Arge
ntin
aH
ondu
ras
Can
ada
Kor
eaO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Mex
ico
16
7
7
7
6
6
4
4
4
3
37
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
19
44
49
49
38
21
42
47
18
31
39
36
Oth
er
49
7
6
17
7
14
7
39
58
8
12
20
Wor
k
28
43
30
29
48
62
48
11
22
53
38
37
Stud
y
4
5
15
5
6
3
4
3
2
9
11
8
Vene
zuel
aC
olom
bia
Italy
Dom
inic
an
Rep
ublic
Uni
ted
Stat
esC
hina
Mex
ico
Bra
zil
Nic
arag
uaSp
ain
Oth
er
coun
trie
sAl
l co
untr
ies
Pan
ama
39
14
9
4
4
4
3
2
2
2
17
10
0
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
8
48
2
81
16
48
16
9
70
22
24
22
Oth
er
5
2
92
1
38
0
1
1
2
3
5
13
Wor
k
79
42
5
13
43
52
83
90
21
74
67
59
Stud
y
9
9
0
4
3
0
1
1
7
1
4
6
Bra
zil
Arge
ntin
aSp
ain
Uru
guay
Ger
man
yU
nite
d St
ates
Per
uB
oliv
iaC
uba
Kor
eaO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Par
agua
y
61
14
4
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
10
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
2
42
61
5
5
15
3
8
6
2
11
11
Oth
er
97
56
38
90
95
84
97
92
94
98
88
88
Wor
k
1
2
1
6
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
Tabl
e A
1: Im
mig
rati
on, p
erm
anen
t and
tem
pora
ry, b
y co
untr
y of
ori
gin
and
type
of m
igra
tion
, top
ten
coun
trie
s of
ori
gin,
201
5 (c
ont.)
PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 73
Des
tina
tion
co
untr
ySh
are
of to
tal m
igra
tion
- to
p te
n or
igin
cou
ntri
es
Col
ombi
aU
nite
d St
ates
Spai
nVe
nezu
ela
Arge
ntin
aC
hile
Ecua
dor
Bra
zil
Mex
ico
Chi
naO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Per
u
16
12
10
7
7
6
5
5
3
3
26
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
13
12
21
38
14
18
13
23
19
46
25
21
Oth
er
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Wor
k
86
86
78
57
86
82
85
75
79
54
72
78
Stud
y
1
1
1
4
0
0
2
1
2
1
2
1
Chi
naIn
dia
Mex
ico
Phi
lippi
nes
Kor
eaU
nite
d K
ingd
omJa
pan
Bra
zil
Dom
inic
an
Rep
ublic
Cub
aO
ther
co
untr
ies
All
coun
trie
s
Uni
ted
Stat
es
15
15
13
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
41
100
Shar
e of
tota
l m
igra
tion
by
type
Fam
ily
16
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PART I Trends in International Migration and Labor Market Outcomes / 75
PART II
Country Notes
PART II Country Notes / 77
Introduction
This part of the publication consists of summary notes and statistical tables on each participating country of the Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (known as SICREMI, its Spanish acronym). For one country (Honduras), the country note contains a brief history of international migration in the country since the country acquired its independence, as well as a summary of the regulatory framework governing entry and stay in the country, the acquisition of nationality and measures regarding asylum and the recognition of refugee status as well as for the regularization of unauthorized immigrants. For other countries, readers are referred to the previous editions of this publication for similar information. In this issue, the country note for countries which were covered in the previous edition contains an overview of developments in international migration movements and policies since 2013.
The note for each country is based on a report submitted to the Organization of American States by the SICREMI national correspondent for the country.
The country note table contains an overview of statistics related to international migration for the country, including total inflows of immigrants, both permanent and temporary; flows by category of entry, when available; outflows to OECD countries and to countries of the Americas; the number of asylum seekers; components of population growth; the size of the immigrant population; GDP growth and GDP per capita; and labor force characteristics of the emigrant population, both men and women.
Sources for the statistics presented in the tables are as follows:
■ Migration inflows – the national correspondents of the SICREMI network. ■ Migration outflows to OECD countries and to countries of the Americas – the OECD International
Migration Database (OECD countries outside the Americas) and the SICREMI database (countries of the Americas).
■ Asylum seekers – UNHCR. The asylum seeker statistics are new requests and exclude repeat, reopened and appeal applications.
■ Components of population growth – United Nations Population Division: United Nations World Population Prospects: the 2017 Revision.
■ The foreign-born population – Trends in International Migration Stock: the 2015 Revision, except for the United States, where Census Bureau statistics were used.
■ Remittances – Latin American Center for Monetary Studies (CEMLA for its Spanish acronym). ■ GDP growth and GDP/capita –World Bank statistics. The GDP growth figures are based on
constant local currency while the GDP per capita is expressed in constant 2011 international dollars.
■ Labor force outcomes in OECD countries – the European Labor Force Survey for European countries, the American Community Survey for the United States.
More detailed information on statistical sources and on the definitions of the statistics presented can be found in the Statistical Annex of this publication.
Multi-year statistics are based on averages of the underlying annual data for the period shown. The abbreviation “na” means “not available”, nr “not reliable”.
78 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
The term “nationality” as used in the country note refers to legal, administrative or passport nationality. It defines the link between a person and a particular legal system. This link of an individual with a State generates rights and reciprocal duties and depends on national legislation. Variants can be summarized in three legal principles:
(a) Ius sanguinis: the right of blood, where nationality is transmitted from the parents to their children, even when they are born abroad;
(b) Ius soli: the right of soil, where the nationality of a country is obtained on the basis of birth on the territory of the country, regardless of the nationality of the parents;
(c) Ius domicili: the right of domicile, where nationality is acquired on the basis of residence after a certain period of time or on the basis of other residence-related ties to the country of nationality (property, work, etc.).
For the purpose of this report, the terms “citizenship” and “nationality” are used interchangeably.
PART II Country Notes / 79
ARGENTINAIn 2015, permanent and temporary migration inflows as a whole increased 31% over 2014 levels. In particular, temporary migration increased 38%, as the Argentine economy grew by 1.6%, following the 3.5% decline registered for the previous year.
Argentina receives more than half its migration in-flows from its neighboring countries, Paraguay (43%) and Bolivia (24%). Nonetheless, there is a growing flow of Colombian migrants, which have almost tripled during 2012-2015 period, largely due to the “Agreement on Residence for Nationals of States Party to Mercosur, Bolivia and Chile” in 2012, which facilitated emigration, whether economic or of persons fleeing civil conflict.
Since 2010, the foreign-born population has increased by around 15% and represented 4.8% of the total Argentine population in 2015, seventh in rank in the Americas after Canada, the Bahamas, Belize, the United States, Barbados and Costa Rica. It also has the highest level of inflows in Latin America and the Caribbean.
For 2015, Argentinean outflows represented almost a third of the migration in-flows received.
Argentinean migration outflows have steadily risen, increasing 31% between 2012 and 2015. The main receiving countries were the United States (26%), Spain (10%), Brazil (10%) and Chile (9%). Emigration flows of Argentinians to Chile have grown 35% largely due to the Mercosur agreement and the uneven performance of the Argentinian economy.
The outcomes of Argentine migrants in the labor market of Europe and the United States have improved. Both the participation rate and the employment rate of Argentinians abroad have slightly increased, more among women than men from 2012-2013 to 2014-2015. While the employment rate for women rose nearly 4 percentage points, among men it declined by almost 1. Likewise, the participation rate of men fell 2 percentage points but increased among women by 3 percentage points.
In 2015 in Argentina, 1 256 asylum applications were registered from various origins: Senegal 33%, Cuba 13%, Syria 13%, Haiti 9% and Ukraine 8%.
In 2014, the Mercosur Recife Agreement on Integrated Border Control Measures was approved. The agreement establishes technical and operational standards for integrated border controls between Mercosur member countries. Integrated border control means that the customs and immigration control services of neighboring countries operate side by side in a single shared infrastructure. Since the approval of the agreement, Argentina has signed bilateral agreements with Paraguay, Bolivia, Uruguay and Chile related to this.
Argentina’s humanitarian visa program, also known as the “Syrian Program,” was extended under Decree DNM No. 4683/2016. The decree introduced changes in its articles that simplify some of the requirements for Syrians and Palestinians to be able to access the program. Under the new decree, there is no need to demonstrate a family link with an Argentinian national. Organizations or institutions can also act as sponsors and commit private funds to provide newly-arrived refugees with accommodation and financial assistance. The program aims to benefit 3 000 Syrians.
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Argentina
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 126 673 139 260 107 735 134 386 3.1 +6
Temporary 164 755 139 411 97 868 134 602 3.1 -18
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows % distribution
Temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 56 35 1 3
Humanitarian 0 0 0 0
International agreements 42 63 94 83
Other 2 2 1 3
Study na na 1 5
Work 0 0 3 6
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Permanent migration
Persons % of total % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 126 673 139 260 107 737 134 388 100 +6
Paraguay 56 635 62 972 45 174 58 248 43 +3
Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 31 963 34 083 26 889 31 998 24 +0
Peru 17 909 20 071 15 405 16 077 12 -10
Brazil 4 260 4 133 4 158 5 317 4 +25
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countriesPermanent and temporary migration
Persons % of total % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 38 942 43 607 48 273 51 140 100 +31
United States of America 12 550 13 102 13 556 13 429 26 +7
Spain 3 602 3 758 4 173 4 979 10 +38
Brazil 4 821 5 861 6 418 4 875 10 +1
Chile 3 508 4 145 4 306 4 733 9 +35
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 36 15 19 29 25 1264
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 14.8 13.4 11.5 11.0 10.4 10.4
Natural increase 13.8 13.2 11.9 11.4 10.8 10.2
Net migration 1.0 0.2 -0.4 -0.5 -0.4 0.1
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons(thousands) % change
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
5.0 4.2 4.4 4.8 2 086 +15.5
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
991 1 078 334 283 - -71
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP -1.0 2.4 -2.5 2.6 0.4
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) -2.1 1.3 -3.5 1.6 - 0.7 19 101
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 83.0 81.3 70.8 74.2 76.7 77.8
Employment rate 68.7 67.9 56.9 60.5 62.7 64.3
Unemployment rate 17.2 16.5 19.6 18.5 18.4 17.4
PART II Country Notes / 81
BARBADOSBarbados was an emigration country after independence in 1962 up until the turn of the century, when the number of persons arriving, mostly from other Caribbean countries and the United Kingdom, began to outnumber those who left. Nonetheless, immigration declined over the 2012-15 period. While permanent migration has been stable, temporary movements, which comprise more than 90% of total immigration to Barbados, dropped by 30% over the period.
The decrease in temporary migration is mainly due to a smaller number of CARICOM nationals coming to the country with work and student permits. While the number of CARICOM nationals migrating to Barbados declined by 29% between 2012 and 2015, that of non-CARICOM nationals fell by 5%. Likewise, there were 45% fewer students coming from CARICOM countries during this period, compared to only 13% fewer non-CARICOM students.
At the same time, the number of people moving under the CARICOM Free Movement of Skilled Persons agreement, which establishes the right of skilled CARICOM nationals to seek work in any of the participating Member States without a work permit, represented less than 2% of all immigrants in 2015, and has also been decreasing.
Altogether, outflows from Barbados dropped in the 2012-2015 period. In particular, flows to the US and to Canada decreased considerably, by 14% and 21% respectively although these countries are still the preferred destinations for Barbadians.
Remittances to the country saw a 31% increase in 2015 (current dollars), after staying flat for three years. This might be related to the improved labor market outcomes of Barbadians abroad, especially in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, the countries where almost 95% of the Barbadian diaspora live. Participation and employment rates both increased by 5 percentage points during 2014-2015 compared to the 2012-2013 rates. Among recent developments in immigration policies in Barbados are the Special Entry and Reside Permits (SERPs). These permits were made available to certain qualifying high net worth individuals (HNWI) and their dependents, allowing such persons to enter and reside in Barbados with little or no restrictions. These SERPs may either be granted for an indefinite period for those over 60 years of age, or for a fixed period, depending on a combination of age, assets and/or investment and skills.
In order for an individual to qualify as a HNWI, the person must have assets of not less than US $5 million. The HNWI may be required to submit copies of income tax returns and/or audited financial statements of net assets to show that the person continues to meet the USD 5 million threshold. A person may also qualify once they have made an investment in Barbados of USD 2 million or more in either property or other investments, if the investment is funded in foreign currency sourced from outside of Barbados.
In January 2016, a bill to amend the Immigration Act, Cap.90, was passed, to incorporate a provision related to the smuggling of persons in accordance with the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
82 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Barbados
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 417 524 404 448 1.6 +7
Temporary 6 945 5 402 5 451 4 833 17.0 -30
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows% distribution
Temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 0 59 0 0
International agreements 39 23 0 0
Other 61 18 2 1
Study na na 45 43
Work 0 0 53 55
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals)
Persons% of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 417 524 404 448 100 +7
Guyana 136 190 125 127 28 -7
Jamaica 44 60 60 71 16 +61
United Kingdom 34 55 51 53 12 +56
Trinidad and Tobago 53 49 34 32 7 -40
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countriesPermanent and temporary migration
Persons% of total % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 1 622 1 421 1 426 1 498 100 -8
United States of America 815 714 658 700 47 -14
Canada 665 530 536 529 35 -21
United Kingdom 87 72 81 93 6 +7
Jamaica 39 84 77 5
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers - 7 - - 7 -
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 3.4 3.5 3.7 3.1 4.0 3.3
Natural increase 6.6 6.0 4.6 3.1 2.5 1.8
Net migration -3.2 -2.5 -1.0 -0.1 1.5 1.5
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons(thousands) % change
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
9.2 10.5 11.7 12.1 34 +5.0
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
82 82 82 108 2 +31.7
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 0.3 -0.1 0.1 0.9 0.3
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) -0.1 -0.4 -0.2 0.6 0.0 15 390
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 76.1 81.3 77.9 82.6 77.0 82.0
Employment rate 66.3 73.2 74.3 78.0 70.5 75.7
Unemployment rate nr nr nr nr 8.5 nr
PART II Country Notes / 83
BOLIVIA, PLURINATIONAL STATE OFBolivia’s migration profile is still defined by emigration. Total immigration over the 2012 to 2015 period varied between 19 and 27 thousand per year, but outflows of Bolivians were about four to five times this.
Argentina remains the main destination country of Bolivians, but flows towards Chile have doubled while those towards Brazil have halved. Indeed, the level of movements towards Chile was seven times larger than that registered during 2009. Chile now accounts for 21% of all overall flows, versus 62% for Argentina.
While temporary immigration was fairly stable from 2012 to 2015, permanent immigration increased by a factor of almost 4. The level, however, is still low. The entry into force of the Mercosur Residence Agreement in 2009 promoted the growth in temporary migration, since it provides for a two-year tem-porary visa, which persons can obtain permanent residence. The growth in permanent immigration between 2013 and 2014, on the other hand, may be related to the regularization process in force since late 2013 and implemented through 2014, which concerned largely citizens of Mercosur countries.
The nationality of origin of immigrants in Bolivia has also changed recently. Brazil, Peru and Colombia became the main origin countries with 42%, 16% and 12% of immigrants, respectively. The number of nationals from Brazil was 12 times larger than in 2012, and the percentage of Argentinians in Bolivia decreased from 20% in 2012, when it was the main origin country, to 7% in 2015.
Labor market outcomes for Bolivian emigrants in European OECD and United States deteriorated in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013. Unlike the trend for emigrants of countries in the region, the unemployment rate increased 3 percentage points for men but decreased 4.5 percentage points for women. Overall, there was a decrease in the participation and employment rates, while unemployment registered a marginal decline from about 21% to close to 20%.
During 2014 and 2015, the Government modified the regulation for visitor and tourist visas. The classi-fication of countries in the List of Visa Waiver and Extension was modified during 2014, and the Popular Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran went from being part of Group III to part of Group II, which means that citizens of these countries require only a simple consular visa. In contrast, the State of Israel became part of Group III, which requires a visa approved by Bolivian migration authorities. Fi-nally, the State of Palestine was included in Group I, which consists of countries whose citizens require no entry visa.21
During 2015 the Government implemented a migration regime for visitor and tourist entries by United States citizens. These visas have a ten-year validity with the possibility of multiple entries.22
IIn late 2016, the Government of Bolivia approved a decree which establishes a new migratory regu-larization process. This process applies for every foreigner in Bolivian territory with an irregular mi-gration status who can prove a minimum one-year stay in the country prior to the publication of this decree and express the will to stay on the country in a regular manner. The decree establishes that any person who fulfills the requirements may regularize their migration status under the two-year temporary stay permit provided for in current regulations.23
21 Supreme Decree No. 2097.22 Supreme Decree No. 2965.23 Supreme Decree No. 2965.
84 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 1 317 3 814 9,329 5 854 0.5 +344
Temporary 22 892 15 543 18 302 20 838 1.9 -9
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows% distribution
Temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 7 6 2 9
Humanitarian 0 0 0 0
International agreements 16 85 68 44
Other 0 0 0 1
Study na na 8 3
Unknown 63 0 15 0
Work 14 8 6 43
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Permanent migration
Persons % of total % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 1 317 3 814 9 329 5 854 100 +344
Brazil 177 2 342 5 131 2 454 42 +1286
Peru 129 234 1 620 931 16 +622
Colombia 136 63 143 714 12 +425
Argentina 263 279 432 407 7 +55
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countriesPermanent and temporary migration
Persons% of total % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 107 520 111 092 85 096 96 955 100 -10
Argentina 73 984 67 543 47 140 59 968 62 -19
Chile 10 839 20 864 20 019 20 422 21 +88
Brazil 11 444 11 690 6 658 5 247 5 -54
Spain 3 871 3 589 4 138 4 316 4 +11
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 3 2 4 3 3 34
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 19.8 19.7 19.5 18.0 16.7 15.6
Natural increase 23.0 22.2 21.5 20.1 18.4 16.8
Net migration -3.3 -2.5 -2.1 -2.1 -1.8 -1.2
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons(thousands) % change
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3 143 +16.4
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
1 094 1 182 1 163 1 178 4 +7.7
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 5.1 6.8 5.5 4.9 5.6
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 3.5 5.1 3.8 3.3 3.9 6 532
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 84.9 84.3 83.3 79.6 84.0 81.6
Employment rate 61.6 58.6 70.0 70.5 66.4 65.5
Unemployment rate 27.5 30.5 16.0 11.5 20.9 19.7
PART II Country Notes / 85
BRAZILDuring the 2014-2015 period, the total number of immigrants settling in Brazil increased by about 3% to reach 136 000, after a decline of about 10% in 2014 relative to 2013. There was an increase of more than one third in permanent migration, but this was offset by a significant decline in temporary.
The sustained increase in permanent migration flows to Brazil since 2011 is mainly due to Haitians who left their country after the 2010 earthquake. In fact, if one excludes Haitians from the total of permanent residents arriving in Brazil yearly since 2011, the number is lower in 2015 than in 2010.
Temporary migration also decreased in 2015 – despite a steady increase since 2011, the number for 2015 is slightly lower than that for 2010. In the period 2011 to 2014, Brazil registered a sharp increase in foreign workers, a result of the country’s rapid economic growth during those years.
Starting in 2015, however, Brazil plunged into recession with unemployment climbing into double digits, thousands of companies shutting down and per capita GDP decreasing by 4.6%.
Most foreign workers are highly educated. Nearly 50% of those recruited in 2015 had a university degree while only 12% of Brazilians do so.
Emigration of Brazilians has increased steadily over the recent past, with a 12% increase recorded from 2012 to 2015. Although the United States continues to be the main destination country for emigrating Brazilians (38%), movements to Canada and Japan soared by 54% and 57% respectively for the same period.
The labor market outcomes for Brazilian emigrants in Europe and the United States have improved considerably in 2014-2015 compared to 2012-2013. The unemployment rate for men dropped from 11.5% to 7.9%. Women’s unemployment also decreased, but much less so and is still almost double that of men.
Remittances to Brazil have increased by 24% in current dollars from to 2012 to 2015, reversing the downward trend observed until 2013. The total amount reached 2.5 billion dollars in 2015.
The number of asylum seekers in the country more than tripled compared to 2013, reaching almost 15 000. Many asylum applicants were nationals of the African continent; they accounted for 55% of all applications for the 2014-2015 period. The most common countries of origin, all continents considered, were: Senegal, Syria, Nigeria, Ghana, Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Bangladesh, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
Brazil’s asylum applications do not reflect the significant inflow of Haitians, particularly those affected by the 2010 earthquake and subsequent natural disasters. Many of these migrants have received residence permits for humanitarian reasons, since persons displaced due to natural disasters are not considered refugees according to the Geneva Convention. Of the 48 371 applications for refugee status made by Haitians from 2010 to 2015, 43 871 Haitians had been granted permanent residence for humanitarian reasons by 2015.
In April 2017, Brazil’s congress approved a new immigration law guaranteeing the same rights to foreign residents as to native-born Brazilians. This law replaces highly restrictive laws covering foreigners implemented in 1980 during Brazil’s military regime. Under the new law, immigrants
86 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
have the same rights as Brazilians including access to jobs and to social security and the right to own property; they can also join labor unions and participate in strikes or protests.
In addition, the law provides for an amnesty for irregular foreigners currently living in Brazil, most of them are from the South American nations that border it.
The new law does not change existing legislation covering the granting of visas to foreigners seeking to work in Brazil.
PART II Country Notes / 87
Brazil
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 41 942 51 162 49,684 66 777 0.3 +59
Temporary 90 860 96 521 83 252 70 051 0.3 -23
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows% distribution
Temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 23 2 3 1
Humanitarian 13 55 0 0
International agreements 29 5 14 27
Other 29 34 3 7
Study na na 10 15
Work 7 4 70 49
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 41 942 51 162 49 684 66 777 100 +59
Haiti 8 413 12 518 12 434 42 723 64 +408
China 1 986 2 457 2 718 2 346 4 +18
Italy 1 769 1 839 2 083 1 522 2 -14
Portugal 2 886 2 930 2 506 1 518 2 -47
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 139 839 130 543 152 448 156 449 100 +12
United States of America 53 157 53 965 62 047 59 113 38 +11
Canada 7 995 10 470 14 265 12 286 8 +54
Japan 5 790 4 814 6 118 9 062 6 +57
Germany 7 091 7 779 8 926 8 010 5 +13
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 6 24 43 72 36 14 770
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 19.2 16.6 15.4 12.9 10.3 9.1
Natural increase 19.2 16.6 15.4 12.8 10.3 9.1
Net migration (WPP 2012 revision and WPP 2017 revision [2010-2015]) -0.1 -0.1 -0.1 -0.6 -0.5 0.0
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons(thousands) % change
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.5 0.4 0.3 0.3 714 +20.4
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
1 989 1 623 2 127 2 459 0.1 +23.6
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 1.9 3.0 0.5 -3.8 0.4
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 1.0 2.1 -0.4 -4.6 - 0.5 14 666
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 85.0 81.5 68.0 65.3 74.9 71.7
Employment rate 75.2 75.1 55.5 54.3 63.5 62.4
Unemployment rate 11.5 7.9 18.4 16.9 15.2 12.8
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CANADAIn 2015, almost 272 000 foreign nationals were granted permanent resident status in Canada, the highest admissions level since 2010 but within the planned range in the 2015 immigration plan. Labor migration reached 77 000 in 2015, a 2% decrease compared with 2014, while 94 000 spouses and dependents of labor migrants were admitted. Of total economic migrants (and family members) 70 100 were admitted under the skilled worker program – slightly more than in 2014. The provincial nominee program was the second largest group at 44 500 admissions, down from 47 600 in 2014. Live-in caregivers became the third largest group under the economic category, with 27 200 admissions in 2015. The 54% increase in this category is entirely due to the rise in the number of spouses and dependents. Labor migrants and their families mainly originate from Asia; no less than a quarter originate from the Philippines alone. Only 6% of permanent economic migrants are from the Americas.
In 2016, a number of policy initiatives aimed at facilitating family migration were introduced. Nearly 61 000 spouses, partners and dependent children were admitted in 2016 within the planned range, compared to 50 000 admissions in 2015. In February 2016, the cap on applications for sponsorship of parents and grandparents in 2016 was doubled from 5 000 to 10 000, in order to reunite more families. Over 17 000 parents and grandparents were admitted in 2016. The 2017 planning range for family immigrants is 80 000 to 86 000, which is higher than previous years. In parallel, efforts were undertaken to shorten processing times and to reduce the backlog in applications for family migration. About 12 400 family migrants are from the Americas, representing 19% of the inflows. The majority are from the United States, Jamaica or Mexico.
As the first major overhaul of the Express Entry system since its introduction in early 2015, important changes were made in November 2016 to better align the attribution of points for job offers to the situation in the Canadian labor market and to award additional points to international students who complete their studies in Canada. In contrast, the number of points available for a job offer has been significantly reduced. In addition, candidates are given more time to submit an application for permanent residence once they have received an invitation to apply.
The biggest increase in permanent migration – both in absolute numbers and in proportional terms – was in the refugee and protected persons category, which saw over 58 900 overall admissions in 2016, up from 32 100 in 2015, and 24 100 in 2014. This is mainly in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, where Canada resettled more than 40 000 Syrian refugees between November 2015 and January 2017, of whom 25 000 were already resettled by the end of February 2016. Canada also continued to resettle other refugees from around the world as part of a multiyear commitment. In total, Canada resettled over 46 700 refugees in 2016. In 2017, the planned range for the refugee and protected persons category is 33 000 to 40 000, which is higher than in the years before Operation Syrian Refugees in 2016 was put in place.
In addition to resettlements, Canada receives asylum demands of persons arriving from abroad or already present in the country. These demands amounted to 16 100 in 2015 and 23 900 in 2016. In 2016, the number of demands by Haitian nationals doubled compared to 2015 with the end of the ban on deportation from Canada to Haiti on 4 August 2016. Demands by Haitian nationals are expected to increase with the expected expiration in January 2018 of the temporary protection granted by
PART II Country Notes / 89
the U.S. neighbor to Haitian nationals after the 2010 earthquake. The number of asylum claims lodged in the first seven months of 2017 by foreigners entering Canada from the United States by land ports of entry already exceeds the total number of applications lodged in the full year 2016. Most entries occurred in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario and the majority concern Haitian nationals who have been living in the United States. Of asylum seekers who lodged a demand in 2015, persons from other countries of the Americas represent the third contingent behind Asia and Africa; half of them originate from Colombia, Haiti and Venezuela. The first country of origin is China with 1 500 demands. Hungary is the second country of origin with 1 000 demands; it was already the first or second country of origin in this migration category in the period 2009-2012. Syria is only the seventh country of origin of asylum seekers as most of them arrive in Canada via the resettlement program.
A total of 280 200 temporary residents received their initial permits in 2015, which is a 5% decline over 2014. Of these, more than 152 000 were work permit holders. Inflows of seasonal workers in agriculture are dominated by Mexicans and Jamaicans while other temporary work permits are delivered to a more varied range of nationalities of which citizens from the United States, India, France, the Philippines and China represent about a half.
More than 121 300 students received their initial permits in 2015, which represents an increase of 3% over 2014, and almost twice the number observed in the early 2000s. Two thirds of new international students are from Asia, mainly from China and India, followed by Europe and the Americas. Since 2012, Brazil is the first country of origin in the Americas for international students (4 800 new students in 2015) ahead of the United States, Mexico and Jamaica. No less than one thousand new Jamaican international students arrived in Canada in 2015; ten years earlier, the country was sending less than 200 students annually.
In contrast to the situation for students, the number of temporary migrants with initial work permits declined in 2015. Initial permit holder numbers dropped in 2014, following a Temporary Foreign Worker program review, and 2015 saw a further 38% drop, to over 20 300. A Canadian parliamentary committee in September 2016 recommended a number of further changes. As part of the government’s initial response, in December 2016, the previous four-year maximum cumulative duration for certain types of temporary foreign workers will no longer apply. Canada’s Global Skills Strategy, first announced in November 2016 and officially launched in March 2017, will help access the skills and expertise of talented workers from around the world to enable Canadian firms to compete in the global marketplace.
Immigration is considered by the government a key element in strengthening the country’s economy and middle class in 2016 and 2017. A historically high planned target of 300 000 new permanent residents to be admitted to Canada has been set for 2017, with the objective of attracting top skills and talent from around the world to help grow innovative businesses. These objectives are balanced with maintaining Canada’s stated commitment to offering protection to the displaced and persecuted and focusing on improving family reunification.
Canadians’ emigration to the rest of the Americas and to OECD countries is stable at around 50 000 annually in the last five years. A third of them head to the United States. The other main destinations are the United Kingdom and Korea (more than 5 000 each), followed by Germany and Mexico (more than 3 000 each). Only 13% of Canadian emigration was directed to Latin American countries in
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2015. Colombia recently overtook Brazil as the second Latin American destination with 900 entries of Canadians in 2015. Employment rates of emigrants from Canada to Europe and the United States are high at 71.4% in 2014-2015. They have increased through the double effect of increased participation and a decrease in unemployment rates. Unemployment rates are particularly low, especially for emigrant women (4.8%).
PART II Country Notes / 91
Canada
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 257 810 259 040 260285 271 845 7.6 +5
Temporary 290 551 298 825 293 753 280 242 7.8 -4
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows% distribution
Temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 25 24 0 0
Humanitarian 9 12 7 6
Other 3 1 0 0
Study na na 34 42
Work 27 29 59 53
Accompanying family 35 33
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 257 810 259 040 260 290 271 850 100 +5
Philippines 34 285 29 525 40 020 50 835 19 +48
India 30 940 33 075 38 335 39 525 15 +28
China 33 005 34 115 24 630 19 520 7 -41
Iran (Islamic Republic of) 7 525 11 280 16 775 11 665 4 +55
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 49 719 52 260 50 766 53 069 100 +7
United States of America 17 371 17 968 16 831 18 071 34 +4
United Kingdom 4 518 5 093 5 014 5 547 10 +23
Korea 6 012 5 635 5 454 5 270 10 -12
Germany 3 269 3 308 3 516 3 453 7 +6
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 580 294 380 543 449 19 511
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 13.6 11.5 9.4 9.9 11.3 10.2
Natural increase 7.0 6.6 4.3 3.3 3.9 3.6
Net migration 6.5 4.9 5.1 6.5 7.4 6.5
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
15.7 18.0 20.5 21.8 7 836 +11.8
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
1 206 1 199 1 179 1 325 0 9.9
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 1.7 2.5 2.6 0.9 1.9
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 0.6 1.3 1.4 0.1 0.8 42 983
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 81.5 82.2 67.5 68.7 74.1 75.3
Employment rate 77.2 77.8 63.0 65.4 69.7 71.4
Unemployment rate 5.3 5.5 6.6 4.8 5.9 5.2
Note: For temporary, in includes all agricultural workers, including initial permits and non-initial permits; data provided by IRCC Canada.
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CHILEInflows to Chile have increased 50% by 2015 compared with the 2012 level, reinforcing a trend which has seen Chile become one of the significant destination countries for Latin America and Caribbean migrants.
In 2015, 166 500 temporary visas were granted, to 103 800 persons; 62 700 of the visas granted were renewals or visa changes. Holders of temporary visas were mainly Peruvian (25%), Bolivian (20%), Colombian (20%), and Venezuelan and Haitian nationals (5% each). Compared with 2014, the number of temporary visas issued to Haitians and Venezuelans increased by 144% and 192%.
In Chile, persons can receive the right of permanent residence after one or two years in the country on a temporary visa. In other words, all permanent residents are already counted among persons receiving temporary visas, which is why statistics on permanent residents are not separately identified in this publication. Nonetheless, they do figure in national statistics on immigration.
The number of persons granted the right of permanent residence rose 88% from 2013 to 2015, reaching 48 400. Since the average size of an entry cohort between 2011 and 2014 was about 76 000, this suggests a retention rate of roughly 64%. This is a high rate, and confirms the largely permanent character of the Chilean migration regime, where virtually every migrant arriving can aspire to permanent residence. The five main countries of origin of migrants receiving the right of permanent residence were Peru (25%), Bolivia (22%), Colombia (19%), Venezuela (3%) and Haiti (2%). Compared with 2014, the number of permanent permits issued to Haitians and Venezuelans increased by 183% and 96%, respectively.
Chilean emigration to OECD and Latin America countries increased 17% in 2015 when compared to 2012. The main destination countries were the United States of America (29%), Argentina (17%), Spain (7%) and Ecuador (7%).
Labor market outcomes of Chilean emigrants in European OECD countries and United States of America markets remained almost unchanged in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013, with a slight improvement for men in the unemployment rate (from 16.8% to 14.9%).
Asylum applications in Chile increased since 2012, but remain at a low level, with 629 requests in 2015, mostly Colombians.
Between 2015 and 2016, Chile made major policy changes with the stated objective of advancing the integration of the migrant population as well as protecting their rights, regardless of immigration status. Migrants in an irregular status with scarce resources have been granted access to health services and children of irregular migrants access to public schools. In 2015 the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program was drafted, for later implementation. This is oriented towards Syrian refugee families who are under UNHCR protection and assistance. The first Syrian resettled families arrived in Chile in October 2017.
In 2016 the Civil Registry and the Department of Immigration and Migration implemented a provision to grant Chilean citizenship to children who were born of undocumented parents between 1996 and 2014 and registered at birth as “children of transient foreigners”. In parallel, the program We are all School granted student visas to children enrolled in schools who have not yet claimed citizenship.
PART II Country Notes / 93
Between 2014 and 2017, Chile has signed bilateral cooperation agreements on migration and consular issues with Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Peru, which are implemented through Binational Commissions of the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Within the framework of engaging with communities abroad, the Program for Strengthening Consular and Migratory Policy was implemented, with the aim to inform, assist and support Chileans who are abroad in vulnerable situations.
In 2016 a law was passed that regulates the right to suffrage abroad, allowing Chileans abroad to participate in presidential elections, presidential primaries and national plebiscites, with an electoral roll of 39 000 people. Likewise, the Second Registration of Chileans Abroad is being carried out, which aims at estimating the number of Chileans living abroad, and documenting their socio-economic, demographic and migratory profile.
In 2017, a new Migration Law has been introduced in the National Congress, updating the current regulations.
The bill covers, among other things, a declaration of underlying principles; a list of rights and duties of migrants; regulations of entry and stay; immigration categories (tourism, visitor, temporary, permanent and official), based on criteria of residence and non-residence; procedures for administrative sanctions and the creation of a National Migration Policy System, integrating by the Migration Policy Committee, the National Migration Authority, the Migration Authority Abroad and the Migration Control Authority.
The bill also establishes equal rights between nationals and foreigners, the principle of non-discrimination, equal labor rights, access to social security, health and education for immigrants, the right of family reunification and the right to due process, among others.
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Chile
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent and temporary 69 314 86 819 85,431 103 775 5.8 +50
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent and temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015
Study 2 1
Unknown 47 86
Work 51 12
Total 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 69 314 86 819 85 431 103 775 100 +50
Peru 22 465 22 166 21 112 25 919 25 +15
Colombia 11 560 16 789 16 716 21 216 20 +84
Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 10 839 20 864 20 019 20 422 20 +88
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 1 078 1 235 2 289 6 567 6 +509
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 25 698 25 997 27 286 29 978 100 +17
United States of America 7 575 7 969 8 183 8 554 29 +13
Argentina 5 110 5 029 4 078 4 956 17 -3
Spain 2 005 1 647 1 885 2 181 7 +9
Ecuador 420 553 972 2 006 7 +378
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 10 13 16 35 19 629
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 16.7 15.3 13.1 11.3 10.2 8.9
Natural increase 17.0 15.1 12.8 10.8 9.5 7.9
Net migration -0.3 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7 0.9
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.8 1.2 2.2 2.6 469 +27.1
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
902 923 287 265 0.1 -70.6
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 5.3 4.0 1.9 2.3 3.4
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 4.4 3.1 1.0 1.4 2.5 22 537
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 82.0 81.2 72.1 70.9 77.2 75.9
Employment rate 68.2 69.2 60.9 60.1 64.7 64.5
Unemployment rate 16.8 14.9 15.5 15.2 16.2 15.0
PART II Country Notes / 95
COLOMBIAPermanent and temporary immigration in Colombia more than doubled from 2013 to 2014. This is the result of the implementation in late 2013 of the new migration regime created by Decree 834 of April 2013, which has eased up on migration restrictions for virtually all categories of migration. The improving conditions in the country as a result of the peace process have no doubt played a role as well. The initial strong increase in inflows in 2014 was followed by a decline in 2015 of about 12%, which perhaps reflected less a real decline than an inflation of grants of permits in 2014, as a result of unsatisfied demand under the old migration regime.
The main nationalities for issued permits were the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (15%), the United States of America (13%), China (8%) and Spain (6%). Incoming migration flows from neighboring countries account for approximately one quarter of total incoming migration flows, in contrast to most other countries in Latin America, where migration flows from neighboring countries exceed 50% of migration inflows.
Emigration of people born in Colombia to OECD countries and Latin America increased 32% in 2015 when compared to 2012. The main destination countries were the United States of America (23%), Ecuador (16%), Chile (15%) and Argentina (15%). Although the United States remained the main destination country for people born in Colombia, there was a decrease in the migration flow towards this country (-10.0%).
The migration flow of people born in Colombia towards OECD and Latin American countries is greater than the immigration flow into the country, which translates into a negative net migration rate (-0.6 per one thousand inhabitants) in 2010-2015. Historically, the population loss to migration has been even greater, with a net migration rate of -1.6 persons per thousand inhabitants in 1985-1990. Labor market outcomes of Colombian migrants in European OECD and United States of America remained practically unchanged in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013, with a mild recovery women’s employment rate (from 60% to 61%) and unemployment rate (from 19% to 17%).
Remittances towards Colombia reached 4 635 million dollars in 2015, 14% higher than the level observed in 2012.
Colombia has shifted its migration profile in recent years. In addition to being an emigration country, it has become a transit and destination country for migrants.
Between January 2012 and August 2016, 35 241 irregular entrees of migrants were identified. 78% were originally from Haiti and Cuba and their destination was the United States of America (OAS-IOM, 2017).
In addition to the reasons cited, immigration flows to Colombia have increased as a result of improvements in security and in economic performance, and integration of Colombia in regional processes such as Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance, among others.
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Of the main policy implementations in 2014-2015 were:
a) Consular Registration Card24: this is a document stating that a Colombian national was registered at the Consulate of Colombia corresponding to the district where he/she resides. This card grants the Colombian national an identification document recognized by the Government of Colombia abroad.
b) Returnee Labor: Within the framework of the implementation of Law 1565 in 2012, during 2014 and 2015, there were 4 138 applications of Colombians seeking to receive the incentives and benefits provided to persons who return voluntarily. Many were nationals returning to Colombia due to economic, social and political conditions in Venezuela.
c) Pacific Alliance’s Technical Working Group for Movement of Business Persons and Facilitation of Transit Migration exonerated Mexican and Peruvian Fellows of the Pacific Alliance of the payment of the foreigner identification card.
d) Schengen Visa Exemption: A visa exemption for European Union and Colombian citizens who travel to the territory of the other contracting party for short stays and unpaid work was arranged through an agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Colombia.
24 Decree 642 of 2014, document issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
PART II Country Notes / 97
Colombia
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent and temporary 23 679 29 692 70 404 61 901 1.3 +161
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent and temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015
Family 10 9
Humanitarian 0 0
International agreements 0 5
Other 15 22
Study 13 8
Work 63 56
Total 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 23 679 29 692 70 404 61 901 100 +161
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 4 731 5 338 11 279 9 091 15 +92
United States of America 3 116 3 693 8 387 7 752 13 +149
China 475 1 428 6 904 4 874 8 +926
Spain 1 896 2 370 4 762 3 769 6 +99
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 110 136 124 733 132 025 144 955 100 +32
United States of America 37 524 37 779 34 619 33 941 23 -10
Ecuador 4 856 7 218 26 454 22 994 16 +374
Chile 11 560 16 789 16 716 21 216 15 +84
Argentina 15 616 17 419 10 360 21 066 15 +35
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 2 5 15 9 8 449
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 20.0 17.7 15.2 13.8 11.8 9.8
Natural increase 21.5 18.9 16.2 14.5 12.4 10.4
Net migration -1.6 -1.2 -1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.6
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 133 +7.1
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
4 073 4 071 4 095 4 635 2 +13.8
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 4.0 4.9 4.4 3.1 4.1
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 3.0 3.9 3.4 2.1 3.1 12 985
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 83.4 84.2 74.1 73.6 78.0 78.2
Employment rate 69.8 70.2 60.0 61.0 64.1 65.0
Unemployment rate 16.4 16.6 19.0 17.1 17.8 16.9
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COSTA RICAOverall immigration in Costa Rica decreased by 4% in 2015 when compared to 2014 with permanent immigration rising by 9% but temporary immigration falling by 15%. This was due largely to the 21% decrease in temporary immigration of Nicaraguan nationals, who account for approximately 60% of overall temporary immigration in Costa Rica.
Some of the main causes for the decrease in Nicaraguan temporary immigration were a decrease in labor demand in the agriculture, construction and domestic services sectors, where most Nicaraguans are concentrated.
According to data from the National Institute for Statistics and Census (INEC), by the end of 2015 Nicaraguans’ unemployment reached a rate of 10.1 % out of a labor force of 159 thousand persons.
The main nationalities for permanent permits granted by Costa Rica in 2015 were Nicaragua (74%), United States (7%), Venezuela (3%), Colombia (2%). Over half of permanent permits were granted for work reasons and about a quarter for family-related reasons.
Between 2013 and July, 2016, 36 081 entries of irregular migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Asia and Africa were identified, with an extraordinary increase in 2015 caused mainly by Cuban migrants, who accounted for 85% of the irregular migrants identified during that year (OAS-IOM, 2017).
The beginning of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Cuba and United States in 2014 represented an imminent end for facilitated migration by Cubans arriving at United States land borders. This resulted in a boost in transit flows of Cubans in South and Central America hoping to reach the United States before the special program for Cubans was cancelled. Because of visa restrictions elsewhere, many departed for Ecuador and Colombia, made their way north through Central America by land and were stranded in Costa Rica when the Nicaraguan border was closed to Cubans. As of December 2016, Costa Rica had granted 7 822 extraordinary visas to Cuban nationals.
In the same month, representatives of Panama, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) agreed to implement a program to allow the transit of stranded Cubans to the United States. Cubans were transferred via El Salvador or directly to Mexico, where they continued overland to the United States border. Meanwhile, Ecuador began requiring tourist visas of Cubans and Cuba agreed to accept those among their nationals who wished to return. Between January and March 2017 when the program expired, 4 346 Cuban nationals with extraordinary transit visas were transferred to Mexico through 35 flights, (7 of them via El Salvador and 28 direct), allowing them to continue their journey to the United States safely, while another 3 476 left the country by their own means.
Other transit migration was that of Haitians also seeking to reach the United States, because of a downturn in Brazil’s economy, a country where 46 000 Haitians with humanitarian protection reside.
Emigration of people born in Costa Rica to OECD and Latin American countries increased 11% in 2015 when compared to 2012, with a total of 7 702 temporary and permanent permits in 2015. The main destination countries in 2015 were the United States (56%), Mexico (8%), Spain (6%) and Germany (4%).
PART II Country Notes / 99
The migration flow of people born in Costa Rica to OECD (particularly United States) and Latin American countries is still lower that the immigration flow received by the country. Even if the net migration rate is positive (0.8 per thousand inhabitants) for 2010-2015, there has been a decreasing trend since the maximum level reached by around 1995-2000.
Labor market outcomes for nationals of Costa Rica in European OECD countries and the United States presented an improvement in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013, with a decrease in the unemployment rate (9.3 to 7.5), and a mild increase in the employment rate (68.1 to 69.8) and in the participation rate (75.0 to 75.4).
Asylum applications in Costa Rica tripled between 2013 and 2015, reaching 2 730 applications in 2015, mostly from persons born in Colombia, El Salvador, Cuba and Venezuela.
Between 2013 and 2015, through several Government decrees, several migration regularization programs were implemented for workers in the construction, agriculture and domestic services sectors. The decrees implemented the regularization policy outlined in the Regulations of the General Law of Migration, in force since September 2012.
As a result, approximately 25 000 agriculture workers (half of them regular and half of them seasonal), 2 000 domestic service workers and 600 construction workers were regularized. A procedure to grant an identity card called the "Entry permit for comprehensive care" authorizing free transit through the national territory and granting access to health centers for 90 days, was implemented as a response to the increase in irregular migration flows. This is a temporary document which grants no migration status per se but requires that the card-holders during the three-month period opt for one of the following: a. apply to stay via a special decree category, b. request asylum c. agree to be resettled (IOM-UNHCR), or d. voluntarily return.
Costa Rica implemented the Action Plan of the National Policy for a Society Free of Racism, Racial Discrimination and Xenophobia 2015-2018, which includes immigrants and refugees among its target groups. It includes specific objectives related to the strengthening of institutions, civil and political rights, the right to education and culture, the right to health and social security, decent work and economic rights, the right to an adequate standard of living and finally, environmental and territorial rights.
In 2017 the Integral Migration Policy Action Plan 2016-2019 was approved, which covers four areas: Migration Services, Integration and Development, Protection of Human Rights and Groups in Vulnerable Conditions and Institutional Strengthening. These areas address issues such as migratory regularization, information management, Costa Ricans abroad, secure borders, employment, health, education, culture and society, migrant smuggling and human trafficking, among others.
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Costa Rica
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 10 551 16 505 14,805 16 114 3.4 +53
Temporary 6 445 6 882 17 871 15 231 3.2 +136
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows% distribution
Temporary inflows% distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 0 19 0 24
Humanitarian 1 1 0 6
Other 6 5 0 3
Study na na 20 14
Unknown 92 74 56 0
Work 1 1 23 54
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 10 551 16 505 14 805 16 114 100 +53
Nicaragua 7 669 14 779 12 215 11 953 74 +56
United States of America 680 341 601 1 128 7 +66
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 292 80 179 496 3 +70
Colombia 452 305 315 394 2 -13
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 6 926 7 152 7 412 7 702 100 +11
United States of America 4 110 4 148 4 267 4 346 56 +6
Mexico 380 625 635 618 8 +63
Spain 350 354 408 435 6 +24
Germany 242 270 271 323 4 +33
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 243 196 383 568 348 2 730
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 25.1 25.2 22.3 15.8 13.5 11.2
Natural increase 23.9 20.9 17.5 13.7 12.2 10.4
Net migration 1.2 4.2 4.8 2.0 1.4 0.8
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
13.5 7.9 8.9 8.8 422 +4.0
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
579 561 558 517 1 -10.7
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 4.8 2.3 3.7 4.7 3.9
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 3.6 1.1 2.5 3.6 2.7 14 914
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 86.6 84.1 65.6 67.2 75.0 75.4
Employment rate 78.6 78.4 59.5 61.6 68.1 69.8
Unemployment rate nr nr nr nr 9.3 7.5
PART II Country Notes / 101
DOMINICAN REPUBLICDominican Republic’s First National Immigrant Survey of 2012 (ENI-2012)25 reported the presence of 524 thousand foreign born individuals in Dominican Republic; 87% of them were born in Haiti. It also reported the presence of 244 thousand individuals born in the Dominican Republic of Haitian parents.
Cross-checking this information with civil registry, migration status, social security and labor administrative records, among others, it was found that a high percentage of Haitian migrants (compared to migrants of other nationalities) are irregular migrants.
In this context, the National Regularization Plan for Foreigners (PNRE) 26 was implemented, creating a special regime to grant identification documents and stay permits (provisional card) to foreign nationals who reside irregularly in the country, as well as a mechanism to apply for the different migration categories (permanent residency, temporary residency or non-migrants) established in the General Immigration Law No. 285-04.
Of the 288 467 foreigners who registered with the PNRE, 249 968 (87%) applications were accepted, 98% of which were from Haitian migrants27. Also 66% of accepted Haitian migrants were men and 46% were between 20 and 34 years of age.
PNRE is the second largest regularization program in the Americas, with the largest number of registrations coming from Latin America and the Caribbean. It is second to Argentina’s National Program for the Standardization of Immigration Documents, also known as Patria Grande, with 423 697 registrations.
The National Immigration Council28, through Resolution 01-17, extended the term of validity of the provisional card until August, 2018 to allow time for the presentation of the required documentation with the National Directorate of Migration. As of the original closing date, almost 90% of the applicants had not provided the documentation required for the assignment, renewal or change in their migration category.
Even if the number of permanent residency permits increased by ten times as a result of the regularization and temporary ones by 40%, immigration levels remain low.
During 2015, according to the nationality of origin, permanent permits were granted mainly to nationals of Haiti (51%) and the United States (45%).
25 ENI-2012, National Statistical Office (ONE) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Both institutions have announced in 2017 the beginning of the Second National Immigrant Survey (ENI-2017).
26 Decree No. 327 (2013).27 Annual Bulletin of Migratory Statistics, 2016, Ministry of the Interior and Police and National Institute of
Migration. 28 The National Migration Board is composed of the Ministers of Interior and Police, Education, Environment,
Health, Tourism, Public Works, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, also involved the Commission of Interior and Police of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies.
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Emigration of nationals of Dominican Republic to OECD, Latin American and Caribbean countries increased 8% in 2015 when compared to 2012. The main destinations during 2015 were the United States (76%), Spain (9%), Argentina (3%) and Chile (2%).
The migration flow of nationals of the Dominican Republic to Latin American and OECD countries is higher than the immigration flow received by the country, which translates into a negative net migration rate (-3.0 per thousand inhabitants) for 2010-2015; however, there is a decreasing trend since 1985-1990, although admittedly small.
Labor market outcomes of migrants from the Dominican Republic in European OECD countries and the United States improved in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013, with a decrease in the unemployment rate from 16% to 13%. The unemployment rate decreased for both men and women.
Remittances sent to the Dominican Republic amounted to 4 961 million dollars in 2015, reaching a level 57% higher than the one registered in 2012. This was about 7.4% of GDP in that year.
PART II Country Notes / 103
Dominican Republic
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 324 204 138 3 263 0.3 +907
Temporary 3 455 4 076 2 468 4 929 0.5 +43
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 32 1 9 6
Humanitarian 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 68
Study na na na 9
Work and accompanying family 68 99 91 17
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 324 204 138 3 263 100 +907
Haiti 0 0 3 1 661 51 -
United States of America 30 22 25 1 465 45 +4783
United Kingdom 2 0 0 27 1 +1250
Spain 15 9 24 18 1 +20
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 69 128 68 620 70 432 74 575 100 +8
United States of America 47 340 46 887 50 881 57 008 76 +20
Spain 9 974 8 117 7 675 6 717 9 -33
Argentina 1 396 3 278 2 592 2 405 3 +72
Chile 3 028 2 437 1 583 1 135 2 -63
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 1 1 2 3 2 32
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 20.3 18.8 16.3 15.2 13.8 12.4
Natural increase 24.3 22.6 19.9 18.6 17.0 15.3
Net migration -3.9 -3.8 -3.7 -3.4 -3.2 -3.0
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
4.1 4.2 4.0 3.9 416 +5.5
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
3 158 3 333 4 572 4 961 7 +57.1
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 2.8 4.7 7.6 7.0 5.5
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 1.5 3.5 6.3 5.8 4.3 13 372
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate nr 78.1 77.7 62.9 78.8 68.5
Employment rate 72.4 69.4 72.2 52.1 72.3 58.5
Unemployment rate nr nr nr nr nr nr
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ECUADORImmigration in Ecuador decreased 4% in 2015 when compared to 2014 due to a decrease in permanent immigration, while temporary immigration remained stable. Immigration in 2015, however, was three times larger than in 2012. Temporary migration involves more men (61%) than women, while permanent migration is more balanced (52% men).
The main nationalities for permanent permits granted in 2015 were Cuba (40%), Colombia (16%), the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (13%) and the United States (5%).
On the other hand, the main nationalities for temporary permits were Colombia (35%), the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (18%), China (13%), Cuba (8%), Peru (6%) and the United States (5%).
The strong presence of Colombians in temporary migration is explained by the entry into force of the Mercosur Visa by agreement, which concerns member states but also associate member states such as Colombia. The deteriorating socioeconomic conditions in Venezuela have resulted in an increase in emigration from that country to Ecuador with temporary residence being granted under the Ecuador-Venezuela Permanent Statute, in force since 2011.
Cuban migration to Ecuador, both permanent and temporary, has increased substantially since 2014. This has been stimulated by the normalization of diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States and the anticipated end to the favorable migration regime in the United States regarding Cuban nationals, which required that Cubans arrive in the United States by land. Ecuador saw large inflows of Cubans because it did not require a visa of them. Many entered the country with the intention of making their way north by land to the United States border. Some, however, opted to settle in Ecuador, in particular professionals and specialized technicians.
Following a Central American Integration System (SICA) meeting, with the participation of Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador and Mexico, Ecuador began to require tourist visas for the entry of Cuban citizens as of 2015, which reduced the inflow of Cubans into the country.
Emigration of Ecuadorians to other OECD and Latin American countries increased 10% in 2015 when compared to 2012. The main destination countries were the United States (41%), Spain (15%), Argentina (9%) and Chile (8%). Spain, the second destination country for Ecuadorian emigrants, saw a decrease in flows of 4%.
Labor market outcomes for Ecuadorian migrants in European OECD countries and the United States improved substantially in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013, due largely to an improvement in Spain’s economy. There was a decrease in the unemployment rate (24.1% to 16.1%) for Ecuadorian emigrants and an increase in the employment rate (60.2% to 66.5%). Unemployment affects women (17.0%) more than men (15.3%).
Remittances sent to Ecuador reached a level of 2 378 million (current) dollars in 2015, a level 3% lower than the one registered in 2012, representing 2.4% of GDP in that year.During 2017, Ecuador
PART II Country Notes / 105
approved the Organic Law of Human Mobility29 and its Regulation30, integrating all regulations on migration, dispersed in different legal instruments since 1970, and incorporating a number of general principles and concepts regarding the right of mobility and the rights of migrants, irrespective of their migratory status.
The new law introduces a number of changes to the Ecuadorian migration regime. Aside from family members of Ecuadorian citizens or permanent residents as well as citizens of UNASUR countries, all immigrants wishing to immigrate are now granted a temporary visa and can obtain a permanent visa after 21 months of continuous residence (non-Mercosur citizens) or two years of residence (Mercosur citizens).
Under the former regime certain persons, in particular persons of independent means, retirees, investors and certain professionals could obtain permanent status upon entry.
In addition, there are now clearly identified and separate visas for citizens of Mercosur countries, UNASUR countries and Venezuelans under the Ecuador-Venezuela Permanent Statute. Finally, persons requesting asylum are now granted a special humanitarian visa, which is valid while their request is being examined.
29 Approved by Ecuador National Assembly on January 5, 2017, in force since its publication on the Official State Registry on February 6, 2017.
30 Executive Decree No. 111, August 3, 2017.
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Ecuador
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
PersonsPer 1 000
inhabitantsPercent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 9 217 14 857 28,250 25 125 1.6 +173
Temporary 10 927 15 226 40 446 40 667 2.5 +272
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 68 53 0 0
Humanitarian 0 0 0 0
International agreements 0 0 0 59
Other 15 3 9 4
Study na na 16 4
Work 17 45 75 33
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 9 217 14 857 28 250 25 125 100 +173
Cuba 943 2 091 7 082 10 027 40 +963
Colombia 3 050 4 932 7 848 3 968 16 +30
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 144 264 997 3 223 13 +2138
United States of America 1 114 1 867 2 512 1 341 5 +20
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 33 148 34 373 35 349 36 329 100 +10
United States of America 13 464 15 169 15 904 14 936 41 +11
Spain 5 581 5 262 4 943 5 348 15 -4
Argentina 2 017 2 299 1 936 3 321 9 +65
Chile 2 342 2 545 2 500 2 844 8 +21
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 62.0 61.0 - - 62 -
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 24.4 22.6 19.8 16.8 16.7 15.6
Natural increase 24.7 22.9 20.9 18.6 17.4 16.1
Net migration -0.4 -0.4 -1.2 -1.8 -0.6 -0.5
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.8 1.2 2.2 2.4 388 +19.1
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
2 451 2 450 2 462 2 378 2.4 -3
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 5.6 4.9 4.0 0.2 3.7
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 4.0 3.3 2.4 -1.3 2.1 10 777
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 82.9 84.4 76.0 74.5 79.3 79.2
Employment rate 63.3 71.6 57.3 61.8 60.2 66.5
Unemployment rate 23.6 15.3 24.6 17.0 24.1 16.1
PART II Country Notes / 107
EL SALVADORTotal immigration in El Salvador has fluctuated between 1 800 and 2 500 persons from 2008 to 2015.31 Immigration levels have remained low and the country is still mainly an emigration country.
Emigration has been increasing steadily and the United States is still the main destination for 73% of Salvadorians. However, Peru is becoming an alternative and although still at low levels, El Salvadorians moving to Peru during 2015 were two and a half times more numerous than in 2012, accounting for 8% of emigrants in that year.
Remittances show an increasing trend (in current dollars) since 2012, but the amount as a percentage of GDP has remained at 17%, one of the highest in the region following Haiti and Honduras (26% and 18% respectively).
Labor market outcomes of Salvadorians in European OECD countries and the United States have continued to improve. The unemployment rate for men reached 4.3% in 2014-2015, lower than the unemployment rate for natives (5.4%). The unemployment rate of women has decreased slightly but remains almost twice that of men.
Return migration increased 42% between 2013 and 2014, reaching a level of 51 259 Salvadorians, mostly from the United States and Mexico, returning mainly because of increasingly strict deportation rules. During 2015, the levels stabilized, with an increase of barely 2%
Integration support for returnees has become a challenge for national authorities. Although basic assistance (transport funds, food, medical care, etc.) is provided to more than 90% of returnees upon arrival, long-term support and re-integration services are uncommon.
In November 2014, the Special Law Against Human Trafficking was approved. Its objective is the detection, prevention, prosecution and sanction of the crime of trafficking of persons, as well as attention to, protection and restitution of the rights of the victims. The new legislation increased penalties for human trafficking crimes from 4 to 8 years imprisonment to 10 to 14 years imprisonment, which are commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious offenses, such as rape. Although it prohibits all forms of human trafficking, the law includes a definition of trafficking that is inconsistent with international law, as it treats force, fraud, and coercion as aggravating factors, rather than essential elements of most trafficking crimes.
In October 2016, the Regulations of the Special Law against Trafficking in Persons were approved, with the aim to contribute to the detection, prevention and eradication of human trafficking and other related crimes, as well as the protection, integral care and restitution of fundamental rights of the victims.
The government drafted a new national action plan to guide its anti-trafficking efforts from 2016-2019, which called for an immediate response team to coordinate victim assistance and referral and formulated a protocol on the care of trafficking victims.
31 In 2012, the number of immigrants plummeted to 1 300 only to rebound to over 4 300 the following year, due to modifications in administrative procedures.
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El Salvador
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 634 1 556 724 463 0.1 -27
Temporary 669 2 776 1 833 1 745 0.3 +161
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 0 41 0 23
Other 0 20 0 3
Study na na na 4
Work 0 10 0 70
Total 0 100 0 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 634 1 556 724 463 100 -27
Guatemala 41 296 115 77 17 +88
Nicaragua 469 360 130 69 15 -85
Honduras 27 251 140 66 14 +144
United States of America 11 108 45 49 11 +345
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 23 993 26 808 28 672 29 831 100 +24
United States of America 18 111 20 303 21 571 21 814 73 +20
Peru 683 2 020 1 812 2 250 8 +229
Mexico 861 715 976 1 317 4 +53
Spain 1 200 845 980 985 3 -18
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 1 1 2 4 2 25
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 13.0 13.1 8.9 5.4 4.5 4.7
Natural increase 23.1 22.9 20.3 15.9 13.8 12.4
Net migration -10.1 -9.8 -11.4 -10.5 -9.4 -7.7
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.9 0.5 0.7 0.7 42 +4.3
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
3 911 3 969 4 134 4 270 17 +9.2
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 1.9 1.8 1.4 2.3 1.9
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 1.4 1.4 0.9 1.8 1.4 7 845
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 89.7 88.2 70.9 69.1 80.7 79.1
Employment rate 84.3 84.4 63.6 63.8 74.4 74.6
Unemployment rate 6.1 4.3 10.2 7.7 7.8 5.7
PART II Country Notes / 109
GUATEMALABoth permanent and temporary immigration in Guatemala increased from 2012 to 2015, with 43% and 56% increases, respectively, but levels have remained low and the country is still mainly an emigration country.
Emigration flows also show an increasing trend and, during the same period, increased 12%. While United States is the main destination country for 64% of nationals from Guatemala leaving the country, Mexico has become an alternative for one out of ten Guatemalan migrants.
Remittances have shown an increasing trend since 2010, increasing 31% (in current dollars) during 2012-2015, in part the result of the increase in the number of migrants. Most Guatemalan nationals living abroad reside in the United States, so the increase may also be related to the favorable economic conditions in that country, which, in turn, are reflected in better wages and more hours of work.
Labor market outcomes for Guatemalan emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States showed a 3-percentage point decrease in the unemployment rate in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013. While unemployment for men decreased to 4%, unemployment for women, even if it also decreased, was at almost 9%. On the other hand, both the employment and the participation rate remained practically constant.
The number of Guatemalans returning home from both the United States and Mexico doubled between 2013 and 2015, reaching 106 thousand returnees; 70% arrived from Mexico and 14% were minors. Their reinsertion is sometimes complicated by long years of absence and difficulties in finding work, the same reason that motivated the departure in the first place.
After a long process of political negotiations, on April, 2017, the Congress of the Republic approved the Migration Code, which abrogates the 1998 Migration Law (Decree 95-98). The new code incorporates numerous regulations and standards from international agreements into Guatemalan regulations. It also establishes that the State of Guatemala has the obligation to protect the integrity of the person, the life and liberty of all national and foreign persons who are in the national territory, without discrimination. It also specifies that State institutions cannot demand identification documents or impose any other requirement, in order to provide services required by the requestee.
The new law also creates the Guatemalan Migratory System, which is composed of state institutions that work on migration, namely the National Migration, Authority the newly created Guatemalan Migration Institute and the National Council for Guatemalans abroad.
Regarding changes in migratory categories, these include:
Temporary residence: migrant workers who have been authorized to perform legal paid activities may apply for temporary residence, under the supervision and direction of an employer for a period of one to five years. Currently, temporary residence is granted for a maximum period of two years. Investors may be granted temporary residence for a period no longer than five years.
Permanent residence: the law grants permanent residence to persons who have been temporary residents for five years; to persons who have been married or been in a civil union with a
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Guatemalan for over a year; to relatives to the degree established by law, of Guatemalans who hold a different nationality; to people born in other countries of Central America who have been temporary residents for one year and to rentiers and pensioners.
PART II Country Notes / 111
Guatemala
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 1 302 1 881 1 769 1 866 0.1 +43
Temporary 2 751 3 809 3 687 4 297 0.3 +56
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 61 47 0 0
Humanitarian 0 0 0 0
Other 33 47 0 0
Study na na 3 2
Unknown 0 0 64 66
Work 6 6 33 32
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 1 302 1 881 1 769 1 866 100 +43
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 24 664 27 720 28 247 27 553 100 +12
United States of America 15 192 14 828 16 765 17 590 64 +16
Canada 5 420 5 845 4 855 3 990 14 -26
Mexico 948 3 720 3 344 2 643 10 +179
Spain 628 552 726 837 3 +33
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 1 3 7 10 5 157
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 23.4 23.3 22.6 23.4 22.2 21.0
Natural increase 30.2 30.7 29.8 27.9 23.8 21.7
Net migration -6.9 -7.5 -7.3 -4.5 -1.6 -0.6
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
2.9 0.4 0.5 0.5 76 +15.0
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
4 782 5 104 5 542 6 285 10 +31.4
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 3.0 3.7 4.2 4.1 3.7
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 0.8 1.5 2.0 2.0 1.6 7 293
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 90.2 90.0 64.4 60.5 80.1 77.8
Employment rate 84.0 86.3 56.5 55.2 73.2 73.4
Unemployment rate 6.9 4.1 12.3 8.8 8.6 5.6
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HONDURAS
Overview of the history of international migration
Throughout its history as an independent nation, Honduras has not attracted large immigrant contingents. The population censuses show that the percentage of foreigners in the country has never been larger than 5% of the total population. The highest percentages were reached during the decades of 1920 and 1930 and, more recently, during the sixties. The latest population census in 2013 showed that the number of immigrants did not attain even 1% of the total population. The number of foreign-born nationals in Honduras has ranged, over the country’s history, from 28 000 to 50 000. In short, Honduras is not a significant receiver of migration flows. Rather, it is a country of origin for migrants directed, mostly, towards the United States, but also to other countries in the region, and, during the last decade, to Spain (INE Honduras, 2015, Flores, 1990).
The migration profile of Honduras has unique characteristics that differentiate it from other countries of origin of migrants in the region. Before the nineties, emigration was not a relevant phenomenon for Hondurans. While Nicaragua, Guatemala and Ecuador suffered the turmoil of armed conflict which, among other consequences, forced tens of thousands of citizens to leave their countries, Honduras became a place of refuge, hosting persons displaced by war across its different borders. When the peace processes concluded in the late eighties, Central American countries had significant diasporas, especially in the United States, while Honduran emigration was just beginning. The Peace Agreements in Central American countries led to a decrease of northwards migration movements (ILO, 2012, UNDP, 2006).
Nevertheless, despite the end of the armed conflict in the nineties, with natural disasters, persistent economic and political volatility, violence and drug trafficking, abetted by the transnational diaspora, thousands moved across borders towards the United States. Two decades later half a million Honduran citizens were living abroad.
Because of its geographic location, during the last decades, Honduras has become a transit zone for migration. The destinations for transit migration are, mainly, the United States, Canada and, recently but to a lesser degree, Mexico.
Immigration
Soon after its Independence from Spain in 1821, Honduras issued the first laws on migration, which included incentives to attract North Americans and Europeans to reside in the country. In 1887, when the first census was conducted, there were approximately 6 170 immigrants living in the country, of which 76% were from Central America and 23% from Europe and North America. Englishmen, established along the North Atlantic Coast of Honduras, accounted for almost 17% of all immigrants (Flores, 1990).
At the end of the 19th century, liberalism attracted foreign investment focused on mining and, later, on banana plantations, which, in turn, attracted immigration.
PART II Country Notes / 113
The liberal governments wanted to steer the economy into expanding mining operations, and introduced measures to attract foreign companies. With the presence of foreign companies, mainly North American but also British and French citizens of these countries arrived in Honduras to engage in other activities, not related to the economic activities of the companies.
The governments of this period also counted with the support of immigrants from other Central American countries and from Cuba. In the case of Cubans, with the defeat in the independence war against Spain, most of the nationalist leadership moved to Honduras and occupied senior positions in the liberal governments (Guerra, 2006, Flores, 1990).
With liberalism, Spaniards arrived in the country, among them officers who organized the military academy, professors who revitalized the university, the teachers’ college, the arts and crafts school, and the State printing office. In addition, the Spanish helped tobacco cultivation in the west of the country flourish.
At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century the silver market developed, and foreign investment sought a new direction in Honduras, leading to a boom in agriculture, especially of banana plantations.
Between 1896 and 1903 banana exports doubled, and Honduras became the first banana-based economy worldwide. The North American expansion included not only agricultural and related activities, like the railway, but also other activities, like the production of beer, vegetable fats, footwear, etc. (Guerra, 2006, Flores, 1990).
During this period, the country also received immigrants from the Middle East, among them Palestinians, Arabs and Turks, who engaged in urban trade (Guerra, 2006, Flores, 1990).
The expansion in banana tree cultivation led to economic growth in the region of La Ceiba, the main port of departure of fruit, which, jointly with the investment in railways to transport the product from the interior of the country to the port area, generated a great demand for labor. Besides attracting nationals from neighboring countries, immigrants from Italy and from some countries in the Balkans, like Bulgaria, also settled in the country, mainly in Atlántida and Yoro (ILO, 2012).
During the decades of 1930 and 1940, the immigrant population reached a significant share of the total population. The 1926 and 1930 censuses showed that foreigners represented 5% of the total population, and in the 1935 and 1940 censuses they represented around 4% of the total population. Even if Central American nationalities predominated, Europeans and Americans represented more than one fourth of the share (INE, 2015).
During the 1950s the country started a prosperous period, in which agricultural development was accentuated, particularly with regard to sugar, coffee, cotton, sesame and banana crops, accompanied by an extension of the highway network.
Salvadoran immigration increased over the period, composed mainly of agricultural workers and small basic grain producers. In 1961 the census registered a record level of immigrants in the country, 75% (38 000) of whom were from El Salvador (ILO, 2012).
By the end of the 1970s, the armed conflicts in the neighboring countries worsened, resulting in the arrival of thousands of nationals from Nicaragua and El Salvador, most of them seeking asylum. Central America in the eighties was characterized by population displacements, both internal and
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international, the product of political tensions that triggered civil wars. Although there were no armed conflicts in Honduras, internal displacements and trans-border movements of thousands of citizens occurred (UNHCR, 2000).
By 1981 the intensification of combat in El Salvador had pushed Salvadorans to continue fleeing into Honduras. According to data from UNHCR, the number of refugees reached 30 000 persons.
By 1986, UNHCR reported that Honduras was a country of shelter for around 68 000 persons, 42 000 of them were nationals from Nicaragua, 26 000 from El Salvador, and a small number from Guatemala (UNHCR, 2000).
After the peace processes in Central American countries, the number of immigrants in Honduras returned to its historical levels, and, since then, has decreased as a share of the total population, reaching 0.3% in 2015. The main countries of origin are El Salvador, Nicaragua and the United States.
Emigration
Honduras, as all countries in Central America, went through changes in its economic structure after the eighties’ crisis, a process which accelerated during the next decade. During this period, the region experienced structural changes which, on one hand, led to the definitive extinction of the traditional agricultural export model and, on the other, promoted the development of a model which prioritized the secondary and tertiary sectors (ILO, 2012, Segovia, 2004, Rosa, 2008).
This change implied a restructuring of labor markets, generating a drop in real wages and the lack of opportunities for low-skilled workers who were previously employed in agriculture (ILO, 2012, Segovia, 2004).
Emigration of nationals from Honduras accelerated during this period. Between 1980 and 1990, the number of Hondurans in the United States, which received more than 80% of the flows, increased 163%. Natural disasters, such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998, were instrumental in magnifying the dimensions of the exodus. By 2000, almost 300 000 Hondurans were living in the United States. More than 5% of the population was living abroad.
Since most Honduran immigrants arrived in the United States after the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was approved, leading to the legalization of almost 3 million immigrants, the proportion of unauthorized Honduran immigrants is larger than that of any other Central American group in the United States. Only 18% of the almost 600 000 Hondurans living in the United States in 2015 arrived before 1990 (UNDP, 2015 estimations).
After Hurricane Mitch, Hondurans became eligible for the Temporary Protected Status (TPS), offering provisional protection against deportation and conferring eligibility for work authorization. Currently, more than 60 000 Honduran citizens hold the TPS, which has been renewed until 2018.
The country has experienced events that have influenced migratory changes, including contextual factors of a demographic, economic, social, political, cultural and environmental nature, which continue to drive migration. This situation, along with the search for family reunification, is the reason for the large number of unaccompanied minors and adolescents arriving at the border between
PART II Country Notes / 115
Mexico and United States. In 2014, more than 8 000 unaccompanied minors were intercepted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, though the number decreased in 2015 (CBP) (MPI, 2015).
To serve this population of children and adolescents, Honduras implemented an Educational Assistance Program for Returning Migrant Children and Adolescents, which provides returned migrant children and adolescents an educational program to prepare them for their entry or re-entry into the National Education System. It also contributes to their permanence and school performance considering their particularities due to the experiences lived as migrants (journeys to and from destination country).
Furthermore, it guarantees the right to education of returned migrant children, through an official instruction to all educational institutions to ensure access to registration and reception of all returned migrant children, with no restrictions (such as documentation or entry or re-entry requirements), with the commitment of the parents or caregivers to provide the requested supporting documentation throughout the school year.
With the consolidation of the Honduran community abroad, the amount of remittances sent to the country has acquired economic relevance as the main source of foreign exchange income. By 2015, remittances amounted to 18% of the GDP.
In 2015 there were 75 875 return migrants from Mexico and United States, according to the Consular and Migratory Observatory.
In response to the challenges posed by the arrival of this population, the Government is implementing policies to tend to their needs. Among other actions, it has created three Centers of Attention to the Returned Migrant in the Department of Cortés, that provide returned Hondurans a dignified, orderly, quick and safe return to their country. Some of the services provided include shelter for up to 48 hours, food, medical and psychological care, information on job opportunities and training, information about public social programs, free telephone calls, Interpol for special cases, and transportation to their place of origin.
As a result, the Honduran government has strengthened the institutional structure to develop policies and programs for reception, provision of services and reintegration of returnees.32 In August 2015, the Secretariat for Consular and Migratory Affairs was created under the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through an Executive Decree, in order to implement programs based on the Law for the Protection of Honduran Migrants and their Families.
The policy for the protection of Hondurans abroad and assistance to returned migrants is regulated by the Law on the Protection of Migrant Hondurans and their Families, approved in February 2014,33 which created the General Directorate for the Protection of Honduran Migrants. The Law also created the Solidarity Fund for the Honduran Migrant (FOSHMI) which guarantees an annual amount of not less than five million US dollars through a trust fund of the Central Bank of Honduras, in order to cover the aid for Hondurans abroad in need and to finance the reception, care and reintegration programs in Honduras.
32 Executive Decree No. PCM-038-2015.33 Decree No. 105-2013.
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The Government of Honduras has implemented programs and projects for the integral reintegration of the returned migrant population with special emphasis on children and adolescents, as well as the family unit, through inter-institutional efforts to create five Municipal Units of Attention to the Returned (UMAR), located in the departments with the highest exit rates of Honduran migrants such as: Central District, San Pedro Sula, Choloma, Tocoa and La Ceiba. Likewise, 11 more Municipal Units are being installed in order to cover the entire Honduran territory.
Legal framework Governing International Migration
The Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act regulates migration policy in the country, the entry and exit of national and foreign persons, the stay of foreigners in Honduran territory and the issuance of migration documents.
The current legal framework in migration is embodied in the following instruments:
■ Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act (approved by Decree N° 208-2003, on December 12, 2003
■ The regulation for the Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act ■ The Regional Procedural Manual for Migration Procedures CA4-VUCA
On an international level, international conventions and agreements to which Honduras subscribes include:
■ 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees ■ 1967 Protocol to the 1951 Convention ■ 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees ■ 1954 Convention on Asylum ■ 1954 Convention on Statelessness ■ Convention on Migrants’ Rights ■ International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members
of Their Families ■ Maritime Labor Convention ■ American Convention on Human Rights ■ Every agreement and disposition approved by the Central American Commission of Migration
Directors, OCAM
Regulations Governing Entry and Stay
The regulation for the entry and permanence of migrants in Honduran territory is conducted through the application of the Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act, its Regulation, the Regional Procedural Manual for Migration Procedures CA4-VUCA and the dispositions on special regulations.
Article 20 of the Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act establishes a stay of up to 90 days, extendable to up to 120 days, for foreigners in a temporary visit for reasons of tourism, business, conventions, sports, official trips, commercial affairs, health, and others, according to Articles 116 and 117 of the Regulation of the Act.
PART II Country Notes / 117
Entry categories
■ Temporary visaAmong the entry categories established in the Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act for foreigners holding a temporary visa, there are:
a) Touristsb) Transit travelersc) Commercial representatives and delegates and traveling agentsd) Sport, official mission, health, conventions, conferences and special events travelerse) Artists in public performancesf) Special visitorsg) Cross-border workersh) International transportation crew
Foreigners on a temporary visit to Honduras enjoy an initial stay of up to ninety (90) days, extendable to a maximum stay of up to 120 days according to the Articles 116 and 117 of the Regulation of the Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act. Once the 120 days of temporary stay have gone by, the foreigner must leave the CA4 Region34 (if from outside the region), or Honduran territory if they are nationals of the CA4 Region (Salvadorians, Guatemalans and Nicaraguans). Nevertheless, if the foreigner in Honduras wishes to stay in the country in a temporary or permanent manner and, for such reason, applies for a special stay permit or a permanent residence permit, then the foreigner can remain in the CA4 Region. The necessary extensions of stay are issued while the case is considered and the foreigner is registered in the National Register of Foreigners maintained by the National Institute of Immigration.
■ Permanent residenceThe entry categories established in the Immigration and Foreigner Nationals Act for foreigners wishing to obtain the right of permanent residence are:
a) Investorsb) Rentiersc) Pensionersd) Family relationshipse) Marital relationship or de facto unionf) Definitive residence or immigrationg) Partners and dependent childrenh) Other non-specified cases
The stay of foreign nationals with permanent residence is determined through a resolution issued by the Human Rights, Justice, Governance and Decentralization Secretariat, in which the appropriate migration status is specified.
Foreigners with permanent residence are obliged to renew their residency card, avoid unlawful activities, comply with the law and respect public authorities.
34 Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
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■ Temporary residenceThe categories established in the Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act for temporary residence include:
a) Studentsb) Refugeesc) Statelessnessd) Asyleese) Migrant workersf) Social serviceg) Clergyh) Humanitarian servicesi) Commercial activities or public performancesj) Employees of natural or legal personsk) Employees of international organizationsl) Employees of government institutionsm) Scientificsn) Professionalso) Athletes in different disciplinesp) Hired technical personnelq) Businessmenr) Managerial staffs) Partners and dependent children of the above
Special stay permits (temporary residence), authorized by the National Institute of Immigration, in the different categories specified in the law, are issued to allow for the temporary stay of foreigners in the national territory. The resolution of the National Institute of Immigration as well as the identification card of the foreigner, must be renewed or extended when applicable.
Likewise, foreigners are obliged to comply with the conditions established in the resolution, to comply with Honduran law and to respect public authorities.
Acquisition of Nationality and Citizenship
A citizen’s eligibility for Honduran nationality by birth can arise from either the right of blood (Ius sanguini) or the right of soil (Ius soli), without regard to race or other limiting conditions. Likewise, the State of Honduras recognizes the right of nationality via adoption if the adopting parents are both Honduran by birth.
Once the right of blood or the right of soil are established, the parents, legal tutors, or the relevant authority in special cases, proceed to register the person concerned in the National Registry of Persons, the institution responsible for civil registrations of Hondurans and foreigners and for the identification of every Honduran by birth or naturalization.
The Regulation for the Law on the National Registry of Persons establishes the requirements and procedures for the civil registration of persons.
Eligible foreigners for Honduran nationality by naturalization must fulfill the following requirements:
PART II Country Notes / 119
1. Possess civil capacity according to Honduran law;2. Possess assets, a profession or trade or a lawful activity or industry, that will provide a
means of livelihood;3. Prove good behavior during their stay in the country;4. Pass an exam of general knowledge on the history, geography and the Constitution of the
Republic of Honduras;5. Comply with the requirements and procedures established in the Constitution, the
Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act and its Regulation.
Requirements for the acquisition of nationality by naturalization:
1. Central Americans by birth who have legally resided for one year in the country;2. Spaniards and Ibero-americans by birth who have legally resided for two consecutive years
in the country;3. Other foreigners who have legally resided for more than three years in the country;4. Any person holding a naturalization card granted by the National Congress for the provision
of extraordinary services to Honduras;5. Immigrants who, being part of selected groups admitted by the government for scientific,
agricultural and industrial ends, fulfill the legal requirements after a year of residence in the country; and,
6. Foreigners married to a Honduran by birth.
The State of Honduras, through the President, can grant, deny or cancel Honduran nationality by naturalization.
Foreigners who have lawfully resided in the country for the time required according to their nationality, as established in the Constitution, and who fulfill the corresponding requirements may opt for Honduran nationality by naturalization.
Asylum, refugees and complimentary protection
Article 15 of the Constitution establishes that Honduras subscribes to the principles and practices of international law that define a framework for human solidarity, respect for peoples’ self-determination, non-intervention, and the strengthening of universal peace and democracy. Honduras proclaims the validity and obligatory execution of international arbitral and judicial awards. In this sense, the State of Honduras is signatory of several international agreements, treaties and conventions, including the 1954 Convention on Asylum.
In 1991, the State of Honduras signed the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and ratified the Convention in 1992. Likewise, the State of Honduras recognizes the obligations established in the 1967 Protocol and in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration.
The Immigration and Foreign Nationals Act covers the subject of international protection and treatment of persons who apply, before the State of Honduras, for the recognition of refugee status.
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References
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) (1993), El impacto económico y social de las migraciones en Centroamérica, ECLAC Studies and Reports N° 89, LC/G. 1738 – P, Santiago de Chile.
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) (1999), Honduras: Evaluación de los daños ocasionados por el huracán Mitch, 1998: sus implicaciones para el desarrollo social y económico y el medio ambiente, LC/MEX/L. 367, ECLAC Mexico.
ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), Honduras, SERIES Seminars and conferences No. 24. 2002.
Flores Fonseca, Manuel, La inmigración en Honduras, Working Paper No.17, Honduras, Faculty of Economic Science, Autonomous National University of Honduras, 1990.
Guerra, Alejandra, Los movimientos sociales en el periodo independiente en Honduras, 2006
http://www.historiadehonduras.hn/Historia/Independiente/MovimientosSociales/inmigrantes.htm
ILO Investigación Flujos Migratorios Laborales Intrarregionales - Informe de Honduras
Lorena Suazo, Martha, Estudio Migratorio de Honduras, Estudio comparativo de la legislación y políticas migratorias en Centroamérica, México y República Dominicana
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Honduras, Política Nacional de Emigración, 2007.
MPI 2015: Migrants Deported from the US and Mexico to the Northern Triangle – A statistical and socioeconomic profile.
MPI 2016: Trends in Unaccompanied Child and Family Migration from Central America.
National Forum on Migration in Honduras, Informe de la semana del migrante, 2009.
Observatorio Consular y Migratorio de Honduras CONMIGHO
http://conmigho.wixsite.com/subscym-conmigho/retornados-2015-1
Segovia, Alexander (2004). Centroamérica después del café: el fin del modelo agroexportador tradicional y el surgimiento de un nuevo modelo. Revista Centroamericana de Ciencias Sociales 2 (1), December. FLACSO. Costa Rica.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano, Honduras - Hacia la expansión de la ciudadanía, 2006.
UNHCR, The state of the world’s refugees, 2000.
PART II Country Notes / 121
Honduras
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 377 368 420 312 0.0 -17
Temporary 2 345 2 296 2 079 1 558 0.2 -34
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 92 89 14 12
Humanitarian 0 0 4 1
Other 2 8 0 0
Study na na 11 24
Unknown 4 1 0 0
Work 2 1 71 63
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 377 368 420 312 100 -17
United States of America 64 66 67 70 22 +9
El Salvador 42 34 38 33 11 -21
Nicaragua 49 49 47 32 10 -35
Guatemala 26 32 41 28 9 +8
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 18 163 22 185 23 616 26 251 100 +45
United States of America 8 944 11 410 11 282 11 963 46 +34
Spain 5 285 4 342 5 681 7 691 29 +46
Mexico 822 2 909 3 138 3 342 13 +307
Canada 1 080 920 950 856 3 -21
Asylum seekers and refugees
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 1 6 1 2 3 16
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 29.3 28.3 26.7 24.5 21.1 17.9
Natural increase 32.4 31.2 28.8 25.6 21.7 18.2
Net migration -3.2 -2.9 -2.1 -1.2 -0.6 -0.4
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
5.5 0.5 0.4 0.3 28 +2.9
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
2 895 3 121 3 355 3 650 18 +26.1
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 4.1 2.8 3.1 3.6 3.4
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 2.2 1.0 1.3 1.9 1.6 4 311
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 87.0 86.6 69.4 66.0 78.4 76.4
Employment rate 79.4 81.6 59.8 59.0 69.8 70.4
Unemployment rate 8.7 5.8 13.9 10.6 11.0 7.8
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JAMAICAJamaica was and remains a country of expatriation with immigration levels varying around 9 thousand between 2012 and 2015, while outflows were about five times as large over the same period. The composition of immigration into Jamaica is unusual among LAC countries, in that China and India are the principal countries of origin, accounting for 26% and 11% respectively of all immigrant entries. There is an established community of Chinese and Indians in Jamaica that undoubtedly help pave the way for newcomers. Citizens of the United States and Cuba account for a further 7% and 5 % of immigrants, respectively. Fully 60% of immigrants to Jamaica are labor migrants and another 11% arrive to study, mostly at the University of the West Indies, a center for post-secondary education in the Caribbean. It is currently not possible to disaggregate the immigration statistics for Jamaica according to whether the immigrants are permanent or temporary. In almost all countries, however, family migration tends to be the major component of permanent migration and labor of temporary migration, with study a significant second component if the country draws students from abroad, as is the case for Jamaica.
Jamaica was an immigration country before independence in 1962 but began losing population to emigration thereafter, with persons leaving for destinations outside the Caribbean, essentially the United States of America (USA), Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). To date, these are the preferred destinations of Jamaican emigrants, accounting for fully 97% of all emigrants. The 45 thousand emigrants leaving Jamaica every year, permanently or temporarily, represent more than one and one-half percent of its population.
With outflows strongly outnumbering inflows, the country’s net migration rate has been negative, at around - 6.5 per thousand persons in the population since the mid-1990s.
Labor market outcomes for Jamaican emigrants, mostly in the United States, have continued to improve in recent years, with the unemployment rate for women and men combined reaching 9%, down from 11.7% in 2012-2013. The employment rates for the two genders are similar, at about 73-74%, but the unemployment rate of men at 10.8% exceeds that of women by almost 2.5 percentage points.
Remittances to Jamaica have grown steadily both in absolute amounts (in current dollars, that is, including inflation) and as a percentage of GDP. Relative to 2012, remittances increased by 9.5% in 2015, and represented in value the equivalent of 16% of GDP, which is among the highest in the region, exceeded only by Haiti, Honduras, and El Salvador (25%, 18% and 17%, respectively).
Jamaica’s immigration, nationality and citizenship legislation has not changed over the recent past. However, a National Policy and Plan of Action on International Migration and Development, aimed at enhancing the development impacts of migration, has been developed and published as a white paper in April of 2017. This initiative has been taken in the context of a large Jamaican diaspora, similar in size to the current population of Jamaica and of the realization that high out-migration is likely to continue. Some of the measures to be implemented in the short to medium-term include, among others, the reduction of the costs of remittances, international agreements to facilitate labor migration, the regulation of recruitment bodies, bilateral agreements to ensure the portability and transferability of pensions, and incentives for investments in Jamaica by the diaspora.
PART II Country Notes / 123
Jamaica
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent and temporary 8 883 8 318 9 307 9 448 3.3 +6
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent and temporary inflows
% distribution
2012 2015
Family na 29
Other na -
Study na 11
Work na 60
Total 0 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 8 883 8 318 9 307 9 448 100 +6
China na 2 057 2 731 2 425 26 -
India na 1 110 1 045 1 079 11 -
United States of America na 741 699 692 7 -
Cuba na 282 390 441 5 -
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 44 763 45 556 46 875 46 937 100 +5
United States of America 31 217 30 382 32 282 33 225 71 +6
Canada 10 545 12 300 11 564 10 929 23 +4
United Kingdom 1 769 1 723 1 791 1 582 3 -11
Barbados 456 417 476 340 1 -25
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers - 1 - 2 1 5
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 7.2 9.1 9.2 6.5 5.2 3.9
Natural increase 19.5 17.3 15.6 12.8 11.5 10.4
Net migration -12.3 -8.2 -6.4 -6.3 -6.3 -6.5
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.9 1.0 0.9 0.8 23 -2.2
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
2 038 2 065 2 159 2 226 16 +9.2
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) -1.0 0.1 0.3 0.7 0.0 8 105
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 80.7 82.2 80.1 80.5 80.3 81.2
Employment rate 69.2 73.4 72.2 73.7 70.9 73.5
Unemployment rate 14.2 10.8 9.9 8.4 11.7 9.5
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MEXICOImmigration to Mexico has increased sharply over the past two decades. The inter-censal survey conducted in 2015 indicated that the stock of foreign-born population reached the unprecedented level of one million, twice that of 2000, but still less than 1% of the total population. Despite growing inflows, Mexico remains mainly an emigration and transit country.
This increase needs to be seen in perspective. Indeed, close to three quarters of the foreign-born population in 2015 was born in the United States, many of them descendants of Mexican emigrants holding US citizenship. These migrants are concentrated in the Northern States of Baja California or Chihuahua. Other migrants originate mainly from Guatemala, Spain, Colombia and Venezuela and close to half of them live in Mexico City, Chiapas and State of Mexico.
In 2015, 34 400 foreigners were issued a new permanent residence permit. These figures are low compared to the peaks observed in 2013 and 2014 following the legislative changes in 2012 that made it easier for temporary residents to obtain permanent residence, but they remain well above the levels of preceding years. In 2015, 16 500 permanent permits were delivered on family grounds, twice the number of permits delivered in 2011. Half of these permits were delivered to nationals of Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, the United States, Honduras and Guatemala. Second in rank in 2015 as a reason to permanently migrate to Mexico was work, with 8 700 permits delivered, a 35% increase compared to 2011. Although 60% of the work permits were delivered to nationals of countries of the Americas in 2015, the country with the largest number of recipients was China with 1 200 permits. Another 8 600 permits were delivered under other grounds, namely to persons of independent means, more than two thirds of which went to nationals of the United States or Canada. The number of permits delivered on humanitarian grounds exceeded 600 in 2015, a 73% annual increase mainly explained by the rise in the number of Salvadoran nationals receiving protection status.
In total, close to three quarters of permanent immigrants are from the American continent, 21% of them from the United States. Permanent entries of Cubans, Venezuelans and Chinese immigrants to Mexico have increased in the last five years and exceed those of Colombians or Guatemalans.
The share of the foreign population living in Mexico naturalized every year is relatively low at about 0.8%.
In 2015, 53 000 first temporary permits were granted. Of all categories of temporary migrants, those who entered Mexico on humanitarian or family grounds were more likely to come from the Americas than labor migrants or international students. Migrants from Asia or Europe each received a quarter of the 24 000 temporary work permits delivered in 2015. This represents a substantial rise for Asian migrants who were receiving only about 2 500 of these permits at the beginning of the decade. Inflows of international students are down to 6 800 in 2015 from 10 700 in 2014. Colombia, France, the United States and Germany together account for more than a third of the inflows. Temporary permits were granted to 1 500 persons for humanitarian reasons in 2015. In March 2016, the National Institute of Migration arranged for the transfer of 6 000 Cuban migrants who had been stranded in Costa Rica and Panama since December 2015. Those migrants received temporary humanitarian permits to reach the Mexican Northern border and request a permit to enter the United States.
PART II Country Notes / 125
The number of asylum seekers reached a historical peak (3 400) in 2015 and more than doubled in 2016 (8 800). Most petitioners were from Honduras, El Salvador and to a lesser extent from Guatemala and Venezuela and include a growing share of unaccompanied minors.
In 2015, an estimated 377 000 Central American migrants transited through Mexico en route to the United States. It is estimated that 170 000 persons crossed the southern border of Mexico irregularly in 2015 (7.0% of the total crossings of that border). Between October 2014 and September 2015, 149 000 non-Mexican undocumented migrants were apprehended by the United States Border Patrol at the border with Mexico, down from 257 000 one year earlier. About 20% of them are minors, of whom more than half were unaccompanied. A growing number of transcontinental migrants from Asia and Africa hoping to make an eventual asylum application at the United States border were apprehended by the Mexican authorities: 4 300 in 2015 versus 1 800 in 2014. In the first half of 2016, 46 600 Cubans entered Mexico, compared to 43 200 for all of 2015. Most had taken direct flights from Havana to Ecuador, which did not require a visa of them, before continuing their journey through Colombia and Central America.
Also, an increasing number of Haitians entered Mexico; however, the number is not precise because of confusion regarding their origins. Some are given a 20-day special documentation from the Mexican authorities in order to regularize their situation or failing that, leave the country. It is estimated that 12 800 Haitians or Africans entered Mexico in the first half of 2016 with the purpose of reaching the United States, and that 9 300 reached their destination. US authorities only allow 110 persons per day through the Calexico and San Isidro ports, with the result that thousands of immigrants are being stranded in the northern Mexican cities of Tijuana and Mexicali.
Recent policy initiatives concerning immigrants include a working holidaymakers agreement (the Holidays and Work Program) signed by Mexico and France (April 2016). In addition, entry into Mexico has been facilitated for visitors from certain countries, in particular those who have their permanent residence – or a valid visa to stay – in Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Peru, the United Kingdom, the United States or a country of the Schengen area (August 2016). In July 2016, an agreement was signed between the Secretariat of the Government (SEGOB), the Mexican Commission of Support to Refugees (COMAR) and the Secretariat for Social Development (SEDESOL) to ensure that refugees can benefit from programs directed to populations in a situation or at risk of poverty or marginalization. A Protocol to ensure the respect of the principles and protection of the rights of the children in administrative migration procedures came into force in August 2016.
Different policy initiatives directed toward Mexican emigrants took place in 2016. In order to encourage participation in the electoral process, any Mexican embassy or consulate abroad can issue voting cards. As part of the I’m Mexico Program, an agreement was signed with United States authorities in June 2016 to facilitate the recognition of US birth certificates in Mexican civil registration offices. It was estimated that more than 200 000 children are eligible. This recognition will ease the access to health or education or to naturalization of the children of return migrants in Mexico. The Build on your land Program was put in place in June 2016 to assist Mexicans living in the United States to acquire property in Mexico.
Around 12 million Mexicans resided abroad in 2015 according to the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, 97% in the United States. Following the economic crisis, permanent emigration from Mexico to the United States dropped, even irregular emigration may have done so as seems to indicate the sharp
126 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
fall in the number of apprehensions of Mexicans at the US Southern border to 227 000 in 2014, a level not seen since 1971. At the same time, the number of deportations from the United States remained high in the last decade: it increased since 2005 to reach 315 000 in 2013 after decreasing slightly in the two subsequent years to reach 242 000 in 2015. According to the National Survey of Demographic Dynamics 2014, 14% of the population who returned to Mexico after living in the United States in the year 2009 cited deportation as the reason for their return. Six in ten return migrants cited family reunification as the main reason. The Pew Research Center has argued that these developments may lead to a decline in the Mexican population living in the United States35. However, the number of legal permanent entries of Mexicans into the United States stopped declining in 2014: in 2015 it grew by 18% but the number of persons becoming lawful permanent residents remained below the pre-crisis level. Legal temporary entries, however, have increased steadily since 2010. In 2015, the total number of Mexicans becoming lawful permanent residents or entering as authorized temporary migrants was one third higher than in 2006.
Emigrants from Mexico to the United States have largely benefited from the improvements in the US labor market and their employment rate gained 3.7 percentage points between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015. Labor market outcomes of Mexican emigrants living in the United States or European OECD countries differed substantially between men and women in 2014-2015: Mexican men record one of the highest employment rates (83.5%) compared to emigrant men from other countries of the Americas while Mexican women have the lowest employment rates (52.2%).
35 Pew Research Centre, More Mexicans leaving than coming to the U.S., 2015.
PART II Country Notes / 127
Mexico
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 18 153 62 990 43,481 34 406 0.3 +90
Temporary 39 367 33 865 51 338 54 501 0.4 +38
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 37 48 14 28
Humanitarian 2 2 0 3
Other 27 25 37 13
Study na na 13 13
Work 34 25 36 44
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 18 150 62 990 43 480 34 410 100 +90
United States of America 3 952 14 420 9 373 7 096 21 +80
Cuba 1 833 3 249 2 674 2 611 8 +42
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 1 173 2 808 2 624 2 235 6 +91
China 841 5 222 2 619 2 226 6 +165
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 352 681 358 405 383 685 439 161 100 +25
United States of America 301 555 307 125 332 629 389 719 89 +29
Canada 29 260 29 950 26 183 21 935 5 -25
Germany 3 485 3 619 4 763 4 592 1 +32
Spain 4 294 3 332 3 555 4 003 1 -7
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 7 11 12 27 14 3 423
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 19.7 19.4 15.7 12.9 15.7 14.1
Natural increase 24.0 22.3 20.5 18.4 16.1 14.6
Net migration -4.4 -2.9 -4.8 -5.5 -0.4 -0.5
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.8 0.5 0.8 0.9 1 193 +23.1
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
22 446 21 583 23 656 24 792 2 +10.5
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 4.0 1.4 2.3 2.6 2.6
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 2.5 -0.1 0.9 1.3 1.2 16 668
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 87.1 87.5 56.6 57.1 73.0 73.2
Employment rate 81.3 83.5 49.9 52.2 66.7 68.8
Unemployment rate 6.7 4.5 11.9 8.7 8.6 6.0
128 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
PANAMAImmigration into Panama (both permanent and temporary) doubled its level in 2015 when compared to 201436, as the Panamanian economy continued to grow at high rates (close to 6%), with movements being driven by work on large infrastructure projects but also by the arrival of many Venezuelans (46% of all permanent arrivals) on work permits for professionals.
It is expected that infrastructure related movements will continue, with a number of new large projects going ahead (the second stage of Panama’s Metro, Colon Urban Renovation and highway expansion). A significant portion of the infrastructure-related increase is concentrated among employees of multinationals and among nationals of Italy arriving under a bilateral agreement.
The number of permanent permits granted to Venezuelans increased by almost twelve times when compared to 2012 levels; when 57% were granted to professionals.
Of all temporary and permanent residence permits granted 55% were granted to men and 45% to women.
As in other countries in Central America and South America, Panama experienced a strong increase in irregular migration flows of persons in transit to United States.
The number of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Asia and Africa identified as irregular was five times larger in 2014 than in 2015, reaching a level of 29 916 irregular migrants mostly from Cuba (84%), Asia (11%) and Africa (4%) (OAS-IOM 2017).
Irregular migrants from Asia are mainly from Nepal and Bangladesh, while those from Africa are mainly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The presence of these migrants has affected a number of communities along the Pan-American Highway (among them Lajas Blancas, Sanson, Nicanor and Las Peñitas). Migrants identified by the Border Service (SENAFRONT) are assessed by the Panama Migration Services and oriented by migration category to a number of stations where they are provided medical care, food and shelter. Migrants who apply for asylum are directed towards the ONPAR (National Office for Attention to Refugees), which delivers a decision on the request. If the person is admitted as a refugee, he or she is given a Temporary Humanitarian Permit for a maximum period of six years; and after three years, refugees can obtain the right of permanent residence if they satisfy the requirements.
Emigration of Panama nationals to OECD and Latin American countries increased 31% in 2015 when compared to 2012, reaching a level of 5 474 temporary and permanent migrants s in 2015. The main destination countries were the United States (57%), Costa Rica (9%), Spain (7%) and Mexico (4%).
36 The statistics presented here on permanent immigration for Panama do not include persons who receive permanent residence permits. The objective of the harmonized statistics on immigration is to measure permanent migrants at the time of entry. In Panama, all persons who wish to become permanent residents must first obtain a 2-year provisional permit and can apply for permanent residence at the end of the two-year period. In other words, persons who obtain the right of permanent residence have already been counted as permanent residents in the year they receive their provisional permit.
PART II Country Notes / 129
The emigration flow of Panama nationals to OECD countries (particularly to the United States) and Latin American countries is lower than the immigration flow received by the country. Panama had a positive net migration rate (1.5 per thousand inhabitants) during 2010-2015 and has shown an upward trend since 1990-1995, with Panama becoming a migration destination country over the period. Nevertheless, the flow of nationals from Panama to OECD countries (particularly the United States) and Latin American countries increased 31% between 2012 and 2015.
Labor market outcomes of Panamanians emigrants in European OECD and United States registered a decrease in the unemployment rate in 2014-2015 when compared to 2012-2013, from 9.0% to 7.1%. Both the employment and participation rates of Panamanians remained about the same.
Asylum seeker applications in Panama more than doubled in 2015 when compared to 2013, reaching a level of 1 830 applications, submitted mostly by nationals of Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and El Salvador.
The special subcategory “Permanent Resident as Foreign National of Specific Countries that have friendly relations, professional, economic and investment relations with the Republic of Panama” was created within the category of Permanent Resident, to facilitate migration of persons from designated countries (49 at last count) wishing to exercise an economic activity in Panama.
The assessment and recognition of Diplomas or College Degrees in Technical Careers, and Bachelor’s, Graduate, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees of foreign nationals applying for a permanent resident permit as a foreign professional are carried out by the University of Panama and the Technological University37.
The “General Migration Regulation Procedure” was implemented, abolishing the previous regularization decree and establishing a regular regularization process, subject to a numerical limit to be fixed each year by the National Migration Service.38 An extraordinary regularization program was nonetheless introduced for nationals of the People’s Republic of China who were in an irregular migratory status in 201639. In 2016 a total of 4642 people were regularized, mostly from China, Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
37 Resolution No. 10294 of May 7, 2015.38 Executive Decree No. 167 of June 3, 2016.39 Executive Decree No. 168 of June 3, 2016.
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Panama
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 4 512 3 463 5,808 9 950 2.5 +121
Temporary 4 414 1 600 1 715 5 361 1.4 +21
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 70 33 4 2
Humanitarian 0 0 2 0
International agreements 0 13 8 1
Other 16 6 0 0
Study na na 19 16
Work 13 47 66 81
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 4 510 3 460 5 810 9 950 100 +121
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 360 492 1 869 4 543 46 +1162
Colombia 1 499 961 976 1 379 14 -8
Italy 505 329 797 1 358 14 +169
Dominican Republic 446 308 245 527 5 +18
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 4 176 4 460 4 596 5 474 100 +31
United States of America 2 549 2 553 2 363 3 136 57 +23
Costa Rica 138 177 250 493 9 +257
Spain 298 289 306 359 7 +20
Mexico 164 322 279 223 4 +36
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 199 214 298 461 293 1 830
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 21.5 20.7 20.2 18.9 18.0 17.1
Natural increase 22.3 20.5 19.5 17.9 16.7 15.7
Net migration -0.8 0.2 0.7 1.0 1.3 1.5
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
2.5 2.8 4.3 4.7 185 +17.4
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
601 794 652 473 1 -21.3
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 9.2 6.6 6.1 5.8 6.9
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 7.3 4.8 4.3 4.0 5.1 20 674
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 82.0 77.7 71.1 71.9 75.8 74.4
Employment rate 73.8 72.7 65.3 66.5 69.0 69.1
Unemployment rate 10.0 nr 8.1 7.6 9.0 7.1
Note: The regularization carried out over the 2010-2013 period are not included in the inflows.
PART II Country Notes / 131
PARAGUAYParaguay’s migration profile is defined by emigration. Even if outgoing migration flows decreased 14% in 2015 when compared to 2012, more than 100 thousand Paraguayans sought residence in a different country. Argentina still receives 90% of such migrants, with Spain and Brazil taking 4% and 2%, respectively. Flows of Paraguayans to Spain have shown no signs of recovery. The level before the crisis, in 2007, was 24 thousand; in 2015 it was barely one fifth of the 2007 level.
The arrival of migrants into the country also decreased in 2012-2015. The number of Brazilians was down by a half but Argentinians up by a quarter. Overall immigration decreased by 24%. The foreign-born population in Paraguay still shows a decreasing trend. According to data from the United Nations, the share of the total foreign population fell by almost half between 1990 and 2015.
Data on remittances sent to Paraguay during 2015 continued a persistent downward trend. During 2012-2015 the decrease amounted to 43% (current dollars). Considering that more than 80% of Paraguayan migrants reside in Argentina, it is probable that the adverse economic situation in the country has contributed to the decrease in remittances.
Labor market outcomes of Paraguayan migrants in European countries and the United States have improved. However, the unemployment rate for men is still high despite its decrease by more than 10 percentage points. For men and women combined, the unemployment rate fell by 3.4 percentage points during 2012-2015.
In November 2015, the Government approved, by decree, the new Migration Policy, which outlined a roadmap for the Migration Law and described the plan for migratory management in operational and technological terms. 40
The reform of current regulations, dating from 1996, is to focus on aligning national legislation to the international agreements and treaties subscribed to and ratified by Paraguay. The new migration policy is to move away from the current security focus in the legislation to take on a inclusive and human rights perspective.
The new policy outlines the basic guiding principles for a new migration law covering a broad range of issues related to migration, such as internal migration, Paraguayan communities residing abroad, the return and repatriation of Paraguayans abroad, and displacements due to climate change, natural disasters and internal conflicts, in line with the current migration profile of the country.
40 Decree No. 4483.
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Paraguay
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 9 820 5 555 6,530 7 438 1.1 -24
Temporary 3 366 926 3 658 5 304 0.8 58
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Family 0 19 0 0
International agreements 76 4 82 96
Regularisation 0 11 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0
Unknown 24 65 18 3
Work 0 2 0 0
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 9 820 5 560 6 370 7 440 100 -24
Brazil 5 692 2 567 2 204 2 882 39 -49
Argentina 1 361 1 162 1 552 1 680 23 +23
Spain 279 363 544 449 6 +61
Uruguay 160 151 245 311 4 +94
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 135 240 128 718 91 604 116 310 100 -14
Argentina 123 238 117 593 79 011 104 266 90 -15
Spain 4 797 3 762 4 239 4 665 4 -3
Brazil 3 267 3 429 3 607 2 801 2 -14
United States of America 1 108 1 166 1 208 1 387 1 +25
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 2 - 6 10 4 69
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 27.5 24.4 21.6 17.8 13.8 13.4
Natural increase 28.4 25.8 23.3 19.5 17.7 16.1
Net migration -0.9 -1.4 -1.7 -1.7 -3.9 -2.7
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
4.6 3.3 2.6 2.4 156 -2.4
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
804 743 422 461 2 -42.7
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP -1.2 14.0 4.7 3.0 5.1
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) -2.6 12.5 3.3 1.6 3.7 8 639
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 81.5 80.5 83.0 81.6 82.5 81.2
Employment rate 56.2 63.9 71.1 70.9 66.6 68.3
Unemployment rate 31.1 20.6 14.3 13.1 19.3 15.9
PART II Country Notes / 133
PERUPeru has had a net negative rate of migration in the last few decades. Nonetheless, while permanent and temporary migration inflows have steadily increased – 10% per year since 2010 – reaching a 31% increase on average in the 2012-2015 period, outflows decreased by 13% over the same period.
Historically, population loss to migration has been high, peaking in the 2000-2005 period with a net migration rate of -4.7 persons per thousand inhabitants, but has declined sharply since, to a net rate of -1.6 per thousand inhabitants in the 2010-2015 period.
Over the 2012-2015 period there has been a drastic increase in the immigration of Venezuelans and Colombians, at 148% and 84% respectively, followed by citizens from Spain to a lesser degree (28%). It is possible that the marked increase in Venezuelans is related to the deteriorating political and socio-economic situation that the country has faced in the last couple of years, while for Colombians, it is likely linked to the signing of the Mercosur residence agreement.
In 2015, Peruvian emigration was four times higher than the inflows of immigrants. Of the total number of Peruvian nationals who emigrated, 77% went to another country of the Americas, of which, 31% to neighboring countries (Chile and Ecuador), and 29% to Argentina.
Overall labor market outcomes of Peruvian emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States improved slightly from 2012-2013 to 2014-2015. Employment and unemployment rates improved for Peruvian men by 2 and 4 percentage points, respectively. Employment rates for Peruvian women remained constant while their unemployment rate decreased by 2 percentage points.
Despite the decline in outflows, remittances remained stable between 2012 and 2015. After Colombia, Peru was the second largest recipient of remittances in South America; altogether they represented around 1.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
At the beginning of 2017, Peru approved new legislation on migration. With the Legislative Decree No. 1350, effective March 1 2017, the Peruvian government organized its immigration into two categories, Temporary and Resident. The Decree also established the conditions and requirements of visas and permits, and created one new migratory category. Below are the changes affecting foreign nationals.
New Status Type – Temporary (Temporal)
The category of temporary visas includes both business and short-term work visas, with the following changes:
■ Business Visa – The period of stay for business (non-productive work) activities has been increased from 30 days to 183 days within a year, with the possibility of renewal.
■ Temporary Worker Visa – The period of stay for productive work activities, where the employee is under a foreign employment contract or service agreement, has been increased from 30 days to 183 days within a year, with the possibility of renewal.
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■ Other Visas – The current visas for persons in the arts, sports, journalism, temporary training and research, and visas under international agreements remain unchanged under the current rules.
New Status Type – Resident (Residente)
■ Designated Worker Visa – Visas for productive work activities, where the employee is working long-term under a local or foreign employment contract or service agreement, will be granted for an initial period of stay of up to a year, with the option to renew. Noteworthy is that foreign nationals under this category may be employed in either the private or public sector, whereas prior to this law they could work only in the private sector.
■ Training Visa (New Category) – A new category has been created for study in basic and higher education institutions, including exchange programs. However, holders of this visa may not engage in work or other gainful activity without obtaining authorization.
■ Permanent Residence – The residency period required to apply for permanent residence has increased from 2 years to 3 years, and a new condition has been added which prohibits remaining outside Peru for more than 365 consecutive days without losing permanent residence status.
■ Other Visas – Other residence visas, such as those for investors, long-term research, international conventions, and non-employment based residence remain unchanged under the new legislation.
Additionally, a foreign national’s current immigration status will be automatically extended while their application for an extension or a change of status is in progress with the Peruvian authorities.
PART II Country Notes / 135
Peru
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent and temporary 19 161 20 811 26 391 25 233 0.8 +32
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent and temporary inflows
% distribution
2012 2015
Family 22 21
Humanitarian 0 0
Other 1 0
Study 3 1
Work 74 78
Total 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 19 161 20 811 26 391 25 233 100 +32
Colombia 2 206 3 942 4 252 4 051 16 +84
United States of America 2 822 2 536 3 405 3 081 12 +9
Spain 1 877 2 706 2 850 2 404 10 +28
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 690 745 1 263 1 708 7 +148
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 120 413 108 506 95 428 104 316 100 -13
Argentina 46 089 39 344 26 271 29 910 29 -35
Chile 22 465 22 166 21 112 25 919 25 +15
United States of America 20 577 20 048 18 661 19 131 18 -7
Ecuador 2 036 1 622 3 857 5 866 6 +188
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 13 14 12 14 13 432
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 22.1 19.3 15.0 12.7 12.4 13.2
Natural increase 23.9 21.9 19.3 17.4 15.8 14.8
Net migration -1.8 -2.6 -4.3 -4.7 -3.4 -1.6
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 91 +8.1
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
2 779 2 707 2 635 2 725 1 -1.9
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 6.1 5.9 2.4 3.3 4.4
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 4.7 4.4 1.0 1.9 3.0 11 768
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 86.7 85.5 75.4 73.6 80.4 78.9
Employment rate 75.6 77.6 63.3 63.4 68.7 69.6
Unemployment rate 12.8 9.3 16.1 14.0 14.5 11.7
136 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
UNITED STATES OF AMERICAThe total foreign-born population residing in the United States in 201541 totalled 43.3 million, or 13.3% of the U.S population. Persons born in Mexico accounted for 27% of the foreign-born population, followed by India (5.5%), the People’s Republic of China (4.8%), and the Philippines (4.6%). These four countries accounted for approximately one-third of all persons granted Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status over the past decade.
The total number of persons granted (LPR) status increased 3.4% from 1 016 500 in 2014 to 1 051 000 in 2015, of which more than half adjusted status from temporary to permanent from within the country. The shares of immigrants from both the Americas and from Asia among those granted LPR status increased over the last decade, more rapidly for Asians than for immigrants from the hemisphere. Family-sponsored immigrants accounted for 65% of all persons granted LPR status in 2015, while 14% were employment-based including accompanying family members, and 14% were granted refugee status or asylum. The diversity visa program accounted for 5% of LPRs. The number of refugees adjusting to LPR status increased 23% between 2014 and 2015, primarily due to an increase in the number of Cubans adjusting in 2015 who had entered in prior years. The numbers of immigrants in other visa categories were comparable to 2014 levels. Among the 437 900 new permanent migrants from the Americas in 2015, more than three quarters migrated on family grounds (77%), 12% for humanitarian reasons, 6% for work and 5% for other reasons.
A total of 69,933 refugees were resettled in Fiscal Year 2015; in addition, 33 600 individuals already present in the United States were granted asylum in 2015, down 12% compared to 2014. The first continent of origin of the 152 000 permanent humanitarian migrants is Asia (45%). Nearly one third are from Cuba (47 800 persons or 32%). Almost nine out of ten (88%) Cubans granted permanent residence in the United States in 2015 did so on humanitarian grounds.
In 2015, the United States issued 7% more non-immigrant temporary visas than in 2014. The leading categories were international students (657 000 admissions), temporary workers and their families (560 300), and family visitors (344 300). More than half of the new international students are from China (276 600 admissions) or India (75 700) and only 61 400 from the Americas. Asian and American temporary workers entered the United States in equal numbers (226 600), Mexicans making up 81% of the inflows from the Americas followed by Brazil and Jamaica (4% each).
A total of 783 100 persons filed petitions to become US citizens in 2015. These petitions led to 730 300 naturalizations, similar to the decadal average, but up 12% from 2014. Mexican nationals had the most applications for naturalization granted (106 000), followed by Indians (42 200), Filipinos (40 800), Chinese (31 200), nationals from the Dominican Republic (26 700), and Cubans (25 800). The percentage of the foreign population who obtained US citizenship in 2015 is relatively high at about 6.4%.
The number of asylum seekers in the United States progressed rapidly in the recent years: the 172 700 applications lodged in 2015 represent a 43% increase compared to 2014 and 2.5 times the numbers recorded in the previous decade. The progression was driven by the rise in requests
41 All references to years in this note are to fiscal years. Fiscal year 2015 began 1 October 2014 and concluded 30 September 2015.
PART II Country Notes / 137
for asylum by nationals of four major American countries of asylum seekers: El Salvador (+87%), Guatemala (+80%), Honduras (+110%) and Venezuela (+136%). More recently, the number of Haitian asylum seekers has increased. Some Haitians present in the country are currently protected from deportation by their Temporary Protected Status, established following the 2010 earthquake. However, on November 20, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would terminate Haiti’s designation for this status effective July 22, 2019. The number of asylum applications by Haitians nearly doubled in 2016 with 4 000 applications filed in 2016 compared to 2 200 in 2015.
In 2014, a sharp rise of families and unaccompanied children from the non-contiguous countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador (the “Northern Triangle”) arrived in the United States through the Southwest border and the Rio Grande Valley sector in particular. This happened while apprehensions across the Southwest border were near historic lows. The unaccompanied minors intercepted by the US Border and Customs Protection who are not from Canada or Mexico are generally issued a notice to appear before an immigration judge in the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review and placed in removal proceedings. They can claim asylum or humanitarian relief and cases of potential victimization are verified. Between 2012 and 2015, the decision of immigration judges led to 7 600 returns of unaccompanied minors to their countries of origin, among them 2 500 from Guatemala, 2 500 from Mexico, 1 800 from Honduras, and 700 from El Salvador. The number of unaccompanied minors and other migrants from the Northern Triangle countries apprehended in the United States decreased in 2015 but remains higher than for the years prior to 2013.
During its second mandate, the Obama Administration announced a number of immigration policy changes through the Department of Homeland Security. These administrative actions included the proposed expansion of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and the proposed Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and LPRs (DAPA) program, both of which were blocked by a federal court. The termination of the original DACA program was initiated on 5 September 2017. The two-year permits will remain in force but no renewals will be granted after 5 March 2018. Other administrative actions introduced through the Department of Homeland Security included granting work eligibility to the spouses of certain temporary workers, extending post-graduation employment opportunities for certain foreign students, clarifying eligibility rules for intra-company transferees, and permitting greater employment mobility in certain circumstances for those with pending LPR applications. Some of these actions are under challenge in federal court and the Department of Homeland Security is currently reviewing the prudence and lawfulness of all of these administrative actions. One last decision taken by the Obama administration regarding migration was to put an end to the “wet foot – dry foot” policy for Cuba on 12 January 2017, in the context of the reestablishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Cuban migrants who anticipated this decision and arrived in increasing number at the southwest border in recent years are no longer admissible at land ports of entry as they used to be.
A one-time cap exemption was made by Congress in Fiscal Year 2016 for the H-2B non-agricultural temporary worker program: the cap for the H-2B program remained at 66 000, as in previous years, but an exemption was made for “returning workers” who had participated in the H-2B program in the three previous fiscal years. This exemption has since expired.
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In 2017, a number of executive orders affecting immigration policy were issued. These include orders with the stated objective of strengthening border security, strengthening enforcement of the immigration laws, and improving the screening of foreign nationals seeking admission to the United States.
Slightly more than 200 000 US citizens emigrate on a permanent or temporary basis to other American or OECD countries and this figure has been fairly constant over the last decade. One fifth of these emigrants go to Canada and another fifth to Korea or Japan. Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom receive annually between 10 000 and 20 000 United States citizens. A marked increase in emigration to Colombia in the years 2014 and 2015 made it the seventh country of destination of emigration of US citizens, before Brazil, even though the numbers remain low (900 persons).
Emigrants from the United States living in European OECD countries record low unemployment rates but relatively low participation rates as well, at least for men – less than 79% participate in the labor force in 2014-2015 – compared to other emigrants from the Americas.
PART II Country Notes / 139
United States of America
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by type
Persons Per 1 000 inhabitants
Percent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 1 031 631 990 553 1,016,518 1 051 031 3.3 +2
Temporary 1 510 572 1 630 580 1 787 514 1 907 875 6.0 +26
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent inflows Temporary inflows
% distribution % distribution
2012 2015 2012 2015
Work and accompanying family 14 14 4 3
Work 0 0 24 26
Study na na 33 34
Other 5 7 21 18
Humanitarian 15 14 0 0
Family 66 65 17 18
Total 100 100 100 100
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 1 031 631 990 553 1 016 518 1 051 031 100 +2
Mexico 146 406 135 028 134 052 158 619 15 +8
China 81 784 71 798 76 089 74 558 7 -9
India 66 434 68 458 77 908 64 116 6 -3
Philippines 57 327 54 338 49 996 56 478 5 -1
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 211 007 219 469 214 464 210 378 100 -0
Canada 52 620 51 890 47 280 43 784 21 -17
Korea 28 866 26 622 24 500 22 741 11 -21
Japan 20 985 21 058 22 042 21 523 10 +3
Germany 19 563 20 531 20 468 21 115 10 +8
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants
Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 208 213 301 425 287 135 964
Components of population growth
Per 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 9.5 10.1 11.9 9.1 9.0 7.2
Natural increase 6.7 6.6 5.6 5.5 5.6 4.3
Net migration 2.8 3.5 6.3 3.6 3.3 2.9
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
9.2 12.3 14.3 14.5 46 627 +5.5
Remittances
Millions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
6 285 6 695 6 878 7 069 - +12.5
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 2.2 1.7 2.4 2.6 2.2
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 1.5 1.0 1.6 1.9 1.5 52 790
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 80.7 78.8 63.6 65.6 71.7 71.8
Employment rate 75.5 75.2 59.4 61.0 67.1 67.7
Unemployment rate nr nr nr nr 6.4 nr
140 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
URUGUAYDespite the slowdown of Uruguay’s economy since 2014, temporary and permanent immigration in Uruguay more than tripled in 2015 when compared to 2012 levels.
This increase reflects mainly an increase in permanent migration in 2015, which reached a historically high level of 7 550 persons. The main countries of origin were Argentina (38%), Brazil (16%), Venezuela (12%) and Peru (7%)42. Permanent residencies issued to nationals of Venezuela and Colombia increased significantly in this period, which is noteworthy since immigrants from these countries have had, historically, a minor presence in Uruguayan territory. By contrast, temporary migration decreased by 60% in 2015 compared to 2013, partly because of unfavorable economic conditions in Uruguay. 43
Emigration of people born in Uruguay to OECD and Latin American countries increased 17% in 2015 when compared to 2012 levels. There were notable increases in migration to Brazil (35%), Spain (26%) and Argentina (14%), while there was a decrease in emigrants to the United States of America (-9.0%).
The out-flow migration of Uruguayans to other countries is greater than the inflow received by the country, reflecting a negative net migration rate (-1.8 per one thousand inhabitants) for 2010-2015.
Labor market outcomes of Uruguayan migrants in European OECD countries and in the United States improved overall between 2012-2013 and 2014-2015. Their unemployment rate decreased from 23.8% to 19.5% while the employment rate increased from 63.3% to 65.7%. Even if the evolution of these rates was positive for both men and women, there remains a significant difference between the two in the employment rates (59.2% for women vs 71.8% for women). Their unemployment rates, however, differ by much less (20.8% vs 18.4%).
Asylum applications in Uruguay remain at low levels, amounting to only 87 applications in 2015, submitted mostly by Cubans, Colombians, and Syrians.
Law No. 19.254, passed in 2014, grants permanent residency to foreign-born relatives (spouses, parents, siblings and grandchildren) of Uruguayan nationals or of nationals of member and associate states of Mercosur44.
The direct effect generated by the implementation of this law was a significant increase in permanent residencies for citizens of Mercosur countries. 72% of the applications received between August 2014 and October 2016 were made by Mercosur nationals, while 28% were made by relatives of persons born in Uruguay45.
42 Non-definitive data. Annual distribution by nationality estimated on the basis of official data on the total number of residences granted from October 2014 to January 2017.
43 Data on residence permits granted distinguishes between temporary and permanent categories since 2013.44 Mercosur and associated States includes: Argentina, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Chile, Colombia,
Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).45 2014-2016 Management Report Law 19.254 Permanent Residences - Nationals of States Parties and/or MERCOSUR
Associates and Relatives of Uruguayans.
PART II Country Notes / 141
In 2015, law No. 19.362 was passed, providing for the granting of citizenship to children of a Uruguayan mother or father born outside the national territory. In 2016, the “Framework Document on Migration Policy in Uruguay”, was accredited by Presidential Resolution Number 576 and approved by the National Migration Board.
This document establishes the general principles, objectives and strategic guidelines of Uruguay’s migration policy.
The general policy principles are: a) the recognition and full respect for the rights of all migrants; b) equal rights between nationals and foreigners; c) the principle of non-discrimination; d) socio-cultural integration; e) respect for diversity and cultural identity; f) gender equality; g) comprehensive protection for groups of migrants in vulnerable situation such as victims of trafficking, unaccompanied children, women victims of gender violence and asylum seekers.
The document also establishes policy guidelines for various population groups, among them a) people living in Uruguay with high migration propensity (Retention Policy); b) foreigners who arrive in Uruguay with the purpose of establishing themselves in the country in a temporary or permanent manner (Immigration Policy); c) repatriated persons and returnees (Return Policy); d) Uruguayan citizens residing in foreign countries, with or without the possibility of return (Engagement Policy).
142 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Uruguay
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by typePersons Per 1 000
inhabitantsPercent change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
Permanent 1 005 2,810 7 552 2.2
+256Permanent and temporary 2 426 3 748 4 368 8 625 2.5
Temporary 2 743 1 558 1 073 0.3
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) by category of entry
Permanent and temporary inflows
% distribution
2012 2015
Family 15 na
Humanitarian 0 na
Other 3 na
Study 7 na
Work 76 na
Total 100 0
Migration inflows (foreign nationals) Persons % of total % change
Permanent migration 2012 (P+T) 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2013
All countries 2 426 3 748 4 368 8 625 100 +256
Argentina 461 327 885 2 908 34 +531
Brazil 305 130 464 1 245 14 +308
Venezuela na na 80 899 10 -
Peru na 73 49 554 6 -
Migration outflows (nationals) to LAC and OECD countries
Persons% of total % change
Permanent and temporary migration 2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
All countries 10 976 11 922 11 460 12 712 100 +16
Argentina 4 302 4 816 4 027 4 894 38 +14
Brazil 1 399 1 782 1 943 1 889 15 +35
United States of America 2 037 2 034 1 861 1 858 15 -9
Spain 991 918 1 027 1 245 10 +26
Asylum seekers
Per million inhabitants Average 2012-2015
Number of persons
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015
Inflows of asylum seekers 11 11 18 25 16 87
Components of population growthPer 1 000 inhabitants
1985-1990 1990-1995 1995-2000 2000-2005 2005-2010 2010-2015
Total 6.4 7.3 5.9 0.3 2.9 3.4
Natural increase 8.4 8.5 7.5 6.5 5.9 5.1
Net migration -2.0 -1.3 -1.6 -6.3 -3.0 -1.8
Foreign-born population
Percentage of the total population Persons % change
(thousands)
1990 2000 2010 2015 2015 2015/2010
3.2 2.7 2.3 2.1 72 -5.9
RemittancesMillions of dollars (current) % of GDP % change
2012 2013 2014 2015 2015 2015/2012
123 133 124 117 0.2 -4.9
Macroeconomic indicators
Annual growth in % Average annual growth Level
2012 2013 2014 2015 2012-2015 2015
Real GDP 3.5 4.6 3.2 0.4 2.9
GDP/per capita (2011 dollars) 3.2 4.3 2.9 0.0 2.6 19 831
Labor market outcomes of emigrants in European OECD countries and the United States
Percentages
Men Women Total
2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15 2012-13 2014-15
Participation rate 88.5 88.0 77.5 74.8 83.1 81.6
Employment rate 68.8 71.8 57.7 59.2 63.3 65.7
Unemployment rate 22.3 18.4 25.5 20.8 23.8 19.5
PART III Statistical Annex / 143
PART III
Statistical Annex
PART III Statistical Annex / 145
Introduction
The statistics in this annex come from two main sources, namely the countries of the Americas, on the one hand, and OECD countries, on the other. There is some overlap in the two groups, namely Canada, the United States, Mexico and Chile. The objective of the annex is to provide statistics on two aspects of international migration with regard to countries of the Americas, namely immigration into those countries and emigration from the same countries to OECD countries. The latter evidently does not cover all emigration from countries of Americas to the rest of the world, but certainly a significant proportion of it. The immigration / emigration dichotomy provides a natural structuring of the tables in this annex, for which a lettering system has been defined.
The table-lettering system
The tables in this annex have been lettered systematically, to make it simpler to remember their content when referencing them. The first letter is either an “I “(for immigration) or an “E” (for emigration). The tables labeled “I” are those for which the statistics come from the countries of the Americas and concern immigrants into those countries. For those labeled “E”, the statistics come from OECD countries and countries of the Americas, to which persons who are citizens of the Americas are emigrating or have emigrated in the past and of which they are or were residents.
The second letter of the lettering system is either an “a” (for aggregate) or “d” (for detailed). Tables labeled “a” give totals for certain characteristics for each country of the Americas in a single table. Tables labeled “d” provide detail for each country of the Americas on the countries of origin of immigrants or of destination of emigrants for the American country in question, as appropriate. There is a separate table for each country of the Americas. The exact nature of the country-level detail (whether it is country of birth, country of residence, country of nationality, etc.) depends on the nature of the table. Tables on immigration, for example, give entries of immigrating persons by country of nationality, whereas tables of the foreign-born population will give statistics disaggregated by country of birth and tables on acquisition of nationality by country of previous nationality or by country of acquired nationality, depending on the table.
Finally, the third part of the lettering system gives a 2-letter acronym which serves as a reminder of the precise table content. The acronyms used thus far are the following:
■ fl, for flows, which can refer to inflows (for the I tables) or outflows (for the E tables); ■ as, for asylum seekers; ■ fb, for the foreign-born population; ■ an, for acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (I tables) or of acquired
nationality (E tables); ■ em, for the employment-to-population ratio, also referred to as the employment rate; ■ un, for the unemployment rate; ■ pr, for the labor force participation rate.
Table I.a.fb., for example, describes a table giving the total foreign-born population for each country of the Americas (for which data are available) in a single table. Table E.d.an., on the other hand, refers to a set of tables, one for each country of the Americas, containing the number of citizens of that country having obtained a nationality in an OECD country or another country of the Americas, by the country for which the nationality was obtained.
146 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Note that not all possible tables of the lettering system are present in this statistical annex. For example, there are as yet no E.a.as. or E.d.as. tables, which would provide statistics on asylum seekers from countries of the Americas who have made requests for asylum in OECD countries. The tables this year include for the first-time series on labor market outcomes of emigrants from the Americas in the United States and European countries.
The tables to be found in this annex are as follows:
Immigration
■ I.a.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality. ■ I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigrants, by country of nationality. ■ I.a.as. Inflows of asylum seekers. ■ I.a.fb. The foreign-born population. ■ I.a.an. Acquisitions of nationality. ■ I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality.
Emigration to American and OECD countries
■ E.a.fl. Outflows of migrants to OECD countries and other countries of the Americas. ■ E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to OECD countries, by country of destination. ■ E.a.fb.US. The population born in the Americas living in the United States of America. ■ E.A.fb.SP. The population born in the Americas living in Spain. ■ E.a.an. Acquisitions of nationality in OECD countries and other countries of the Americas. ■ E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in OECD countries, by country of acquired nationality. ■ E.a.em. The employment rate of emigrants from the Americas in the United States and Europe. ■ E.a.un. The unemployment rate of emigrants from the Americas in the United States and
Europe. ■ E.a.pr. The participation rate of emigrants from the Americas in the United States and Europe.
Sources and definitions
Flows
Data on outflows of citizens of the Americas to OECD countries are obtained from the official statistics of the latter countries provided to the OECD. These statistics are based on national definitions and are not standardized. Although the OECD produces a set of standardized statistics on permanent immigration, the statistics of these series are not yet available by nationality of the immigrant. Hence the recourse to official national statistics provided to the OECD by its member countries. Note, however, that the statistics of immigration for OECD countries of the Americas, namely Canada, Chile, Mexico and the United States, are collected independently of the formal OECD data collection. They include both temporary and permanent immigrants and are thus generally more complete than are those of other OECD countries.
The coverage of the national statistics from OECD countries outside of the Americas can vary considerably across countries. The statistics for Australia and New Zealand, for example, cover persons who receive the right of permanent residence. Those for Germany, on the other hand, cover persons who have arrived from abroad, live in a private dwelling, intend to stay in Germany for
PART III Statistical Annex / 147
more than a certain period of time (which varies by Land (province) but is no more than 3 months), who have registered themselves in a municipal population register and are either citizens of the European Union or have a residence permit of duration compatible with their intended stay period. The immigration statistics for Germany evidently have a much broader coverage than those of Australia or New Zealand, because they include entries of many persons for short-term, temporary reasons, including, for example, seasonal workers, trainees, international students. Such statistics also exist for Australia and New Zealand but are not commonly included with those of “immigrants”, which represent the official “new permanent residents” of Australia and New Zealand.
In practice, this means that the statistics on emigration of citizens of the Americas towards OECD countries shown in this publication are partial and do not necessarily include all emigrants in all destination countries. However, the coverage for the two most important destination countries for emigrants from the Americas, namely the United States and Spain are complete for the former country and reasonably complete for the latter, excluding only movements for less than six months. Nonetheless, care should be exercised in interpreting the statistics on emigration to OECD countries. The statistics presented are indicative and do not present a complete picture of out-migration from countries in the Americas to OECD countries and other countries of the Americas. The reader is referred to the metadata regarding tables E.a.fl. and E.d.fl. for a description of the sources and definitions of the immigration statistics in OECD countries.
Data on inflows of immigrants into countries of the Americas are based on the statistics of the destination countries supplied to the Organization of American States. The data collected are, as for OECD countries, national statistics, but an attempt has been made to present them according to a common definition. In almost all cases, the data come from administrative sources on residence permits and/or entry visas.
The data for a number of countries have been revised since the previous edition of this publication (2015). This has occurred because of changes in the provision of national data, of a better understanding of national visa and permit systems or of the implementation of new immigration laws which have created series breaks and have required a re-examination of national statistics and concepts. Among the countries for which this has occurred are Chile, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.
For the purposes of harmonization of the immigration statistics, the underlying concept is that of “permanent” as opposed to “temporary” migration. A “permanent migrant” in this publication is not necessarily someone who has received the right of permanent residence, but rather someone who upon entry receives a permit which is either permanent or is (more or less) indefinitely renewable, even if some conditions may need to be satisfied in order for the permit to be renewed, such as the holding of a job. Persons who receive permits which are not renewable or only renewable on a limited basis are temporary migrants. The latter include such persons as seasonal workers, international students, service providers, performing artists, etc. In many countries, temporary migrants may be allowed to change status under certain conditions, that is, to move to a permanent migration track, which allows them to stay in the country indefinitely. Persons who do not fall into either of these categories are those such as tourists, persons in transit, business visitors, that is, persons whose objective is neither to establish a residence, whether temporary or permanent, in the country nor to exercise an economic activity nor to study. Also excluded are diplomats and their families and crew members of vessels or aircraft carrying persons or goods into the country.
148 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Diplomats and their families can be included if they request permission to stay on after the end of their assignments, in which case then enter into the normal statistics of immigration.
Most countries of the Americas, like the United States, grant permanent permits to persons arriving who want to settle indefinitely and satisfy the required criteria or who, after arriving as temporary migrants, would like to stay on, apply to do so and are deemed to satisfy the necessary conditions. This makes it relatively easy, in principle, to standardize the national statistics along the permanent / temporary dimension. In a number of cases, however, certain categories are not explicitly identified as “permanent” or “temporary” and judgment was exercised on their classification. These are identified in the metadata tables. In addition, it has not always been possible to fully harmonize the statistics provided by participating countries, because the statistics are not always sufficiently disaggregated by category of migration. It is expected that the process of standardization will improve over time, as more and more information becomes available on the categories of migration and on the different types of residence permits.
For a number of countries, however, there are some significant deviations from the standard permanent/ temporary distinction or in the coverage of the data. These are Chile, Colombia, Jamaica and Peru. The concepts underlying the statistics for these countries are specified in the metadata on inflows.
The terms “flow” or “entry” used in connection with immigration or emigration phenomena in this publication do not necessarily reflect an actual cross-border movement, but rather an entry into the official statistics as residents, which or may not coincide in time with the year when the movement occurred. In some cases, this may simply reflect the interval between the movement and its registration. In other cases, however, in particular with respect to permanent migration, the registration may not be of the entry but rather of the passage from a temporary to a permanent status. The objective of the statistics is to identify the permanent / temporary status of the migrant when the entry occurred but also to allow for situations when someone initially identified as temporary at the time of entry applies for and is allowed to change to permanent status.
Asylum seekers, refugees, the foreign-born population, acquisitions of nationality
Statistics for these three groups are more straightforward than are those for inflows or outflows.
Asylum-seekers are persons who have applied for asylum or refugee status (according to the 1951 Geneva Convention), but who have not yet received a final decision on their application. The statistics given in this publication only cover persons who made their request during the specified reference year or years. Refugees, on the other hand, are persons who have been resettled from refugee camps oversees or whose claim to asylum to has been formally recognized.
The definition of a foreign-born person is self-explanatory. Note, however, that the country of birth is defined on the basis of current geographic boundaries, not those in existence at the time of the immigrant’s birth. In addition, the foreign-born population covers persons who are de jure residents, that is, persons who happen to be in the country at the time of the census and are not usually resident are not counted. In practice the population covered may include persons born abroad as nationals of the current country of residence. Persons in this group would not normally be considered immigrants of their country of residence. Series on the foreign-born population from the Americas living in OECD countries are given only for Spain and the United States, the two
PART III Statistical Annex / 149
principal countries of destination. Data for other countries are too partial to construct an aggregate series covering all OECD countries.
The statistics on the acquisitions of nationality include acquisitions on the basis of different criteria or regimes, such as by marriage, adoption, right, descent or naturalization. In cases of descent, the persons concerned are not necessarily residents of the country of acquired nationality. In practice, the statistics shown do not distinguish between these various cases, which are aggregated together to yield a total for the reference year. The term “nationality” refers to legal or passport nationality and not to membership of a particular ethnic group.
150 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
I.a.fl
. Infl
ows
of le
gal i
mm
igra
nts
of fo
reig
n na
tion
alit
y
Cou
ntry
of r
esid
ence
Per
man
ent
(P) o
r te
mpo
rary
(T)
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Arge
ntin
aP
25
447
50
215
80
968
96
284
96
072
129
335
126
673
139
260
107
735
134
388
T 2
9 38
0 8
4 75
3 1
44 3
99 1
17 7
40 8
2 07
6 1
29 8
63 1
64 7
55 1
39 4
11 9
7 86
8 1
34 6
02
Bar
bado
sP
22
5
237
21
6
321
33
6
418
41
7
524
40
4
448
T 9
142
11
588
10
385
7 7
00 6
010
6 5
98 6
945
5 4
02 5
451
4 8
33
Bol
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(1)
Pna
na
700
1 1
00 1
020
92
7 1
317
3 8
14 9
329
5 8
54
Tna
na 7
300
12
380
16
748
20
303
22
892
15
543
18
302
20
838
Bra
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Pna
na
699
1 1
03 2
5 37
1 3
3 20
8 4
1 94
2 5
1 16
2 4
9 68
4 6
6 77
7
Tna
na 7
300
12
383
72
147
88
165
90
860
96
521
83
252
70
051
Can
ada
P 2
51 6
40 2
36 7
55 2
47 2
60 2
52 2
15 2
80 7
30 2
48 7
30 2
57 8
10 2
59 0
40 2
60 2
85 2
71 8
45
T 2
06 8
09 2
35 0
39 2
66 0
1926
6 75
026
1 02
026
7 52
929
0 55
129
8 82
529
3 75
328
0 24
2
Chi
leP
/T 4
8 52
0 7
9 38
0 6
8 68
0 5
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0 6
7 69
4 6
2 60
1 6
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6 81
9 8
5 43
1 1
03 7
75
Col
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aP
/T 7
754
8 8
77 1
0 70
7 1
2 99
6 1
5 05
5 2
0 86
6 2
3 67
9 2
9 69
2 7
0 40
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1
Cos
ta R
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P 6
863
6 3
07 8
902
10
546
8 3
94 8
944
10
551
16
505
14
805
16
114
T
908
2 5
52 4
435
5 4
77 5
470
7 3
93 6
445
6 8
82 1
7 87
1 1
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1
Dom
inic
an R
epub
licP
3 5
30 2
623
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86 2
889
89
5 1
126
32
4
204
13
8 3
263
T 2
051
1 5
23 1
970
3 3
97 4
800
2 2
55 3
455
4 0
76 2
468
4 9
29
Ecua
dor
Pna
nana
nana
3 2
45 9
217
14
857
28
250
25
125
Tna
nana
nana
7 9
09 1
0 92
7 1
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6 4
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6 4
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7
El S
alva
dor
Pna
na
554
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5
321
35
4
634
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724
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3
Tna
na 1
924
1 6
18 2
015
1 4
48
669
2 7
76 1
833
1 7
45
Gua
tem
ala
Pna
na 1
073
1 5
26
636
2 7
10 1
302
1 8
81 1
769
1 8
66
Tna
na 2
240
3 5
51
821
4 0
95 2
751
3 8
09 3
687
4 2
97
Hon
dura
sP
3 1
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55
9
568
29
2
433
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7
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0
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T
302
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301
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6
646
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80 2
345
2 2
96 2
079
1 5
58
Jam
aica
P/T
10
892
7 1
04 1
3 79
4 5
893
4 7
62 4
813
8 8
83 8
318
9 3
07 9
448
Mex
ico
P 6
874
7 1
86 1
5 91
3 2
3 85
2 2
6 18
0 2
1 99
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8 15
3 6
2 99
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1 3
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6
T 4
6 07
2 4
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4 3
3 85
3 3
2 53
3 3
8 81
3 4
1 05
2 3
9 36
7 3
3 86
5 5
1 33
8 5
4 50
1
PART III Statistical Annex / 151
Cou
ntry
of r
esid
ence
Per
man
ent
(P) o
r te
mpo
rary
(T)
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Pan
ama
Pna
nana
na 2
441
3 4
62 4
512
3 4
63 5
808
9 9
50
Tna
nana
na 3
156
2 8
77 4
414
1 6
00 1
715
5 3
61
Par
agua
yP
1 6
01 3
563
5 3
54 4
340
5 5
52 6
588
9 7
66 5
555
6 5
30 7
438
T
299
49
3
566
44
5
303
40
9 3
366
92
6 3
658
5 3
04
Per
uP
/Tna
nana
15
959
15
533
18
189
19
161
20
811
26
391
25
233
Uni
ted
Stat
esP
1 2
66 1
29 1
052
415
1 1
07 1
26 1
130
818
1 0
42 6
25 1
062
040
1 0
31 6
31 9
90 5
53 1
016
518
1 0
51 0
31
T 1
269
213
1 3
96 2
38 1
467
691
1 2
63 9
37 1
357
355
1 4
52 8
13 1
510
572
1 6
30 5
80 1
787
514
1 9
07 8
75
Uru
guay
P 1
156
1 3
44 3
981
3 8
25 2
183
1 0
71 2
426
1 0
05 2
810
7 5
52
T 2
743
1 5
58 1
073
Sour
ces
and
defin
ition
s: S
ee In
trod
uctio
n to
Sta
tistic
al A
nnex
and
Met
adat
a.(1
) Plu
rina
tiona
l Sta
te o
f
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. Infl
ows
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gal i
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tion
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y (c
ont.)
152 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality
Argentina
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Paraguay 4 349 9 506 26 009 33 871 37 806 55 910 56 635 62 972 45 164 58 248
Bolivia (1) 8 652 18 489 28 983 28 984 27 536 35 672 31 963 34 083 26 889 31 998
Peru 4 924 10 899 13 973 12 389 14 946 16 893 17 909 20 071 15 405 16 077
Colombia 314 664 700 1 226 1 676 2 630 3 037 4 616 4 023 8 496
Brazil 703 808 1 390 1 791 2 518 5 959 4 260 4 133 4 158 5 317
Uruguay 890 1 089 2 104 1 965 1 604 1 766 2 065 2 382 1 960 2 391
China 515 3 165 1 316 8 090 2 513 2 588 1 973 2 012 2 319 2 234
Chile 1 061 1 401 2 160 2 331 2 079 1 931 2 060 2 178 1 878 2 083
Venezuela (2) 116 196 271 473 442 506 779 991 859 1 091
Dominican Republic
289 429 750 865 973 899 1 189 1 020 785 979
Ecuador 177 394 336 518 533 486 616 723 540 960
Spain 295 390 439 498 558 772 961 963 856 816
United States of America
542 652 732 746 691 736 746 630 567 683
Mexico 198 271 194 242 240 347 328 257 275 378
Cuba 173 163 166 192 185 185 157 196 239 367
Other countries 2 252 1 704 1 447 2 099 1 770 2 060 1 992 2 033 1 823 2 272
Total 25 450 50 220 80 970 96 280 96 070 129 340 126 670 139 260 107 740 134 390
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
PART III Statistical Annex / 153
Barbados
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Guyana 92 85 70 103 122 137 136 190 125 127
Jamaica 31 27 34 39 28 54 44 60 60 71
United Kingdom 13 14 8 11 16 13 34 55 51 53
Trinidad and Tobago
20 25 32 22 37 57 53 49 34 32
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
21 21 28 78 59 57 47 45 26 32
Canada 13 13 3 6 2 8 4 9 15 22
United States of America
5 8 7 12 11 10 13 14 16 21
Saint Lucia 12 22 12 12 22 29 26 32 25 20
India 1 5 - 2 1 3 3 16 10 20
Grenada 6 5 5 3 12 16 13 12 13 7
Nigeria - - - 1 1 - 1 2 1 6
Cuba - - - 1 2 1 - 1 2 3
Dominica 1 5 5 8 4 7 12 5 - 3
Italy - - - - 1 - - 2 1 3
Antigua and Barbuda
2 - 1 2 1 - 4 3 2 3
Other countries 13 10 15 20 21 28 30 26 19 27
Total 230 240 220 320 340 420 420 520 400 450
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Belize
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
China 53 37 23 56 52 357
United States of America
154 153 144 94 119 156
El Salvador 80 80 91 71 73 153
Guatemala 131 140 133 112 112 144
Honduras 109 90 120 77 72 99
India 33 55 32 47 63 70
Nigeria 17 26 45 50 71 67
Nicaragua 27 30 34 25 37 54
Haiti 19 5 12 18 90 52
Canada 45 26 34 46 31 44
Mexico 17 19 19 16 5 29
United Kingdom 15 30 21 15 10 25
Lebanon 4 7 6 19 17 11
Jamaica 7 8 11 8 0 10
Other countries 229 263 117 86 88 91
Total 940 969 842 740 840 1 362 na na na na
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
154 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Brazil 223 132 131 177 2 342 5 131 2 454
Peru 170 211 154 129 234 1 620 931
Colombia 79 70 44 136 63 143 714
Argentina 314 139 137 263 279 432 407
Paraguay - 15 35 31 156 863 400
Chile 111 32 27 33 123 262 185
Spain 23 33 20 72 58 84 98
Germany 10 22 27 54 49 86 79
United States of America
51 60 60 85 72 114 73
Mexico - 27 13 14 82 131 60
China 2 17 17 13 14 14 57
Cuba 36 43 28 52 63 74 43
Korea (1) 3 27 24 20 18 18 42
Canada 4 21 14 8 35 48 39
Italy 29 17 16 36 33 39 33
Other countries 45 154 183 197 189 271 235
Total na na 700 1 100 1 020 930 1 320 3 810 9 330 5 850
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Republic of.
Brazil
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Haiti 19 11 304 3 361 8 413 12 518 12 434 42 723
China 3 235 1 616 1 338 2 464 1 986 2 457 2 718 2 346
Italy 1 184 927 984 1 422 1 769 1 839 2 083 1 522
Portugal 1 141 971 1 189 2 158 2 886 2 930 2 506 1 518
Argentina 1 554 1 616 1 888 2 076 2 296 2 651 2 320 1 100
Bolivia (1) 9 357 4 994 5 939 6 744 5 732 5 179 2 501 999
France 642 612 572 952 1 114 1 265 1 394 964
Spain 534 455 605 1 092 1 469 1 649 1 431 944
Colombia 438 421 563 868 1 747 3 016 2 237 933
Angola 338 243 257 285 318 353 517 852
United States of America
847 800 825 1 032 1 163 1 022 1 051 813
Syrian Arab Republic
44 35 36 81 159 375 1 352 803
Japan 244 276 375 701 852 890 1 021 789
Paraguay 2 241 1 598 1 357 1 353 1 641 1 576 1 452 757
Bangladesh 28 22 36 76 163 1 207 1 231 747
Other countries 11 704 8 713 9 102 8 545 10 232 12 233 13 432 8 970
Total na na 33 550 23 310 25 370 33 210 41 940 51 160 49 680 66 780
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of.
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 155
Canada
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Philippines 18 395 19 830 24 885 28 575 38 600 36 760 34 285 29 525 40 020 50 835
India 33 835 28 725 28 260 29 445 34 225 27 485 30 940 33 075 38 335 39 525
China 33 510 27 645 30 035 29 625 30 380 28 490 33 005 34 115 24 630 19 520
Iran (2) 7 485 6 955 6 475 6 575 7 470 7 470 7 525 11 280 16 775 11 665
Pakistan 13 115 10 130 8 980 7 220 6 815 7 470 11 210 12 605 9 115 11 335
Syrian Arab Republic
1 135 1 045 910 910 1 035 995 640 1 005 2 055 9 850
United States of America
9 610 9 455 10 190 9 000 8 135 7 665 7 865 8 495 8 495 7 525
France 3 985 4 275 4 520 5 045 4 650 4 070 6 255 5 610 4 705 5 795
United Kingdom 7 115 8 210 8 970 8 870 8 715 6 120 6 155 5 810 5 745 5 440
Nigeria 2 590 2 370 2 105 3 155 3 895 3 100 3 440 4 155 4 160 4 125
Korea (2) 6 215 5 895 7 285 5 870 5 535 4 585 5 315 4 510 4 455 4 080
Iraq 1 775 2 400 3 545 5 445 5 940 6 190 4 020 4 905 3 895 3 975
Egypt 2 185 2 355 3 335 3 490 5 980 4 660 5 540 4 155 3 150 3 755
Jamaica 1 705 2 130 2 340 2 450 2 315 2 060 2 185 2 470 3 050 3 410
Bangladesh 4 005 2 890 2 940 2 100 4 725 2 700 2 640 3 785 2 225 3 300
Other countries 104 980 102 450 102 485 104 445 112 315 98 910 96 790 93 540 89 480 87 715
Total 251 640 236 760 247 260 252 220 280 730 248 730 257 810 259 040 260 290 271 850
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Islamic Republic of; (2) Republic of.
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
156 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Chile
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Peru 25 360 49 720 38 590 27 260 27 010 22 840 22 460 22 170 21 110 25 920
Colombia 2 030 2 890 4 160 5 020 7 390 9 900 11 560 16 790 16 720 21 220
Bolivia (1) 1 440 5 530 4 280 3 400 7 740 7 330 10 840 20 860 20 020 20 420
Venezuela (2) 250 410 570 500 990 1 130 1 080 1 230 2 290 6 570
Haiti 50 110 120 280 860 960 1 500 2 090 2 790 6 430
Argentina 3 050 2 640 3 720 3 830 4 500 3 540 3 510 4 150 4 310 4 730
Ecuador 1 720 2 640 2 870 2 450 2 700 2 370 2 340 2 550 2 500 2 840
Spain 440 420 680 710 1 050 1 140 1 900 3 690 3 290 2 690
United States of America
1 290 1 280 1 980 2 120 3 040 2 480 2 310 2 130 2 040 1 750
Brazil 830 960 1 130 1 010 1 560 1 310 1 280 1 170 1 160 1 550
China 690 910 1 260 1 330 1 260 1 150 1 120 1 060 1 190 1 490
Dominican Republic
130 220 - 550 1 110 1 520 3 030 2 440 1 580 1 130
Mexico 330 390 580 560 760 710 730 700 710 690
Paraguay 310 530 690 620 740 650 600 650 610 670
Cuba 350 360 430 350 480 330 280 310 400 620
Other countries 3 040 3 150 5 280 4 790 6 500 5 240 4 780 4 830 4 710 5 050
Total 41 310 72 160 66 320 54 770 67 690 62 600 69 310 86 820 85 430 103 780
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
Colombia
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Venezuela (1) 3 575 4 731 5 338 11 279 9 091
United States of America
3 157 3 116 3 693 8 387 7 752
China 250 475 1 428 6 904 4 874
Spain 1 567 1 896 2 370 4 762 3 769
Mexico 1 263 1 550 1 711 3 259 3 193
India 201 200 858 3 562 2 400
Cuba 351 343 695 2 075 2 299
Nicaragua 77 70 651 1 788 1 992
Ecuador 231 662 885 2 072 1 974
Brazil 733 801 915 1 940 1 789
Peru 965 1 081 1 056 2 154 1 649
Argentina 881 969 1 117 2 042 1 568
France 1 064 970 884 1 583 1 547
Italy 1 021 845 747 1 562 1 463
Germany 916 951 1 006 1 367 1 394
Other countries 4 618 5 020 6 336 15 664 15 146
Total 7 750 8 880 10 710 13 000 15 060 20 870 23 680 29 690 70 400 61 900
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 157
Costa Rica
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nicaragua 3 234 3 517 4 648 5 886 5 227 6 066 7 669 14 779 12 215 11 953
United States of America
582 458 665 1 033 796 711 680 341 601 1 128
Venezuela (1) 122 100 280 318 317 394 292 80 179 496
Colombia 1 054 900 1 042 1 070 572 487 452 305 315 394
China 199 73 287 272 85 79 121 75 122 328
Canada 91 78 103 122 132 101 128 60 110 227
Panama 50 52 82 81 55 47 77 103 152 198
El Salvador 90 67 103 136 104 112 141 129 177 193
Honduras 44 33 73 81 63 91 77 90 106 111
Dominican Republic
43 74 110 118 74 44 50 60 53 94
France 28 42 45 78 59 50 60 22 55 91
Italy 62 51 71 73 62 59 73 43 67 90
Cuba 487 214 571 236 93 116 111 65 71 76
Spain 38 31 63 65 56 67 67 19 73 71
Argentina 36 55 68 80 44 43 40 20 49 64
Other countries 700 565 689 901 651 473 512 319 465 596
Total 6 860 6 310 8 900 10 550 8 390 8 940 10 550 16 510 14 810 16 110
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
Dominican Republic
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Haiti 599 379 395 349 68 10 - - 3 1 661
United States of America
450 324 310 321 120 108 30 22 25 1 465
United Kingdom 37 30 25 27 5 10 2 - - 27
Spain 204 167 158 178 61 100 15 9 24 18
Venezuela (1) 92 64 102 91 33 102 14 12 9 13
Canada 65 61 47 93 34 36 6 9 2 7
Italy 150 99 133 113 23 57 9 8 21 7
Colombia 262 226 232 224 56 90 97 41 5 6
Iraq - - - - - 1 3 3 - 6
France 178 139 115 106 43 58 11 13 11 6
Switzerland 49 45 41 55 9 15 1 2 4 6
Guatemala 31 26 27 21 10 6 15 12 1 4
Mexico 52 48 45 100 25 26 21 9 4 3
China 212 159 247 231 77 59 3 1 2 3
Chile 19 9 13 23 11 4 4 4 - 3
Other countries 1 130 844 900 958 325 448 89 55 29 25
Total 3 530 2 620 2 790 2 890 900 1 130 320 200 140 3 260
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
158 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Ecuador
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Cuba 2 943 2 091 7 082 10 027
Colombia 9 3 050 4 932 7 848 3 968
Venezuela (1) 102 144 264 997 3 223
United States of America
1 1 114 1 867 2 512 1 341
China 88 513 936 1 628 1 159
Spain 1 298 884 1 626 868
Peru 3 033 1 353 755 1 252 797
Italy 2 139 258 455 265
Haiti - 27 75 225 235
Chile - 186 245 423 227
Mexico - 87 126 223 190
France - 65 125 193 183
Argentina 1 157 259 409 177
Germany 1 103 132 187 164
Canada - 130 240 351 160
Other countries 10 911 1 671 2 839 2 146
Total na na na na na 3 250 9 220 14 860 28 250 25 130
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
El Salvador
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Guatemala 53 65 52 35 41 296 115 77
Nicaragua 88 53 37 160 469 360 130 69
Honduras 57 41 48 22 27 251 140 66
United States of America
57 43 27 16 11 108 45 49
Mexico 38 36 23 21 9 92 53 31
Spain 37 18 19 12 3 43 22 28
Colombia 32 32 19 14 17 80 17 22
Brazil 2 3 1 1 2 8 13 15
Costa Rica 23 24 11 18 4 61 38 14
Cuba 10 7 6 5 4 24 19 9
Argentina 23 9 2 4 7 13 4 8
Italy 4 7 8 1 3 19 10 7
Dominican Republic
3 - 4 2 2 7 12 7
Panama 12 9 8 5 - 21 17 6
Korea (1) - - - 2 5 23 9 6
Other countries 111 83 55 32 26 154 76 46
Total na na 550 430 320 350 630 1 560 720 460
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Republic of
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 159
Honduras
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
462 303 152 160 69 103 64 66 67 70
El Salvador 536 569 92 30 19 29 42 34 38 33
Nicaragua 723 268 46 41 27 35 49 49 47 32
Guatemala 232 91 37 23 9 28 26 32 41 28
China 120 82 43 37 30 45 38 33 43 21
Colombia 127 53 23 34 24 43 32 25 31 18
Cuba 31 18 12 20 10 18 16 19 21 17
Mexico 123 56 13 18 20 15 20 14 21 16
Spain 37 22 11 13 11 8 9 9 13 8
Italy 42 26 5 12 6 8 8 7 4 6
Canada 54 42 13 27 10 7 3 10 10 6
Peru 59 19 11 10 7 6 3 3 6 6
Dominican Republic
17 3 4 6 2 3 3 4 7 6
Chile 38 18 8 7 4 3 5 3 5 6
Costa Rica 85 28 9 11 5 11 8 4 11 4
Other countries 454 222 81 121 37 68 54 58 55 33
Total 3 140 1 820 560 570 290 430 380 370 420 310
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Jamaica
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
China 2 057 2 731 2 425
India 1 110 1 045 1 079
United States of America
741 699 692
Cuba 282 390 441
Mexico 120 167 380
Dominican Republic
237 376 377
United Kingdom 332 360 357
Trinidad and Tobago
173 324 323
Spain 155 189 273
Canada 229 235 231
Nigeria 155 185 182
Philippines 213 176 162
Ireland 93 102 151
Myanmar 276 190 126
Haiti 111 109 123
Other countries 2 036 2 032 2 128
Total 10 890 7 100 13 790 5 890 4 760 4 810 8 880 8 320 9 310 9 450
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
160 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Mexico
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
1 409 2 155 2 882 4 026 4 261 3 952 14 420 9 373 7 096
Cuba 319 970 1 735 1 847 1 722 1 833 3 249 2 674 2 611
Venezuela (1) 263 743 1 310 1 664 1 290 1 173 2 808 2 624 2 235
China 569 1 327 1 958 1 736 1 149 841 5 222 2 619 2 226
Colombia 302 1 051 1 898 2 312 1 806 1 411 3 186 2 488 2 050
Honduras 40 765 1 406 1 544 1 026 410 2 409 2 269 1 798
Canada 217 397 586 748 849 830 3 465 1 964 1 785
Guatemala 87 1 005 2 080 1 799 1 271 479 3 139 2 640 1 609
Spain 308 566 865 969 841 980 2 607 1 767 1 596
Argentina 500 921 1 378 1 443 990 859 3 232 2 142 1 428
El Salvador 86 457 796 708 694 361 1 613 1 210 1 136
France 184 357 512 565 466 379 1 432 1 025 721
Italy 151 323 501 550 487 437 1 529 910 681
Peru 191 412 667 825 550 377 1 226 932 630
Brazil 192 304 439 460 370 290 1 058 733 627
Other countries 2 372 4 157 4 837 4 984 4 218 3 538 12 395 8 110 6 181
Total 6 870 7 190 15 910 23 850 26 180 21 990 18 150 62 990 43 480 34 410
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
Panama
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Venezuela (1) 384 360 492 1 869 4 543
Colombia 1 196 1 499 961 976 1 379
Italy 261 505 329 797 1 358
Dominican Republic
154 446 308 245 527
United States of America
570 443 301 476 322
China 84 44 145 214 279
Nicaragua 68 204 155 181 264
Spain 65 92 81 100 103
El Salvador 26 39 46 60 103
Mexico 35 35 56 56 102
Costa Rica 50 85 76 76 94
Peru 30 77 47 61 84
Cuba 30 51 61 50 84
India 86 31 67 66 68
Ecuador 34 50 40 59 67
Other countries 387 549 295 524 573
Total na na na na 2 440 3 460 4 510 3 460 5 810 9 950
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 161
Paraguay
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Brazil 3 079 1 286 2 128 3 148 5 692 2 567 2 204 2 882
Argentina 479 833 1 036 1 076 1 361 1 162 1 552 1 680
Spain 59 107 100 201 279 363 544 449
Uruguay 136 126 139 117 160 151 245 311
Germany 564 645 667 393 318 190 251 278
United States of America
117 199 204 212 281 188 237 173
Cuba 32 28 43 57 95 79 195 163
Korea (1) 93 100 115 156 159 115 126 155
Bolivia (2) 75 72 58 69 71 49 85 153
Peru 52 79 97 67 75 51 75 152
Chile 63 74 94 92 61 48 74 115
Colombia 21 49 62 58 59 32 56 107
Japan 35 52 61 42 54 55 75 101
Italy 16 35 31 39 46 53 63 72
France 32 43 32 40 66 40 55 62
Other countries 497 612 683 823 1 043 417 533 587
Total 1 600 3 560 5 350 4 340 5 550 6 590 9 820 5 560 6 370 7 440
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Republic of; (2) Plurinational State of
Peru
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Colombia 1 570 1 840 2 080 2 210 3 940 4 250 4 050
United States of America
2 330 2 610 3 120 2 820 2 540 3 410 3 080
Spain 750 880 1 240 1 880 2 710 2 850 2 400
Venezuela (1) 430 650 760 690 750 1 260 1 710
Argentina 1 190 1 050 1 200 1 220 1 360 1 670 1 660
Chile 720 720 1 530 1 360 1 060 1 510 1 520
Ecuador 700 570 850 880 870 1 190 1 280
Brazil 620 680 690 790 870 1 030 1 280
Mexico 460 480 560 620 640 770 850
China 1 030 700 430 550 440 1 210 840
Bolivia (2) 590 580 540 780 540 900 810
Cuba 490 580 500 510 530 770 800
Germany 470 400 410 410 320 470 520
Italy 370 360 340 420 440 530 520
United Kingdom 510 350 410 410 340 470 410
Other countries 3 730 3 080 3 530 3 620 3 470 4 100 3 510
Total na na na 15 960 15 530 18 190 19 160 20 810 26 390 25 230
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of; (2) Plurinational State of
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
162 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
United States of America
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Mexico 173 749 148 640 189 989 164 920 139 120 143 446 146 406 135 028 134 052 158 619
China 87 307 76 655 80 271 64 238 70 863 87 016 81 784 71 798 76 089 74 558
India 61 369 65 353 63 352 57 304 69 162 69 013 66 434 68 458 77 908 64 116
Philippines 74 606 72 596 54 030 60 029 58 173 57 011 57 327 54 338 49 996 56 478
Cuba 45 614 29 104 49 500 38 954 33 573 36 452 32 820 32 219 46 679 54 396
Dominican Republic
38 068 28 024 31 879 49 414 53 870 46 109 41 566 41 311 44 577 50 502
Viet Nam 30 691 28 691 31 497 29 234 30 632 34 157 28 189 27 101 30 283 30 775
Iraq 4 337 3 765 4 795 12 110 19 855 21 133 20 369 9 552 19 153 21 107
El Salvador 31 782 21 127 19 659 19 909 18 350 18 667 16 256 18 260 19 273 19 487
Pakistan 17 418 13 492 19 719 21 555 18 258 15 546 14 740 13 251 18 612 18 057
Jamaica 24 976 19 375 18 477 21 783 19 775 19 616 20 705 19 348 19 026 17 642
Colombia 43 144 33 187 30 213 27 849 22 406 22 635 20 931 21 131 18 175 17 316
Korea (1) 24 386 22 405 26 666 25 859 22 227 22 824 20 846 23 166 20 423 17 138
Haiti 22 226 30 405 26 007 24 280 22 582 21 998 22 685 20 351 15 274 16 967
Bangladesh 14 644 12 074 11 753 16 651 14 819 16 707 14 705 12 099 14 577 13 570
Other countries 571 813 447 527 449 323 496 731 428 965 429 710 425 867 423 139 412 423 420 302
Total 1 266 130 1 052 420 1 107 130 1 130 820 1 042 630 1 062 040 1 031 630 990 550 1 016 520 1 051 030
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Republic of
Uruguay
Country of nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 309 257 1 056 1 043 719 395 461 327 885 2 908
Brazil 144 143 892 866 433 200 305 130 464 1 245
Venezuela (1) - - - - - - - - 80 899
Peru - - - - 101 - - 73 49 554
Colombia - - - - 59 - - - 37 415
Chile 25 39 147 138 51 33 141 26 85 208
Paraguay 42 36 109 124 48 24 48 19 51 138
Bolivia (2) - - - - - - - - 12.26 138
Spain 50 45 118 133 100 32 87 62 175 119
United States of America
337 424 961 947 203 246 655 55 121 62
Germany 36 54 154 137 74 39 45 19 61 38
France 26 28 31 54 36 10 19 27 55 24
Italy 17 26 78 49 34 10 11 16 28 11
United Kingdom 12 14 20 29 18 4 8 6 22 10
Other countries 162 274 414 310 304 77 650 250 684 780
Total 1 160 1 340 3 980 3 830 2 180 1 070 2 430 1 010 2 810 7 550
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of ; (2) Plurinational State of
I.d.fl. Inflows of legal permanent immigration, by country of nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 163
Metadata related to Tables I.a.fl. and I.d.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
Argentina The statistics include both 1) filings (“radicaciones”) of persons already present in the country and 2) permits to enter, granted to persons abroad. “Permanent and “temporary” refers to residence rights. The right of permanent residence can be granted to persons applying either from abroad or from within the country.
The permanent group includes some changes in status, that is, persons who initially had a temporary permit but later changed to permanent.
National Migration Directorate, Ministry of the Interior.
Barbados Permanent immigrants are CARICOM skilled nationals, persons with immigrant status, persons granted permanent residence upon entry and persons joining or marrying permanent residents or citizens. All persons on work permits except CARICOM skilled nationals in wage-and-salary employment are temporary as well as self-employed CARICOM nationals. Also included among the temporary are students, persons in training and person on special entry permits.
Persons on visitor’s visas, or on single or mutiple entry visas are excluded.
Barbados Immigration Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
Belize Permanent immigrants are those granted the right of permanent residence after one year of presence in the country.
The statistics on temporary migrants in this publication only include those arriving for temporary employment.
Statistical Institute of Belize.
Bolivia (1) Permanent immigrants are persons wishing to settle and who are investors and self-employed professionals and technicians; persons who have a Bolivian degree; pensioners with sufficient income and persons of independent mean; persons with Bolivian children; investors, professionals, industrial or agricultural technicians and skilled labor; spouse and children of these.
All other permit and visa categories are deemed to be temporary, with the exception of courtesy permits or visas, permit or visa renewals and tourist visas, which are considered out-of-scope.
General Directorate for Consular Affairs, Ministry of Extenral Relations.
Brazil Permanent immigrants: Spouses of Brazilians, non-expellable spouses and children, family reunification migrants, humanitarian migrants, investors, executives and managers, Mercosur migrants wanting to settle, persons changing status to permanent. Temporary migrants: Temporary workers, Mercosur migrants, students, artists and performers.
Border workers from neighbouring countries are excluded. Statistics are work permits, except for non-labor and temporary Mercosur migrants, for which the statistics are from the Federal Police Register.
Department of Foreigners, Ministry Justice; Federal Police Department and International Migration Observatory.
(1) Plurinational State of
164 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
Canada Permanent migrants:
Inflows of persons who have acquired permanent resident status (including onshore).
Temporary migrants:
Inflows (first entries) of people who are lawfully in Canada on a temporary basis under a temporary resident permit. Temporary residents include foreign workers (including seasonal workers), foreign students, refugee claimants, people allowed to remain temporarily in Canada on humanitarian grounds and other individuals entering Canada on a temporary basis who are not under a work or student permit and who are not seeking protection.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Chile All migrants are given a temporary visa at the time of entry.There are three general types of visas: student, temporary and “subject to contract”. Persons can apply for permanent residence after one or two two years (or after the completion of studies in the case of students, depending on the entry category. It is not generally possible to identify the permanent/temporary nature of a migration from the initial visa granted. Chilean statistics in this publication count only the initial temporary visas, which are considered to cover both permanent and temporary migration.
No permanent permits are granted at entry into the country.
Register of permits of residence granted, Chile Sistema B3000, Department of Foreigners and Migration, Ministry of the Interior.
Colombia Investors and parents of Colombian nationals are granted the right of permanent residence upon entry. Spouses and parents of Colombian nationals can received the right of permanent residence after three years of continuous residence with a temporary permit; all others eligible for permanent residence must demonstrate at least five years of continuous residence. Since temporary and permanent migrants cannot generally be distinguished from each other at the time of entry, they are combined in the statistics in this publication. Thos receiving the right of permanent residence after three/five years of residence, as appropriate, are not counted as immigrants.
Diplomatical personnel, their families and foreign employees, persons on courtesy visas, persons on business visas and crew members are excluded. None of the above migrants are eligible for permanent residence, nor are students, persons arriving for medical treatment or administrative or judicary processes, volunteer workers of NGOs, persons arriving for adoption procedures, and persons on temporary assignments such as journalists, conference speakers, artists, persons coming for interviews, etc.
Migration Colombia, Ministry of External Relations.
Metadata related to Tables I.a.fl. and I.d.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 165
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
Costa Rica Permanent migrants are refugees, family members of Costa Rican nationals and temporary migrants and their immediate family after three years of residence. All others are temporary migrants. Pensioners, persons of independent means and investors have been categorised as permanent in the statistics presented in this publication.
Persons with non-resident visas are excluded.
General Directorate for Migration and Foreigners.
Dominican Republic
Investors, pensioners, retirees and persons of independent means can obtain the right of permanent residence upon entry. All others may request it after five years of temporary residence. Because it is not generally possible to distinguish permanent from temporary migrants at the time of entry except in the special cases noted above, the statistics of inflows presented here cover both permanent and temporary migrants combined.
The following groups are considered non-residents: tourists, business visitors, crew members, persons in transit. and foreigners entering the country to carry out the formalities to become residents. Also excluded are cross-border residents engaged in street selling, service-providers, sports persons, artist, academics and certain temporay and seasonal workers (“temporeros”); such persons would normally be considered as temporary migrants, but are not identified in the statistics provided.
General Directorate for Migration, Ministry of the Interior and of Police.
Ecuador Permanent migrants include family members of permanent residents; investors; persons of independent means; persons taking on administrative, technical or specialised functions in permanent jobs; professionals and persons in technical occupations. All other are temporary except for those explicitly excluded (see next column).
Excluded are diplomatic staff, their families and employees; persons in transit; crew members; visitors for less than 3 months; daily border-crossers.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility.
El Salvador Permanent migrants are spouses and children of citizens; Central Americans and Panamanians; and persons entering to engage in a profession, trade of occupation. Temporary migrants are persons entering for up to one year for a sporting, cultural or scientific activity, for technical or specialised work or for any other legal activity of a temporary nature. Also persons fleeing persecution.
All other persons fall under the general rubric of “tourists” and are not allowed to change status except under special circumstances.
General Directorate for Migration and Foreigners, Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Guatemala A temporary migrant is a person entering the country for up to two years to engage in a legal temporary activity. Permanent migrants include pernsioners, persons of independent means and investors and their immediate family; family members of Guatemalan nationals; persons having demonstrated outstanding performances in the fields of science, technology, arts and sports.
Changes in status from temporary to permenent are allowed by law.
General Directorate for Migration, Ministry of the Interior.
Metadata related to Tables I.a.fl. and I.d.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality (cont.)
166 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
Honduras Permanent residents are foreigners who enter the country with the intention to establish themselves definitively. This category is also extended to direct family members. Temporary residents are known as Special permits of residence, and are those that enter the country to perform an activity for a determined period (up to five years) and include researchers, professionals, students, business persons, clergy, asylum seekers, etc.
The following groups are considered non-residents: tourists, travelers in transit, crew members, temporary migrant workers; cross-border workers, artist, and foreigners traveling on sports, official mission, health, conventions, conferences.
National Institute of migration in Honduras.
Jamaica Immigrants are persons granted work permits and their dependents, international students, foreign nationala and Commonwealth citizens of working age who are married to Jamaican nationals and/or who are exempted from a work permit, and Caricom skilled migrants. The permanent/temporary nature of the migration cannot generally be determined from the permit; all migrants are therefore grouped under a common rubric.
Diplomats are excluded. Planning Institute of Jamaica.
Mexico Temporary migrants are persons having links to Mexicans or resident foreigners, persons with a proven job offer, approved self-employed persons, persons with an invitation from a recognised institution to perform an activity that is not remunerated in Mexico, persons of independent means to cover a stay (extended) in Mexico, and investors. Permanent migrants are refugees and other humanitrian migrants, persons with links to Mexicans or permanent foreign residents, retirees, persons accepted under a point system, persons who have been temporary migrants for four years, close relatives (second degree) of Mexican nationals and persons who have been tempory migrants for two years and in a free union with a Mexican national or permanent resident.
Excluded are tourists, persons in transit, border visitors.
Migration Policy Unit of Internal Affairs Ministry
Panama Permanent immigrants are persons who receive a provisional residence permit of two years, granted to persons who wish to settle in Panama. After this period, they can request permanent status. Temporary migrants are persons granted a temporary residence permit (“permiso residente temporal”) as well as persons under the protection of the Republic of Panama.
Tourists, persons in transit, crew members and persons entering with an offer to join a shipping crew.
Department of Analysis, National Migration Service.
Metadata related to Tables I.a.fl. and I.d.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 167
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
Paraguay Permanent migrants are investors, pensioners, retirees, persons of independent means and their family members; family members of Paraguayan citizens including parents; and persons apt to contribute to the development of Paraguay, whether the immigration is spontaneous, assisted or with capital. All others are temporary migrants, except for those categories specifically excluded (see next column).
Excluded are tourists, perfomers, crew members, persons in transit, border workers, journalists and other media workers paid from outside the country, potential investors, and persons arriving for medical treatment.
General Directorate for Migration, Ministry of the Interior.
Peru Permanent migrants (“Residente”) are persons entering as family members of residents, refugees, persons of independent means, pensioners, and investors / journalists / professionals / other workers intending to settle. Temporary migrants are asylum seekers, students, artists, persons with special permits, and investors / journalists / professionals /other workers on temporary assignments or not intending to settle.
Excluded are tourists, short-term business visitors, crew members and persons in transit.
National Institute of Statistics and Informatics
United States Permanent migrants:
Issues of permanent residence permits (“green cards”).
Temporary migrants:
Data refer to non-immigrant visas issued, including family members.
Includes among the permanent, persons already present in the United States who changed status. Data cover the fiscal year (October to September of the year indicated). Excluded from the temporary are visitors and transit passengers (B and C visas), crew members (D visas), diplomats, their families and employees (A visas), employees of international organisations (G visas) and of NATO and their families (NATO visas).
US Department of Homeland Security and Bureau of Consular Affairs, United States Department of State.
Uruguay Permanent residents are foreigners who enter the country with the intention to establish themselves definitively. This category is also extended to direct family members. Temporary residents enter the country to perform an activity for a determined period and include migrant workers, researchers, professionals, students, business persons, journalists, artists, clergy, and asylum seekers. In the statistics provided by national authorities, permanent and temporary migrants are confounded.
Excluded are tourists; persons in transit; crew members; sports persons, performers and correspondents entereing for specific events; business visitors; persons arriving for medical treatment.
National Statistical Institute.
Metadata related to Tables I.a.fl. and I.d.fl. Inflows of legal immigrants of foreign nationality (cont.)
168 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
I.a.as. Inflows of asylum seekers
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 355 540 859 765 796 871 1 467 614 831 1 264
Bahamas na na na na 1 9 50 95 5 5
Barbados na na na na na na na 2 na na
Belize 4 2 7 24 25 32 58 52 74 637
Bolivia (1) 59 179 45 42 48 32 36 20 42 34
Brazil 864 590 595 389 1 087 4 980 1 124 4 724 8 950 14 770
Canada 22 868 27 865 34 800 33 970 22 543 24 985 20 223 10 356 13 661 19 511
Chile 573 756 872 na 260 305 168 249 282 629
Colombia 70 124 89 372 161 84 99 229 745 449
Costa Rica 775 891 966 1 184 991 964 1 170 954 1 843 2 730
Cuba 25 21 10 10 23 6 63 29 25 129
Ecuador na na na na 3 28 12 11 22 32
El Salvador 7 784 15 035 17 607 35 514 31 369 14 171 12 090 8 280 na na
Dominican Republic
12 9 7 100 55 15 4 7 12 25
Grenada na na na na 3 na na na na 1
Guatemala 34 55 14 31 15 21 18 48 120 157
Haiti na 1 1 20 1 2 8 12 na 15
Honduras 20 34 44 38 68 9 9 57 11 16
Jamaica na na na na na na 1 4 na 5
Mexico 480 374 317 680 1 039 753 811 1 296 1 524 3 423
Nicaragua 41 59 71 272 120 39 69 105 135 137
Panama 358 358 202 423 601 1 396 756 827 1 184 1 830
Paraguay 12 35 15 19 13 25 10 3 37 69
Peru 297 269 211 187 289 466 377 440 392 432
Saint Lucia na 1 na 3 3 2 na 1 na 2
Suriname na na na na 7 4 na 0 2 6
Trinidad and Tobago
na 15 63 147 22 29 5 44 181 129
United States
41 101 40 449 39 362 38 080 42 971 60 587 66 101 68 243 96 152 135 964
Uruguay 25 29 16 37 21 20 37 37 63 87
Venezuela (2)
2 234 2 365 2 960 2 873 3 450 3 176 na na na na
Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Note: For the United States, figures from 2004 onwards refer to “affirmative” claims submitted with the Department of Homeland Security (number of cases) and “defensive” claims submitted to the Executive Office for immigration review.na: not available(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
PART III Statistical Annex / 169
Metadata related to Tables I.a.as. and I.d.as. Inflows of asylum seekers
Sources for all countries: Governments, compiled by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Population Data Unit. http://www.unhcr.org/statistics.
Totals in Table I.a.as. may differ from the tables by nationality (Tables I.d.as.) because the former totals get revised retroactively while the origin breakdown does not. Data for Table I.a.as. generally refer to first instance/new applications only and exclude repeat/review/appeal applications while data by origin (Tables I.d.as.) may include some repeat/review/appeal applications.
Comments on countries of asylum:
United States: Data for 2004-2010 are a combination of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS - number of cases) affirmative asylum applications, and of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR - number of persons) defensive asylum applications, if the person is under removal process.
170 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
I.a.fb. The foreign-born population
2000 2005 2010 2015 2000 2005 2010 2015
Number of persons % of total population
Antigua and Barbuda 23 071 24 741 26 412 28 083 29.7 30.0 30.3 30.6
Argentina 1 540 219 1 673 088 1 805 957 2 086 302 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.8
Bahamas 36 454 45 595 54 736 59 306 12.2 13.8 15.2 15.3
Barbados 28 424 30 624 32 825 34 475 10.5 11.2 11.7 12.1
Belize 36 488 41 424 46 360 53 860 14.8 14.6 14.4 15.0
Bolivia (1) 92 658 107 745 122 846 142 989 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.3
Brazil 684 596 638 582 592 568 713 568 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3
Canada 5 511 914 6 078 985 7 011 226 7 835 502 18.0 18.8 20.5 21.8
Chile 177 332 273 384 369 436 469 436 1.2 1.7 2.2 2.6
Colombia 109 609 107 612 124 271 133 134 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3
Costa Rica 310 946 358 175 405 404 421 697 7.9 8.4 8.9 8.8
Dominica 3 723 4 744 5 765 6 720 5.3 6.7 8.1 9.2
Dominican Republic 355 611 376 001 393 720 415 564 4.2 4.1 4.0 3.9
Ecuador 151 523 187 404 325 366 387 513 1.2 1.4 2.2 2.4
El Salvador 31 713 36 019 40 324 42 045 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.7
Grenada 6 825 6 902 6 980 7 057 6.7 6.7 6.7 6.6
Guatemala 48 119 57 252 66 384 76 352 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5
Guyana 8 610 10 868 13 126 15 384 1.2 1.5 1.7 2.0
Haiti 25 832 30 468 35 104 39 529 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4
Honduras 28 461 27 875 27 288 28 070 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3
Jamaica 24 952 24 314 23 677 23 167 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8
Mexico 538 051 712 487 969 538 1 193 155 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.9
Nicaragua 30 389 34 918 37 333 40 262 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7
Panama 83 410 117 563 157 309 184 710 2.8 3.5 4.3 4.7
Paraguay 176 608 168 243 160 299 156 462 3.3 2.9 2.6 2.4
Peru 66 293 77 541 84 066 90 881 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Saint Kitts and Nevis 5 871 6 682 7 245 7 443 12.9 13.6 13.8 13.4
Saint Lucia 9 868 11 468 12 100 12 771 6.3 6.9 6.8 6.9
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
4 307 4 395 4 485 4 577 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.2
Suriname 27 506 33 664 39 713 46 836 5.7 6.8 7.7 8.6
Trinidad and Tobago 41 753 44 812 48 226 49 883 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.7
United States 34 814 053 39 258 293 44 183 643 46 627 102 12.3 13.3 14.3 14.5
Uruguay 88 871 82 318 76 263 71 799 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.1
Venezuela (2) 1 013 663 1 070 562 1 331 488 1 404 448 4.1 4.0 4.6 4.5
Source: United Nations Population Division, International Migration Stock - 2015 Revision.Note: UNPD estimates of the international migration stock for non-OECD countries are calculated by extrapolating from the most recent data point (generally a census value) on the basis of an assumed exponential growth rate in the foreign-born population estimated for a recent period (generally, between the two previous census years). Actual movements may be affected by changes in immigration laws, by unauthorised migration and by political, economic or natural upheavals in the country or in countries of origin. (1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
PART III Statistical Annex / 171
Metadata related to Table I.a.fb. The foreign-born population
All statistics shown here were obtained from Trends in International Migrant Stock: The 2015 Revision - Migrants by Age and Sex, Population Division, United Nations, New York.
The statistics in this table may include persons born abroad who were citizens of their current country of residence at birth. As such, they may not always agree with national statistics on the foreign-born population, which tend to exclude this group. In addition current estimates are based on extrapolations using growth rates observed in the recent past.
I.a.an. Acquisitions of nationality
Country 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Barbados 1 015 881 786 1 105 985 970 726 2 154 829 622
Belize 1 560 1 614 1 549 763 504 1 054 na na na na
Bolivia (1) na na na 1 384 1 258 1 164 1 627 1 752 1 564 777
Canada 260 870 199 913 176 637 156 438 143 701 181 485 113 170 129 043 262 637 252 094
Chile 502 705 623 812 741 1 030 1 225 678 1 048 686
Colombia 146 136 135 55 109 132 na na 148 266
Costa Rica 1 711 1 805 2 185 2 363 3 345 3 383 na na 2 018 3 791
Dominican Republic
na na na na na na na 344 na na
Ecuador na na na na na 645 1 306 2 076 2 172 na
El Salvador na 37 64 59 81 63 48 9 132 30
Guatemala 410 438 465 513 547 117 160 175 na na
Honduras na na na na 55 96 107 93 44 41
Jamaica na na na na na na na na 218 257
Mexico 4 175 5 470 4 471 3 489 2 150 2 633 3 590 3 581 2 341 2 736
Paraguay 37 16 15 10 11 13 27 na na 8
Peru 770 747 938 1 022 919 1 219 1 129 732 395 515
United States
702 589 660 477 1 046 539 743 715 619 913 694 193 757 434 779 929 653 558 730 348
Uruguay na na 182 167 207 238 265 328 360 297
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
172 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality
Barbados
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United Kingdom 260 237 221 284 266 218 152 488 100 152
United States of America
241 192 194 259 241 216 179 430 89 143
Canada 111 109 91 119 107 111 56 237 49 87
Guyana 112 28 70 112 83 66 81 269 81 87
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
55 10 38 60 50 73 58 148 47 31
Trinidad and Tobago
49 25 41 72 49 52 42 90 26 23
Saint Lucia 38 21 30 40 49 44 47 110 61 18
Jamaica 34 11 20 39 36 30 14 77 18 18
Other countries 115 248 81 120 104 160 97 305 358 63
Total 1 015 881 786 1 105 985 970 726 2 154 829 622
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.Note: Statistics are by country of birth rather than nationality.
Belize
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Guatemala 487 577 620 248 137 323 na na na na
Honduras 209 269 325 121 69 177 na na na na
Other 147 222 108 120 88 151 na na na na
China 340 167 62 65 51 137 na na na na
El Salvador 192 218 288 116 65 120 na na na na
United States of America
66 72 37 29 26 49 na na na na
Nicaragua 11 15 25 15 7 27 na na na na
India 45 27 25 19 25 23 na na na na
Mexico 23 20 24 12 9 20 na na na na
Canada 16 8 8 3 2 10 na na na na
Other countries 24 19 27 15 25 17 na na na na
Total 1 560 1 614 1 549 763 504 1 054 na na na na
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
PART III Statistical Annex / 173
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Peru na na na 197 65 37 130 172 199 245
Brazil na na na 154 104 84 170 201 190 64
Cuba na na na 78 14 20 33 32 37 61
Paraguay na na na 28 4 13 15 17 17 58
Colombia na na na 17 8 21 25 31 32 50
Argentina na na na 376 504 457 612 736 513 49
Spain na na na 86 167 128 191 159 148 43
United States of America
na na na 76 162 106 143 108 88 24
Italy na na na 9 12 7 23 22 22 22
France na na na 18 26 22 27 28 16 21
Chile na na na 32 32 33 48 52 50 20
Ecuador na na na 13 6 10 12 7 18 12
Kuwait na na na 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
Mexico na na na 66 21 30 24 25 22 10
Other countries na na na 234 133 196 174 162 212 88
Total na na na 1 384 1 258 1 164 1 627 1 752 1 564 777
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Canada
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Philippines 15 570 12 197 11 668 11 069 11 608 16 160 10 552 14 823 27 992 31 951
India 33 974 25 792 20 835 17 399 18 970 22 234 13 470 15 423 26 558 28 166
China 34 477 24 349 21 029 16 015 13 426 15 574 10 412 10 097 21 788 20 152
Iran (1) 8 087 5 335 4 988 3 829 3 585 4 954 3 528 3 383 9 421 8 992
Pakistan 17 122 11 624 9 433 7 840 8 062 9 937 5 632 5 291 9 079 8 673
United States of America
5 118 4 267 4 133 3 736 3 716 5 090 3 834 4 470 7 357 6 655
United Kingdom 6 627 5 242 4 714 4 355 4 501 6 041 4 333 4 765 7 335 6 258
Morocco 3 872 2 728 2 225 3 372 2 031 2 732 1 476 1 893 7 505 5 975
Korea (2) 7 559 5 861 5 251 3 840 3 166 4 097 3 071 3 165 5 937 5 958
Algeria 3 330 2 552 2 150 3 161 2 453 3 321 1 586 1 850 7 278 5 695
Iraq 2 977 1 752 1 504 1 187 1 056 1 593 1 312 2 399 4 625 5 203
Colombia 3 136 3 784 4 671 4 289 3 812 4 079 2 540 3 371 7 103 5 116
Egypt 1 800 1 633 1 467 1 195 1 050 1 475 1 011 1 140 3 526 4 761
France 2 649 2 152 1 853 2 641 1 933 2 678 1 415 2 052 5 727 4 552
Nigeria 1 508 1 153 1 206 1 081 1 407 2 220 1 262 1 345 3 020 4 237
Other countries 113 064 89 492 79 510 71 429 62 925 79 300 47 736 53 576 108 386 99 750
Total 260 870 199 913 176 637 156 438 143 701 181 485 113 170 129 043 262 637 252 094
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Islamic Republic of; (2) Republic of
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (cont.)
174 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Chile
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Peru na na na 170 128 na na na 237 142
Colombia na na na 61 44 na na na 168 120
Other na na na 131 97 na na na 199 116
Cuba na na na 107 98 na na na 115 83
Ecuador na na na 72 81 na na na 127 83
Bolivia (1) na na na 114 78 na na na 92 54
Argentina na na na 20 11 na na na 31 27
Venezuela (2) na na na 14 14 na na na 24 23
China na na na 46 25 na na na 19 17
India na na na - - na na na 23 11
Dominican Republic
na na na - - na na na 13 10
Other countries 502 705 623 77 165 1 030 1 225 678 0 0
Total 502 705 623 812 741 1 030 1 225 678 1 048 686
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
Colombia
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Venezuela (1) 3 4 16 5 15 10 na na 17 76
Cuba 19 15 16 15 10 22 na na 34 51
Ecuador 12 13 13 - 18 12 na na 8 14
Russian Federation
4 4 4 3 4 2 na na 8 11
China 16 13 6 - 1 3 na na 7 11
United States of America
9 3 9 2 7 6 na na 3 10
Other countries 83 84 71 30 54 77 na na 71 93
Total 146 136 135 55 109 132 na na 148 266
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 175
Costa Rica
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Nicaragua 613 634 766 802 1 197 1 318 na na 1 043 1 971
Colombia 281 365 477 532 861 801 na na 394 667
El Salvador 75 71 84 76 109 102 na na 73 160
United States of America
36 51 48 53 93 117 na na 70 146
China 42 59 68 75 101 142 na na 47 133
Cuba 168 145 172 181 168 188 na na 52 80
Peru 87 64 101 78 153 127 na na 46 77
Dominican Republic
90 78 79 112 135 137 na na 46 65
Panama 36 30 54 27 58 44 na na 39 61
Honduras 24 23 22 23 28 30 na na 27 57
Venezuela (1) 9 7 20 28 34 43 na na 25 54
Guatemala 22 14 14 9 38 20 na na 17 43
Ecuador 12 21 18 19 18 26 na na 16 26
Mexico 18 12 12 16 17 33 na na 22 25
Canada 4 6 5 3 14 17 na na 9 20
Other countries 194 225 245 329 321 238 na na 92 206
Total 1 711 1 805 2 185 2 363 3 345 3 383 na na 2 018 3 791
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
Dominican Republic
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Cuba na na na na na na na 81 na na
Spain na na na na na na na 37 na na
United States of America
na na na na na na na 36 na na
Colombia na na na na na na na 27 na na
China na na na na na na na 22 na na
Russian Federation
na na na na na na na 20 na na
France na na na na na na na 12 na na
Venezuela (1) na na na na na na na 11 na na
Italy na na na na na na na 11 na na
Other countries na na na na na na na 87 na na
Total na na na na na na na 344 na na
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (cont.)
176 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Ecuador
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Colombia na na na na na 160 296 496 636 222
Cuba na na na na na 60 89 204 191 174
United States of America
na na na na na 82 201 269 263 52
Spain na na na na na 156 329 522 435 45
Venezuela (1) na na na na na 29 50 71 120 31
Peru na na na na na 11 34 48 57 24
Pakistan na na na na na 5 3 10 19 23
Italy na na na na na 6 23 42 37 21
Chile na na na na na 13 42 40 40 20
Nigeria na na na na na 2 0 7 16 14
Iran (2) na na na na na 2 4 1 6 12
China na na na na na 12 10 25 35 10
France na na na na na 6 10 8 12 10
Bolivia (3) na na na na na 7 10 1 16 9
Canada na na na na na 3 12 7 18 9
Other countries na na na na na 91 193 325 271 123
Total na na na na na 645 1 306 2 076 2 172 799
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of; (2) Islamic Republic of; (3) Plurinational State of
Honduras
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Colombia na na na na 11 16 17 22 6 7
Cuba na na na na 11 11 15 18 7 6
Guatemala na na na na 2 3 2 2 6 4
Nicaragua na na na na 11 16 17 22 6 4
Spain na na na na 1 2 3 3 - 3
El Salvador na na na na 3 9 10 10 1 2
Other countries na na na na 16 39 43 16 18 15
Total na na na na 55 96 107 93 44 41
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 177
Guatemala
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Ecuador 2 1 1 1 2 - - 52 na na
New Zealand 1 - - - - - - 28 na na
Mexico 12 5 7 15 9 - - 18 na na
Egypt - - - - - - 1 18 na na
Guatemala 43 23 30 47 31 - - 17 na na
Other countries 352 409 427 450 505 117 159 42 na na
Total 410 438 465 513 547 117 160 175 na na
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Jamaica
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Cuba na na na na na na na na 27 50
Nigeria na na na na na na na na 19 38
United Kingdom na na na na na na na na 13 33
United States of America
na na na na na na na na 20 30
China na na na na na na na na 31 21
India na na na na na na na na 7 12
Other countries na na na na na na na na 101 73
Total na na na na na na na na 218 257
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (cont.)
178 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Mexico
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Venezuela (1) 185 316 309 159 126 162 279 334 259 484
Colombia 689 892 690 390 305 486 630 601 397 378
Cuba 429 660 459 307 240 408 579 531 287 305
Spain 239 286 251 227 121 152 183 163 119 169
United States of America
334 287 246 266 117 79 109 119 120 136
Argentina 400 450 400 265 170 178 271 304 130 126
Peru 215 292 213 166 107 138 182 159 100 93
Honduras 59 123 98 131 55 92 143 129 60 74
El Salvador 137 159 118 163 81 82 99 109 66 66
Dominican Republic
47 69 48 50 29 22 75 59 53 63
Ecuador 52 83 63 41 41 46 63 59 40 62
Guatemala 114 185 141 209 95 117 196 141 62 57
Bolivia (2) 94 119 97 43 26 41 48 63 24 47
China 188 211 241 154 145 58 87 77 62 40
Nigeria 1 6 2 - - 7 8 9 5 39
Other countries 992 1 332 1 095 918 492 565 638 724 557 597
Total 4 175 5 470 4 471 3 489 2 150 2 633 3 590 3 581 2 341 2 736
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of; (2) Plurinational State of
Peru
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Colombia 30 27 43 45 35 84 80 48 52 78
Spain 45 80 62 102 82 147 129 122 33 53
Venezuela (1) 42 36 56 64 67 67 67 59 26 33
Cuba 18 24 30 71 36 40 29 38 28 31
United States of America
252 223 293 267 269 247 247 112 26 27
Argentina 89 66 87 87 105 153 130 69 13 26
Bolivia (2) 28 28 31 30 15 48 37 18 28 24
Italy 12 9 22 21 28 36 26 23 10 23
France 10 12 10 18 19 23 32 19 20 19
Brazil 23 16 26 23 18 45 31 17 15 19
Mexico 9 17 24 20 20 24 33 11 17 18
Ecuador 10 9 6 20 14 28 30 16 15 15
Dominican Republic
4 1 1 3 8 15 9 7 13 13
Other countries 198 199 247 251 203 262 249 173 99 136
Total 770 747 938 1 022 919 1 219 1 129 732 395 515
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of; (2) Plurinational State of
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 179
United States of America
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Mexico 83 979 122 258 231 815 111 630 67 062 94 783 102 181 99 385 94 889 105 958
India 47 542 46 871 65 971 52 889 61 142 45 985 42 928 49 897 37 854 42 213
Philippines 40 500 38 830 58 792 38 934 35 465 42 520 44 958 43 489 34 591 40 815
China 35 387 33 134 40 017 37 130 33 969 32 864 31 868 35 387 30 284 31 241
Dominican Republic
22 165 20 645 35 251 20 778 15 451 20 508 33 351 39 590 23 775 26 665
Cuba 21 481 15 394 39 871 24 891 14 050 21 071 31 244 30 482 24 092 25 770
Viet Nam 29 917 27 921 39 584 31 168 19 313 20 922 23 490 24 277 18 837 21 976
Colombia 15 698 12 089 22 926 16 593 18 417 22 693 23 972 22 196 16 478 17 207
El Salvador 13 430 17 157 35 796 18 927 10 343 13 834 16 685 18 401 15 598 16 930
Jamaica 18 953 12 314 21 324 15 098 12 070 14 591 15 531 16 442 13 547 16 566
Iraq 3 614 2 967 5 057 4 197 3 489 3 360 3 523 7 771 12 377 14 899
Korea (1) 19 223 17 668 17 628 22 759 17 576 11 170 12 664 13 790 15 786 14 230
Haiti 15 979 11 552 21 229 13 290 12 291 14 191 19 114 23 480 13 676 14 053
Pakistan 10 411 9 147 11 813 12 528 11 601 10 655 11 150 12 948 11 210 11 912
Peru 10 063 7 965 15 016 10 349 8 551 10 266 11 814 11 782 9 572 10 701
Other countries 314 247 264 565 384 449 312 554 279 123 314 780 332 961 330 612 280 992 319 212
Total 702 589 660 477 1 046 539 743 715 619 913 694 193 757 434 779 929 653 558 730 348
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Republic of
Uruguay
Country of previous nationality
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Peru na na 27 17 32 31 29 42 54 57
Argentina na na 55 43 48 62 82 121 102 53
Cuba na na 9 5 21 20 12 22 22 24
Colombia na na 2 5 7 9 6 13 12 24
Brazil na na 23 17 19 32 32 23 50 23
Venezuela (1) na na - - 3 - 3 8 3 15
Other countries na na 66 80 77 84 101 99 117 101
Total na na 182 167 207 238 265 328 360 297
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Bolivarian Republic of
I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality, by country of previous nationality (cont.)
180 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Metadata related to Tables I.a.an. and I.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality
Country Comments Source
Barbados Data refer to country of birth, not to country of previous nationality.
Barbados Immigration Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.
Belize Department of Immigration.
Bolivia (1) General Directorate for Consular Affairs, Ministry of External Relations.
Brazil National Association of Immigrants and Foreigners in Brazil.
Canada Data refer to country of birth, not to country of previous nationality. Persons who acquire Canadian citizenship may also hold other citizenships at the same time if this is allowed by the country of previous nationality.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Chile Register of residence permits (Sistema B3000), Department of Foreigners and Migration, Ministry of the Interior.
Colombia Migration Colombia, Ministry of External Relations.
Costa Rica Supreme Elections Tribunal.
Dominican Republic General Directorate for Migration, Ministry of the Interior and of Police.
Ecuador Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility.
El Salvador The data cover both naturalisations and “nationalisations”, that is, grants of nationality to citizens of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua who are resident in El Salvador and declare their desire to become Salvadorans.
General Directorate for Migration and Foreigners, Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Guatemala Data refer to country of birth, not to country of previous nationality.
General Directorate for Migration, Ministry of the Interior.
Honduras National Institute of migration in Honduras.
Jamaica Planning Institute of Jamaica.
Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).
Paraguay Supreme Court of Justice.
Peru General Directorate for Immigration and Naturalisation.
United States
Data by country of birth refer to fiscal years (October to September of the year indicated).
US Department of Homeland Security.
Uruguay Electoral Court of Uruguay.
(1) Plurinational State of
PART III Statistical Annex / 181
E.a.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries by country of nationality
Nationality 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Antigua and Barbuda 600 653 723 667 724 673
Argentina 40 550 39 454 38 492 43 607 48 273 51 140
The Bahamas (1) 2 348 2 372 2 269 2 397 2 595 2 734
Barbados 1 499 1 564 1 622 1 421 1 426 1 498
Belize 1 772 1 565 1 615 1 934 1 719 1 615
Bolivia (2) 74 466 99 921 107 520 111 092 85 096 96 955
Brazil 126 509 134 292 139 839 130 543 152 448 156 449
Canada 49 91 49 999 47 719 52 260 50 766 53 069
Chile 24 941 26 014 25 698 25 997 27 286 29 978
Colombia 96 345 103 831 110 136 124733 132 025 144 955
Costa Rica 6 668 6 903 6 926 7 152 7 412 7 702
Cuba 52 003 57 179 52 951 60 916 84 874 84 751
Dominica 1 267 1 107 1 004 1 030 1 064 776
Dominican Republic 75 605 71 414 69 128 68 620 70 432 74 575
Ecuador 40 934 36 096 33 148 34 373 35 349 36 329
El Salvador 26 514 26 825 23 993 26 808 28 672 29 831
Grenada 1 346 1 266 1 296 1 324 1 156 1 041
Guatemala 23 359 25 380 24 664 27 720 28 247 27 553
Guyana 11 325 11 090 9 738 9 503 9 831 8 597
Haiti 40 256 39 816 45 032 46 394 41 034 77 976
Honduras 17 181 18 901 18 163 22 185 23 616 26 251
Jamaica 44 099 45 964 44 763 45 556 46 875 46 937
Mexico 311 252 327 795 352 681 358 405 383 685 439 161
Nicaragua 16 909 19 264 19 210 27 063 34 741 32 944
Panama 4 531 4 453 4 176 4 460 4 596 5 474
Paraguay 87 862 124 804 135 240 128 718 91 604 116 310
Peru 116 839 117 837 120 413 108 506 95 428 104 316
Saint Kitts and Nevis 567 556 551 530 586 538
Saint Lucia 2 562 2 581 2 664 2 260 2 281 2 106
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2 674 2 546 2 328 2 014 1 869 1 657
Suriname 2 092 2 223 2 173 1 975 1 864 1 802
Trinidad and Tobago 10 624 9 804 10 130 9 522 8 591 7 518
United States of America 205 827 210 526 211 007 219 469 214 464 210 378
Uruguay 9 903 10 188 10 976 11 922 11 460 12 712
Venezuela (3) 44 341 47 621 46 975 50 214 68 652 82 037
Total 1 577 490 1 681 986 1 727 413 1 771 287 1 800 740 1 978 336
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Commonwealth of; (2) Plurinational State of; (3) Bolivarian Republic of
182 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination
Antigua and Barbuda
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
563 586 603 473 512 463 457 485 406
Canada 60 75 60 30 75 100 60 77 93
Barbados 128 57 69 61 40 127 98 101 85
Jamaica 20 28 41
Japan 6 21 11 13 7 7 14 19 25
Other countries 14 12 18 23 19 26 18 14 23
Total 771 751 761 600 653 723 667 724 673
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Argentina
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
17 525 16 180 15 914 12 783 13 475 12 550 13 102 13 556 13 429
Spain 21 462 13 363 6 676 5 416 4 922 3 602 3 758 4 173 4 979
Brazil 2 739 2 615 3 970 4 186 4 821 5 861 6 418 4 875
Chile 2 642 3 720 3 829 4 504 3 536 3 508 4 145 4 306 4 733
Mexico 3 114 3 082 2 440 2 335 4 371 4 123 3 471
Uruguay 257 1 056 1 043 719 395 461 889 1 297 3 141
Ecuador 237 505 681 1 466 2 958
Bolivia (1) 1 242 677 993 1 283 992 1 510 1 873
Paraguay 479 833 1 036 1 136 1 908 1 301 1 628 1 789
Peru 1 191 1 047 1 202 1 215 1 356 1 674 1 658
Colombia 535 621 818 901 881 969 1 117 2 042 1 568
Germany 944 911 896 921 988 1 022 1 083 1 081 1 073
Italy 1 806 1 937 1 434 1 195 942 742 731 706 854
New Zealand 356 508 519 423 493 538 624 660 730
Canada 955 1 020 845 835 715 640 635 542 550
Other countries 2 642 2 806 2 671 3 041 2 913 2 843 2 961 3 091 3 458
Total 49 124 45 340 43 640 40 550 39 454 38 942 43 607 48 273 51 140
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
PART III Statistical Annex / 183
The Bahamas, Commonwealth of
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
2 385 2 415 2 194 2 053 2 054 1 889 1 937 2 018 2 001
Canada 200 220 205 185 230 265 255 307 449
Jamaica 77 98 112
Barbados 27 21 29 21 19 47 52 75 64
United Kingdom 59 52 34 37 30 23 28 33 44
Germany 7 5 8 8 1 1 7 7 13
Other countries 21 22 24 44 38 44 41 58 51
Total 2 699 2 735 2 494 2 348 2 372 2 269 2 397 2 595 2 734
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Barbados
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
1 358 1 160 1 105 781 788 815 714 658 700
Canada 710 645 505 540 620 665 530 536 529
United Kingdom 181 185 105 126 92 87 72 81 93
Jamaica 39 84 77
Germany 9 8 9 5 8 11 16 14 14
Colombia 1 2 2 4 1 1 9 14
France 1 2 4 4 5 3 16 11
Japan 5 13 8 9 12 10 12 7 10
Other countries 116 73 40 34 40 28 34 21 51
Total 2 381 2 088 1 778 1 499 1 564 1 622 1 421 1 426 1 498
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Belize
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
1 603 1 683 1 511 1 343 1 234 1 215 1 276 1 160 1 183
Mexico 128 217 166 155 299 284 186
Canada 50 75 45 55 45 80 125 101 82
Jamaica 31 38 36
Barbados 28 26 41 45 19 62 39 30 27
United Kingdom 26 20 58 20 16 15 9 9 17
Costa Rica 14 14 33 19 18 22 18 18 13
Japan 7 18 21 27 8 17 24 23 12
Other countries 38 39 34 46 59 49 113 56 59
Total 1 766 1 875 1 871 1 772 1 565 1 615 1 934 1 719 1 615
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
184 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 44 741 68 024 58 438 44 713 67 149 73 984 67 543 47 140 59 968
Chile 5 532 4 278 3 403 7 737 7 329 10 839 20 864 20 019 20 422
Brazil 10 024 6 450 9 997 12 882 11 444 11 690 6 658 5 247
Spain 51 797 10 390 5 872 4 045 4 562 3 871 3 589 4 138 4 316
United States of America
4 154 4 255 4 246 3 388 3 325 2 962 3 185 2 870 2 819
Peru 593 578 542 784 537 895 808
Ecuador 92 160 317 436 543
Mexico 385 392 351 319 574 481 438
Italy 842 1 143 1 625 3 362 1 670 1 027 735 410 324
Colombia 205 226 256 280 134 167 180 350 316
Germany 302 284 319 288 267 312 313 307 314
Japan 448 376 167 181 243 251 257 213 253
Paraguay 75 72 58 81 302 74 103 179
France 99 116 102 131 152 129 229 147 160
United Kingdom 249 166 158 147 152 123 154 166 150
Other countries 586 719 923 1 169 990 846 852 763 698
Total 108 955 100 076 83 009 76 466 99 921 107 520 111 092 85 096 96 955
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Brazil
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
53 002 57 153 54 835 46 169 51 481 53 157 53 965 62 047 59 113
Canada 4 465 5 780 5 835 6 150 5 720 7 995 10 470 14 265 12 286
Japan 22 903 14 402 2 954 4 719 4 517 5 790 4 814 6 118 9 062
Germany 6 379 6 290 6 390 6 127 6 870 7 091 7 779 8 926 8 010
Paraguay 3 079 1 286 2 128 3 222 7 064 3 004 5 530 7 716
Spain 36 134 20 489 10 473 8 691 7 945 6 397 5 076 5 644 7 149
Bolivia (1) 2 093 1 586 7 271 11 005 7 663 10 933 7 100
Italy 11 863 12 645 9 658 8 566 7 097 5 716 4 963 5 010 7 008
Argentina 2 777 4 415 4 171 3 848 6 899 4 800 4 644 4 644 6 060
Portugal 4 979 32 751 23 138 16 165 12 896 11 715 6 680 5 560 5 716
France 2 292 2 192 2 318 2 678 2 282 2 618 2 737 3 070 3 113
United Kingdom 6 058 6 214 6 567 4 781 3 975 2 523 2 778 2 539 3 068
Mexico 1 193 1 469 1 921 1 428 2 062 2 272 2 540
Netherlands 898 1 164 1 124 1 153 1 152 1 138 1 556 1 610 1 940
Colombia 469 629 674 760 733 801 915 1 940 1 789
Other countries 6 039 7 589 8 215 11 519 10 310 10 601 11 437 12 341 14 779
Total 158 258 174 792 140 924 126 509 134 292 139 839 130 543 152 448 156 449
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 185
Canada
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
19 308 18 961 19 130 16 176 16 903 17 371 17 968 16 831 18 071
United Kingdom 5 903 5 266 5 214 5 447 5 646 4 518 5 093 5 014 5 547
Korea 5 978 6 402 6 490 6 505 5 956 6 012 5 635 5 454 5 270
Germany 2 834 2 862 2 653 2 891 3 138 3 269 3 308 3 516 3 453
Mexico 2 773 3 308 3 044 2 810 4 443 3 382 3 239
Japan 3 284 3 631 2 743 2 696 2 062 2 203 2 157 2 290 2 348
Australia 1 588 1 727 1 895 1 938 1 740 2 011 1 999 2 073 2 039
New Zealand 994 1 090 1 008 1 046 1 105 1 072 1 116 1 271 1 548
France 1 051 1 167 1 068 1 085 1 089 1 085 1 058 1 108 1 327
Netherlands 746 809 755 806 824 912 965 963 1 085
Switzerland 1 080 1 000 903 806 779 923
Colombia 151 165 178 251 386 350 458 901 903
Brazil 259 260 1 133 1 525 1 506 1 427 1 042 817
Spain 610 417 407 493 662 636 678 684 730
Belgium 626 653 677 710 717 615 674 696 679
Other countries 3 180 3 702 3 961 4 353 4 202 4 445 4 475 4 762 5 090
Total 46 253 47 111 49 212 49 919 49 999 49 719 52 260 50 766 53 069
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Chile
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
9 530 9 832 9 889 8 099 7 982 7 575 7 969 8 183 8 554
Argentina 3 816 5 127 4 896 4 438 4 630 5 110 5 029 4 078 4 956
Spain 9 633 5 197 3 060 2 757 2 669 2 005 1 647 1 885 2 181
Ecuador 243 420 553 972 2 006
Peru 724 719 1 528 1 356 1 064 1 511 1 520
Germany 788 868 810 931 944 945 892 997 1 389
Brazil 491 465 888 1 232 1 590 1 631 1 711 1 331
Canada 1 110 1 230 1 365 1 650 1 275 1 270 1 430 1 482 1 322
Bolivia (1) 714 388 876 676 579 782 1 044
Mexico 998 980 897 748 1 338 1 138 999
Colombia 329 367 447 583 491 590 593 1 176 959
New Zealand 524 553 505 513 515 581 616 709 762
United Kingdom 362 366 289 285 334 258 263 313 328
France 267 294 295 288 241 274 306 295 304
Uruguay 39 147 138 51 33 141 176 162 248
Other countries 1 553 1 936 2 127 2 371 2 124 2 159 1 910 1 892 2 075
Total 27 951 26 408 26 722 24 941 26 014 25 698 25 997 27 286 29 978
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
186 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Colombia
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
50 520 48 366 42 528 36 802 37 643 37 524 37 779 34 619 33 941
Ecuador 1 563 4 856 7 218 26 454 22 994
Chile 2 892 4 155 5 016 7 394 9 902 11 560 16 789 16 716 21 216
Argentina 3 725 4 976 6 512 6 450 10 409 15 616 17 419 10 360 21 066
Spain 41 725 36 040 20 409 13 664 13 161 9 955 8 688 8 451 9 491
Brazil 1 021 1 016 2 377 2 714 4 302 7 283 6 908 6 624
Mexico 3 298 3 978 4 059 3 821 5 477 6 048 6 190
Canada 8 885 9 750 7 750 7 770 6 355 5 670 5 545 4 622 4 053
Peru 1 570 1 839 2 080 2 206 3 942 4 252 4 051
Germany 1 335 1 707 1 902 1 954 2 358 2 561 2 790 2 672 2 751
Bolivia (1) 480 608 604 605 1 373 1 505 2 449
Panama 1 653 2 440 2 631 1 302 1 327 2 080
United Kingdom 2 632 3 185 4 188 3 330 2 737 1 039 1 187 1 044 1 012
Australia 382 467 530 785 781 943 1 162 993 939
France 928 907 955 989 1 043 1 030 1 046 977 778
Other countries 5 123 6 229 6 306 6 752 5 982 5 818 5 732 5 076 5 320
Total 118 147 116 803 102 460 96 345 103 831 110 136 124 733 132 025 144 955
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
Costa Rica
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
5 214 4 670 4 554 4 270 4 170 4 110 4 148 4 267 4 346
Mexico 364 396 408 380 625 635 618
Spain 562 415 297 285 404 350 354 408 435
Germany 158 180 239 222 219 242 270 271 323
Canada 445 450 380 320 290 350 270 300 254
Colombia 116 111 104 155 148 165 150 322 249
Ecuador 28 60 88 133 199
Panama 129 148 257 135 118 187
Brazil 46 49 47 218 223 189 134 145
El Salvador 122 112 136 80 48 198 109 91
Chile 43 59 45 96 105 81 85 90 90
France 30 39 34 31 35 44 38 70 81
Japan 83 77 89 98 85 59 82 70 78
United Kingdom 37 35 45 35 43 35 43 36 67
Switzerland 66 65 62 57 45 65
Other countries 284 309 341 382 458 460 419 404 474
Total 6 972 6 513 6 653 6 668 6 903 6 926 7 152 7 412 7 702
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 187
Cuba
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
29 926 50 191 39 527 34 387 37 573 33 894 33 154 47 583 55 226
Mexico 2 513 3 016 3 773 4 173 5 532 6 708 6 071
Ecuador 321 1 220 2 356 8 541 5 376
Spain 9 645 8 911 5 634 6 114 7 399 5 730 5 116 4 608 4 833
Colombia 661 657 671 771 351 343 695 2 075 2 299
Brazil 246 218 216 458 389 5 750 6 999 2 038
Italy 2 176 2 802 2 274 2 088 2 067 1 847 1 811 1 692 1 747
Canada 1 690 1 635 1 830 1 235 1 230 1 570 1 775 1 406 1 069
Bolivia (1) 171 165 266 279 399 526 824
Peru 494 580 504 507 531 766 795
Germany 819 701 676 641 700 720 818 751 753
Argentina 236 247 297 249 257 243 321 491 690
Chile 363 428 351 479 333 279 314 402 618
Jamaica 282 390 441
France 262 257 234 268 258 205 277 286 273
Other countries 1 653 2 124 1 844 1 793 1 689 1 552 1 785 1 650 1 698
Total 47 431 68 199 56 734 52 003 57 179 52 951 60 916 84 874 84 751
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
Dominica
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
661 661 677 551 413 260 383 488 245
Canada 190 175 155 180 145 145 175 148 120
France 82 90 108 116 137 116 121 129 95
Spain 163 165 71 56 73 99 94 90 84
Italy 77 119 121 140 106 153 74 85 60
Barbados 76 79 67 69 64 88 37 57
Germany 59 57 71 69 68 56 57 53 46
Jamaica 9 3 21
Japan 9 25 6 10 10 6 10 11 17
Other countries 29 37 40 76 91 81 70 58 31
Total 1 346 1 408 1 316 1 267 1 107 1 004 1 030 1 064 776
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
188 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Dominican Republic
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
34 141 40 430 54 743 59 649 51 574 47 340 46 887 50 881 57 008
Spain 18 068 16 211 9 486 6 907 10 359 9 974 8 117 7 675 6 717
Argentina 544 936 1 038 1 122 1 102 1 396 3 278 2 592 2 405
Chile 224 547 1 112 1 521 3 028 2 437 1 583 1 135
Italy 1 853 3 082 3 319 2 742 2 240 2 565 2 194 1 718 1 124
Canada 490 655 590 675 1 010 870 860 699 854
Mexico 474 396 493 541 862 799 773
Panama 225 194 523 357 306 609
Germany 613 497 530 568 591 613 715 564 596
France 350 296 343 482 462 445 434 509 547
Switzerland 419 406 394 459 338 396
Jamaica 237 376 377
Colombia 99 124 160 170 198 195 199 445 375
Brazil 80 38 44 163 186 297 388 263
United Kingdom 158 159 123 112 123 115 128 156 231
Other countries 674 926 1 117 982 979 942 1 159 1 404 1 166
Total 57 214 63 396 72 508 75 605 71 414 69 128 68 620 70 432 74 575
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Ecuador
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
17 712 16 534 15 974 15 503 15 270 13 464 15 169 15 904 14 936
Spain 30 162 32 464 13 512 6 939 6 523 5 581 5 262 4 943 5 348
Argentina 1 522 1 762 1 571 1 552 1 838 2 017 2 299 1 936 3 321
Chile 2 635 2 870 2 454 2 701 2 370 2 342 2 545 2 500 2 844
Colombia 1 730 1 690 1 542 1 884 231 662 885 2 072 1 974
Peru 696 571 851 882 867 1 194 1 283
Mexico 558 634 605 820 994 1 105 976
Brazil 242 214 256 332 500 590 775 948
Italy 4 414 6 874 6 324 6 168 4 164 3 037 1 926 1 120 814
Germany 580 578 600 666 710 815 795 713 776
Canada 700 810 685 650 620 545 705 616 540
Bolivia (1) 131 265 299 276 224 517 464
United Kingdom 397 411 442 451 446 362 362 319 351
Switzerland 345 326 281 290 203 203
Belgium 351 490 858 399 298 209 154 171
Other countries 940 1 013 1 038 1 491 1 112 1 266 1 251 1 278 1 380
Total 60 792 65 599 46 231 40 934 36 096 33 148 34 373 35 349 36 329
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 189
El Salvador
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
22 959 21 846 21 375 20 099 20 454 18 111 20 303 21 571 21 814
Mexico 1 131 1 051 1 017 683 2 020 1 812 2 250
Spain 1 617 1 035 742 831 1 047 861 715 976 1 317
Canada 1 465 1 870 1 560 1 400 1 220 1 200 845 980 985
Italy 258 433 691 1 535 1 359 1 036 990 822 669
Costa Rica 256 327 369 344 370 378 291 555 552
Argentina 88 122 112 180 184 177 186 246 314
Colombia 73 84 113 139 122 191 207 289 241
Panama 87 76 123 89 127 232
Honduras 589 119 51 66 162 265 203 199 214
Germany 82 73 101 96 138 138 126 145 179
Ecuador 21 50 72 155 177
Chile 43 84 74 123 122 117 101 88 129
Japan 58 57 82 115 96 102 88 88 110
Brazil 24 28 35 83 70 62 83 89
Other countries 162 256 298 412 355 491 510 536 559
Total 27 650 26 330 26 727 26 514 26 825 23 993 26 808 28 672 29 831
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Grenada
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
962 971 921 834 718 802 813 749 630
Canada 545 430 470 305 305 225 275 212 191
Barbados 82 103 81 93 105 146 107 98 86
United Kingdom 120 116 144 74 94 75 67 55 63
Jamaica 11 9 30
Japan 2 4 4 17 6 5 11 10 14
Germany 8 4 7 4 9 13 7 6 10
Other countries 10 22 30 19 29 30 33 17 17
Total 1 729 1 650 1 657 1 346 1 266 1 296 1 324 1 156 1 041
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
190 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Guatemala
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
21 518 22 140 16 851 13 477 15 720 15 192 14 828 16 765 17 590
Canada 2 735 3 905 4 415 4 920 5 075 5 420 5 845 4 855 3 990
Mexico 2 559 2 355 1 671 948 3 720 3 344 2 643
Spain 1 205 962 666 739 753 628 552 726 837
El Salvador 242 246 359 226 157 686 352 344
Costa Rica 154 206 264 221 258 303 204 292 242
Colombia 82 132 133 151 126 164 189 330 234
Argentina 72 85 69 84 132 175 167 156 222
Honduras 115 66 59 60 201 273 282 304 188
Panama 66 77 114 108 118 170
Ecuador 14 45 100 125 166
Germany 113 125 118 110 129 163 127 155 155
Bolivia (1) 2 9 15 60 45 68 77
Brazil 36 43 31 203 210 163 97 73
Chile 22 46 49 94 86 115 109 86 70
Other countries 370 429 705 683 694 698 595 473 551
Total 26 386 28 374 26 179 23 359 25 380 24 664 27 720 28 247 27 553
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
Guyana
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
6 061 7 143 7 005 7 021 6 869 5 932 6 154 6 542 5 771
Barbados 6 469 6 219 3 980 2 765 2 914 2 629 2 052 1 918 1 661
Canada 1 555 1 440 1 395 1 130 955 815 790 924 708
France 142 119 124 194 129 161 234 184 162
United Kingdom 333 201 142 139 130 92 72 72 101
Jamaica 109 86 77
Brazil 19 10 9 42 22 17 27 35
Netherlands 10 18 9 10 12 15 8 9 16
Japan 10 11 6 15 4 17 16 18 14
Colombia 4 2 3 1 6 3 2 10
Other countries 28 366 48 39 34 49 48 49 42
Total 14 608 15 540 12 721 11 325 11 090 9 738 9 503 9 831 8 597
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 191
Haiti
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Brazil 33 20 408 3 455 8 455 12 547 12 478 42 760
United States of America
32 649 28 332 26 395 24 631 23 582 24 294 21 722 16 652 18 481
Chile 106 121 283 861 956 1 499 2 093 2 793 6 428
Canada 5 090 6 960 3 725 7 015 7 310 6 530 4 725 3 930 3 210
France 2 520 2 230 2 577 4 762 3 360 3 177 3 386 3 202 3 173
Dominican Republic
643 792 1 327 1 080 164 32 554 57 2 238
Argentina 19 85 43 86 216 248 212 363 427
Mexico 180 710 285 162 293 328 320
Colombia 50 57 38 77 40 49 150 382 305
Ecuador 48 112 170 367 137
Jamaica 111 109 123
Belgium 55 58 84 37 39 45 68
Germany 76 96 55 128 95 116 132 64 53
Spain 66 64 70 62 62 68 41 32 41
Japan 21 22 24 35 45 69 34 32 31
Other countries 100 174 201 316 198 185 184 200 181
Total 41 340 39 021 34 996 40 256 39 816 45 032 46 394 41 034 77 976
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Honduras
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
9 381 8 732 8 109 8 055 7 916 8 944 11 410 11 282 11 963
Spain 8 756 4 551 3 695 4 703 6 261 5 285 4 342 5 681 7 691
Mexico 1 996 1 935 1 434 822 2 909 3 138 3 342
Canada 490 920 730 855 1 375 1 080 920 950 856
Costa Rica 183 244 257 279 356 316 308 453 479
El Salvador 197 192 242 165 108 580 322 230
Italy 73 112 140 274 242 196 209 224 182
Argentina 24 41 41 41 55 94 97 143 179
Germany 89 94 108 116 139 135 156 133 176
Brazil 23 17 23 443 514 412 171 147
Ecuador 9 42 99 176 131
Colombia 325 166 186 174 91 80 117 245 127
Panama 53 53 96 59 79 122
Japan 65 72 69 27 45 56 71 60 106
Chile 34 64 109 124 85 94 88 83 89
Other countries 168 138 241 280 232 301 408 475 431
Total 19 588 15 354 15 890 17 181 18 901 18 163 22 185 23 616 26 251
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
192 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Jamaica
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
31 153 35 396 31 706 29 435 30 850 31 217 30 382 32 282 33 225
Canada 9 255 10 200 10 080 10 565 10 595 10 545 12 300 11 564 10 929
United Kingdom 2 086 2 130 2 520 3 163 3 190 1 769 1 723 1 791 1 582
Barbados 535 456 401 372 454 456 417 476 340
Japan 180 208 171 145 176 160 133 135 195
Germany 89 73 71 102 93 84 84 97 108
Brazil 10 9 4 287 197 190 155 90
Netherlands 18 11 26 22 27 39 27 40 74
Colombia 8 9 17 14 20 20 21 45 68
France 30 32 31 37 51 47 29 43 68
Switzerland 35 22 31 28 16 27
Mexico 28 19 17 17 30 23 26
Australia 16 18 22 15 6 13 30 43 26
Belgium 17 23 14 13 12 24 22
New Zealand 3 3 4 3 12 7 19 6 19
Other countries 88 115 127 154 164 148 131 135 138
Total 43 461 48 678 45 236 44 099 45 964 44 763 45 556 46 875 46 937
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Mexico
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
277 342 358 088 291 121 266 502 280 053 301 555 307 125 332 629 389 719
Canada 30 910 36 075 32 040 26 120 27 140 29 260 29 950 26 183 21 935
Germany 2 510 2 899 2 777 3 008 3 495 3 485 3 619 4 763 4 592
Spain 5 874 4 832 3 815 3 921 4 591 4 294 3 332 3 555 4 003
Colombia 663 831 1 000 1 181 1 263 1 550 1 711 3 259 3 193
Argentina 797 841 708 720 998 1 028 904 1 474 2 240
Brazil 654 708 1 583 2 055 2 435 2 262 1 963 1 679
Ecuador 219 455 576 849 1 284
Peru 460 484 563 624 640 766 849
France 550 618 733 787 763 714 724 767 842
United Kingdom 965 886 857 759 796 677 781 709 830
Japan 694 683 500 628 607 789 767 724 823
Chile 385 577 555 757 711 734 701 712 692
Bolivia (1) 164 105 130 252 267 357 648
Netherlands 311 408 391 429 441 471 510 524 638
Other countries 2 054 3 063 3 538 4 269 4 150 4 358 4 536 4 452 5 194
Total 323 055 410 455 339 367 311 252 327 975 352 681 358 405 383 685 439 161
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 193
Nicaragua
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Costa Rica 3 681 5 511 6 716 7 163 8 800 9 591 17 222 23 735 21 034
United States of America
4 817 4 822 5 097 4 606 4 415 4 096 4 088 3 921 4 344
Spain 4 279 2 893 2 354 2 966 3 590 2 768 2 134 2 693 3 132
Colombia 74 76 97 108 77 70 651 1 788 1 992
Mexico 519 540 410 306 751 697 622
Panama 171 138 356 225 226 330
Canada 230 335 395 355 445 390 360 349 280
El Salvador 302 210 230 332 519 584 308 228
Germany 58 77 83 77 90 92 106 112 108
Honduras 281 68 74 69 119 169 168 166 108
Japan 76 88 95 77 75 101 112 124 92
Ecuador 10 34 67 66 88
Argentina 20 36 28 31 54 45 33 65 76
Brazil 21 20 24 276 227 159 99 76
Chile 17 38 49 64 61 52 43 41 48
Other countries 176 244 321 429 372 395 360 351 386
Total 13 709 14 511 16 058 16 909 19 264 19 210 27 063 34 741 32 944
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Panama
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
3 391 3 185 3 257 2 868 2 610 2 549 2 553 2 363 3 136
Costa Rica 127 178 195 137 137 138 177 250 493
Spain 561 407 342 280 325 298 289 306 359
Mexico 231 231 190 164 322 279 223
Colombia 128 132 153 183 141 136 156 346 223
Argentina 122 135 113 101 125 118 100 108 150
Ecuador 15 36 50 79 141
Japan 79 68 70 56 53 115 69 78 100
Germany 78 47 95 66 81 64 82 66 91
Canada 145 120 140 115 120 60 90 154 86
Peru 45 35 53 65 47 64 60
Chile 27 69 53 188 155 108 87 63 55
Brazil 47 32 24 159 89 86 88 47
Jamaica 20 57 35
El Salvador 56 45 39 47 5 68 51 34
Other countries 181 178 188 207 242 231 263 244 240
Total 4 839 4 622 4 959 4 531 4 453 4 176 4 460 4 596 5 474
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
194 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Paraguay
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 37 479 86 228 85 251 72 375 110 703 123 238 117 593 79 011 104 266
Spain 23 989 17 407 10 765 9 371 8 224 4 797 3 762 4 239 4 665
Brazil 2 526 2 115 2 480 2 550 3 267 3 429 3 607 2 801
United States of America
1 227 1 322 1 308 1 180 1 149 1 108 1 166 1 208 1 387
Bolivia (1) 211 253 368 946 772 1 378 847
Chile 534 686 620 739 652 605 655 609 674
Japan 361 286 147 242 182 255 212 210 256
Germany 214 184 193 195 201 205 209 242 231
Uruguay 36 109 124 48 24 48 57 102 181
Colombia 30 39 36 39 40 55 45 93 161
Mexico 157 153 115 111 161 188 159
Ecuador 16 32 66 145 149
Peru 53 55 57 57 56 131 104
Italy 171 208 260 320 207 183 155 120 94
France 36 28 58 37 31 42 83 54 61
Other countries 270 309 368 375 285 291 297 267 274
Total 64 347 109 332 101 666 87 862 124 804 135 240 128 718 91 604 116 310
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
Peru
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 23 393 36 824 29 673 28 150 37 697 46 089 39 344 26 271 29 910
Chile 49 719 38 589 27 264 27 014 22 836 22 465 22 166 21 112 25 919
United States of America
30 830 29 085 28 347 22 122 21 789 20 577 20 048 18 661 19 131
Ecuador 3 659 2 036 1 622 3 857 5 866
Spain 27 372 27 523 13 664 8 021 7 660 5 593 4 844 4 674 5 332
Bolivia (1) 5 609 7 160 4 547 4 600 2 835 4 303 3 583
Brazil 2 062 1 495 2 157 2 704 4 488 4 172 4 267 3 268
Italy 4 451 7 182 10 421 12 166 8 686 5 614 4 338 2 760 1 906
Colombia 831 915 1 171 1 321 965 1 081 1 056 2 154 1 649
Mexico 1 156 1 381 1 299 1 180 1 866 1 735 1 434
Japan 2 418 1 647 1 121 1 193 749 1 014 919 897 1 054
Germany 928 944 853 862 821 953 989 926 968
Canada 1 970 1 700 2 310 1 720 1 315 1 315 1 030 1 078 930
Uruguay 235 49 554
France 487 502 487 511 475 531 523 507 409
Other countries 2 454 2 740 2 697 3 062 2 635 2 877 2 519 2 176 2 404
Total 144 853 149 713 126 268 116 839 117 837 120 413 108 506 95 428 104 316
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 195
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
509 520 437 462 438 408 352 398 313
Canada 30 60 40 40 55 55 85 72 66
Jamaica 16 27 52
Barbados 48 32 35 34 23 51 28 14 21
United Kingdom 23 12 15 10 12 7 9 25 19
Japan 6 3 7 8 5 6 6 7 14
Other countries 4 8 16 13 23 24 34 43 53
Total 620 635 550 567 556 551 530 586 538
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Saint Lucia
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
1 301 1 336 1 227 1 126 987 1 064 985 960 858
Canada 725 915 900 960 1 095 1 080 750 802 701
Barbados 378 233 189 230 210 275 215 204 157
France 119 136 136 91 149 96 136 160 151
United Kingdom 272 201 255 111 91 98 91 82 143
Jamaica 26 21 47
Japan 15 11 24 26 15 16 19 17 20
Other countries 30 28 32 18 34 35 38 35 28
Total 2 840 2 860 2 763 2 562 2 581 2 664 2 260 2 281 2 106
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Canada 1 280 1 310 1 495 1 470 1 435 1 180 920 921 746
United States of America
686 695 717 662 546 577 609 511 471
Barbados 546 498 462 412 396 448 349 336 300
United Kingdom 209 254 140 93 72 85 61 33 50
Jamaica 28 41 48
Japan 8 10 7 13 5 9 11 11 17
Other countries 13 14 33 24 92 29 35 16 25
Total 2 742 2 781 2 854 2 674 2 546 2 328 2 014 1 869 1 657
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
196 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Suriname
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
France 458 531 408 598 693 736 650 649 666
Netherlands 1 024 1 210 1 156 1 023 967 817 673 614 578
Belgium 60 105 148 219 279 263 275 251
United States of America
276 294 314 270 279 272 281 231 218
Jamaica 55 32 36
Brazil 9 8 5 11 11 5 12 13
Other countries 64 66 39 48 54 58 48 51 40
Total 1 822 2 170 2 030 2 092 2 223 2 173 1 975 1 864 1 802
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Trinidad and Tobago
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
9 261 8 102 8 042 7 055 6 667 6 844 6 221 5 430 4 720
Canada 2 805 2 760 2 740 2 425 2 090 1 985 2 040 1 762 1 451
Barbados 652 442 608 508 409 712 507 438 379
Jamaica 173 324 323
United Kingdom 760 551 349 283 272 200 219 244 256
Colombia 21 16 20 25 18 50 27 57 82
Japan 46 75 46 61 30 40 39 49 40
Australia 20 16 20 26 18 34 34 29 34
Brazil 6 7 14 124 85 63 55 34
Germany 78 27 36 54 33 44 30 35 33
France 17 11 15 18 16 16 15 27 26
Netherlands 9 15 15 24 15 9 24 16
Mexico 9 10 15 7 13 13 15
Spain 10 13 7 10 13 9 18 12 14
Ecuador 3 1 3 15 13
Other countries 62 80 94 120 72 88 111 77 82
Total 13 741 12 114 11 993 10 624 9 804 10 130 9 522 8 591 7 518
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 197
United States of America
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Canada 49 535 51 260 47 745 51 915 50 975 52 620 51 890 47 280 43 784
Korea 18 923 23 402 27 127 28 328 28 061 28 866 26 622 24 500 22 741
Japan 22 790 24 021 23 549 22 669 19 303 20 985 21 058 22 042 21 523
Germany 17 495 17 542 17 706 18 262 20 149 19 563 20 531 20 468 21 115
Mexico 11 452 13 854 13 933 12 256 20 374 17 890 14 168
United Kingdom 11 765 10 965 9 328 9 847 10 629 8 778 9 466 8 885 9 406
Colombia 961 984 1 244 1 391 3 157 3 116 3 693 8 387 7 752
Brazil 2 273 2 136 9 846 12 563 11 748 11 560 8 480 7 587
Spain 4 607 3 690 3 492 3 695 5 019 4 946 5 527 5 290 5 781
Netherlands 3 184 3 437 3 091 3 325 3 749 3 715 3 596 3 821 4 653
France 2 715 2 806 3 464 2 954 3 092 3 082 3 105 3 142 4 350
Ecuador 1 073 2 923 4 122 4 867 4 224
Argentina 1 886 1 912 1 897 1 801 2 140 1 636 1 489 2 193 3 673
Australia 2 819 2 964 3 075 3 177 2 986 3 258 3 845 3 822 3 515
New Zealand 2 351 2 294 2 320 2 267 2 506 2 533 2 810 2 856 3 192
Other countries 18 974 23 008 26 835 32 496 31 191 30 982 29 780 30 541 32 915
Total 158 005 170 558 184 461 205 827 210 526 211 007 219 469 214 464 210 378
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Uruguay
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 2 992 4 660 3 712 2 710 3 241 4 302 4 816 4 027 4 894
Brazil 1 048 1 049 1 040 1 192 1 399 1 782 1 943 1 889
United States of America
2 354 2 335 2 545 2 038 2 238 2 037 2 034 1 861 1 858
Spain 7 902 4 332 1 669 1 466 1 324 991 918 1 027 1 245
Chile 775 969 656 896 579 501 443 409 461
Mexico 441 410 297 245 603 427 415
Paraguay 136 126 139 120 300 181 268 345
Ecuador 16 54 48 187 333
Colombia 78 108 116 137 84 97 98 229 182
New Zealand 43 101 91 100 141 115 131 151 159
Peru 97 62 83 126 144 165 155
Bolivia (1) 39 41 72 70 58 128 119
Germany 82 85 79 67 68 102 108 102 119
Canada 220 255 160 160 190 75 95 77 74
Israel 116 79 87 90 48 67 62 52 65
Other countries 617 599 492 547 495 495 401 407 399
Total 15 179 14 707 11 359 9 903 10 188 10 976 11 922 11 460 12 712
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
198 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Country of destination
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
20 403 19 916 19 566 20 056 20 838 20 695 21 713 23 381 20 372
Spain 12 891 8 693 5 736 6 460 6 767 4 609 4 691 7 199 10 529
Colombia 1 066 1 632 2 208 3 294 3 575 4 731 5 338 11 279 9 091
Chile 409 572 504 987 1 135 1 078 1 235 2 289 6 567
Mexico 3 132 3 591 3 147 3 082 4 360 5 390 6 511
Panama 645 1 001 1 334 893 2 369 5 976
Argentina 999 1 055 1 050 1 149 1 582 1 933 2 294 2 659 5 820
Ecuador 468 698 1 065 3 451 5 425
Canada 2 355 2 295 2 140 2 000 2 435 2 575 2 100 3 066 2 030
Peru 428 650 760 690 745 1 263 1 708
Costa Rica 194 425 524 584 824 689 416 695 996
Brazil 294 332 972 1 252 1 068 1 355 1 474 967
Uruguay 62 80 899
Germany 504 515 551 527 560 679 702 792 880
Italy 790 848 704 802 738 584 528 523 672
Other countries 1 782 2 633 2 441 2 624 2 540 2 529 2 717 2 742 3 593
Total 41 393 38 878 39 316 44 341 47 621 46 975 50 214 68 652 82 037
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries, by nationality and by country of destination (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 199
Metadata related to Tables E.a.fl. and E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
American countries
See metedata related to Tables I.a.fl. and I.d.fl.
Australia Includes persons who arrive from overseas and are entitled to stay permanently in Australia (Settler Arrivals) and persons who while already in Australia on a temporary basis are granted permanent residence status. Settler arrivals include holders of a permanent visa, holders of a temporary (provisional) visa where there is a clear intention to settle and persons otherwise eligible to settle.
Data refer to the fiscal year (July to June of the year indicated). Table B.1 presents the inflow of permanent migrants. From 2014, figures inferior to 5 individuals are not shown.
Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Austria Foreigners holding a residence permit and who have actually stayed for at least 3 months.
Until 2001, data are from local population registers. Starting in 2002, they are from the central population register. The data for 2002-2007 were revised to match with the results of the register-based census of 2006. Outfolws include administrative corrections.
Population Registers, Statistics Austria.
Belgium Foreigners holding a residence permit and intenting to stay in the country for at least 3 months.
From 2012, asylum seekers are included in the data.
Population Register, Directorate for Statistics and Economic Information (DGSIE).
Canada Total number of people who have been granted permanent or temporary resident status in Canada.
Country of origin refers to country of last permanent residence.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Chile Temporary residence permits granted, excluding renewals and changes in category.
Register of residence permits, Department of Foreigners and Migration, Ministry of the Interior.
Czech Republic Foreigners holding a permanent or a long-term residence permit (visa over 90 days) or who were granted asylum in the given year.
Country of origin refers to country of last permanent or temporary residence.
Register of Foreigners, Czech Statistical Office.
Denmark Foreigners who live legally in Denmark, are registred in the Central population register, and have been living in the country for at least one year.
Excludes asylum seekers and all those with temporary residence permits.
Central Population Register, Statistics Denmark.
Estonia Foreigners expecting to stay in the country for at least 12 months.
Statistics Estonia.
Finland Foreign nationals with a residence permit valid for more than one year.
Excludes asylum seekers and persons with temporary residence permits.
Central Population Register, Statistics Finland.
France Data based on the first permanent-type permits delivered. Include status changes from a temporary-type permit to a permanent-type permit.
Ministry of the Interior.
200 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
Germany Foreigners who had previoulsy no registered address in Germany and intending to stay at least one week in the country.
Includes asylum seekers living in private households. Excludes inflows of ethnic Germans (Aussiedler). In 2008, local authorities started to purge registers of inactive records. As a result, higher emigration figures were reported from this year.
Central Population Register, Federal Statistical Office.
Greece Until 2007, initial issuance of residence permits. From 2008, estimation by the Hellenic Statistical Authority.
Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction; Hellenic Statistical Authority.
Hungary Foreigners expecting to stay in the country for at least 90 days.
Population Register, Office of Immigration and Nationality, Central Statistical Office.
Iceland Foreigners expecting to stay in the country for a period of at least 12 months.
Register of Migration Data, Statistics Iceland.
Ireland Figures are derived from the quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) series. All figures are based on May to April of the year indicated.
Central Statistics Office.
Israel Data refer to permanent immigrants by last country of residence.
Population register, Central Bureau of Statistics.
Italy Transfers of residence. Excludes seasonal workers. Administrative corrections are made following censuses (the last census took place in 2011).
Administrative Population Register (Anagrafe) analysed by ISTAT.
Japan Foreigners who entered the country, excluding temporary visitors and re-entries.
Ministry of Justice, Immigration Bureau.
Korea Data refer to long-term inflows (more than 90 days).
Ministry of Justice.
Latvia Population Register, Central Statistical Office.
Luxembourg Foreigners holding a residence permit and intending to stay in the country for at least 12 months.
Central Population Register, Central Office of Statistics and Economic Studies (Statec).
Mexico Until 2012, number of foreigners who are issued an immigrant permit for the first time ("inmigrante" FM2). 2011 and 2012 also include new and former refugees who obtained immigrant status ("inmigrado"). From 2013 on, number of foreigners who are issued a permanent residence card or a temporary permit.
The sharp increase in the numbers of 2013 is explained by administrative changes with the implementation of the 2011 Migration Act. Most of these "new residents" are foreigners already in the country on a temporary status.
National Migration Institute, Unit for Migration Policy, Ministry of Interior.
Netherlands Foreigners holding a residence permit and intending to stay in the country for at least four of the next six months.
Inflows exclude asylum seekers who are staying in reception centres.
Population Register, Central Bureau of Statistics.
Metadata related to Tables E.a.fl. and E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 201
Country Types of migrant recorded in the data Other comments Source
New Zealand Permanent and long-term arrivals to live in the country for 12 months or more.
Statistics New Zealand.
Norway Foreigners holding a residence or work permit and intending to stay in the country for at least 6 months.
Asylum seekers are registered as immigrants only after having settled in a Norwegian municipality following a positive outcome of their application. An asylum seeker whose application has been rejected will not be registered as an ‘immigrant’, even if the application process has taken a long time and the return to the home country is delayed for a significant period.
Central Population Register, Statistics Norway.
Poland Number of permanent and "fixed-term" residence permits issued.
Office for Foreigners.
Portugal Data based on residence permits. Includes continuous regularisation.
Immigration and Border Control Office (SEF); National Statistical Institute (INE).
Slovak Republic Includes permanent, temporary, and tolerated residents.
Register of Foreigners, Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic.
Slovenia Number of first temporary residence permits.
Central Population Register, Ministry of the Interior, and National Statistical Office.
Spain Changes in regular residence for at least 12 months declared by foreigners.
Data correspond to Migration Statistics estimates that are based on the number of registrations and cancellations in the Municipal Registers by all foreigners, irrespective of their legal status.
Municipal Population Registers (Padron municipal de habitantes), National Statistical Institute (INE).
Sweden Foreigners holding a residence permit and intending to stay in the country for at least one year.
Excludes asylum seekers and temporary workers.
Population Register, Statistics Sweden.
Switzerland Foreigners holding a permanent or an annual residence permit.Holders of an L-permit (short duration) are also included if their stay in the country is longer than 12 months.
Register of Foreigners, Federal Office of Migration.
Turkey Residence permits issued for the first time to foreigners intending to stay 12 months or more in the country.
General Directorate of Security, Ministry of the Interior.
United Kingdom National Insurance numbers (NINo)
United States Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) ("green card" recipients) and temporary residents.
Office of Immigration Statistics, Department of Homeland Security; Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security.
Metadata related to Tables E.a.fl. and E.d.fl. Outflows of migrants to American and OECD countries (cont.)
202 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
E.a.fb.US. The population born in the Americas living in the United States
Country of birth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 170 306 154 794 172 877 170 512 165 029 169 052 168 619 184 956 181 233
Antigua and Barbuda
21 827 20 139 16 435 18 663 20 706 27 117 18 396 - -
Bahamas 24 815 26 046 31 255 29 642 32 294 32 578 30 851 31 812 34 796
Belize 47 838 43 655 46 195 44 227 48 210 49 295 51 185 48 368 48 811
Bolivia (1) 66 368 65 635 73 196 76 893 81 143 69 817 81 200 80 650 78 093
Brazil 344 929 334 534 356 531 344 714 334 121 325 496 337 117 335 608 361 374
Barbados 48 036 47 305 51 730 52 874 50 285 52 785 51 828 51 378 51 739
Canada 816 385 824 347 814 122 785 595 787 542 799 085 841 105 806 387 830 628
Chile 88 271 91 380 84 510 90 903 99 430 85 393 96 886 94 089 95 104
Colombia 603 653 603 335 617 738 648 348 655 096 705 006 679 646 706 826 699 399
Costa Rica 87 220 81 181 89 232 75 838 76 193 74 280 80 769 83 337 90 109
Cuba 980 008 987 772 982 862 1 112 064 1 090 563 1 114 864 1 138 205 1 172 899 1 210 674
Dominica 42 380 36 243 31 410 26 695 32 163 24 216 29 791 28 163 32 370
Dominican Republic
747 885 779 249 791 593 879 884 878 858 960 211 1 010 744 997 734 1 063 239
Ecuador 402 294 407 371 418 907 454 921 429 316 418 264 432 108 423 576 441 257
Grenada 31 882 28 132 34 100 26 896 26 955 37 948 34 690 34 184 29 982
Guatemala 683 807 743 786 790 508 797 262 844 332 880 869 900 465 915 595 927 593
Guyana 244 191 255 748 247 801 255 103 255 463 260 243 252 593 273 019 281 408
Honduras 422 674 457 261 459 393 518 438 499 987 535 725 539 194 588 301 599 030
Haiti 544 466 545 842 535 966 596 440 602 733 616 020 599 612 628 003 675 546
Jamaica 587 623 631 651 644 958 650 761 694 600 668 764 705 331 705 804 711 134
Saint Kitts and Nevis
13 353 12 147 12 245 10 444 9 784 - - - -
Saint Lucia 19 104 17 474 20 266 22 542 24 402 23 049 21 573 - -
Mexico 11 739
560 11 451
299 11 478
234 11 746
539 11 691
630 11 489
387 11 556
478 11 714
489 11 643
298
Nicaragua 233 808 237 659 256 496 246 687 249 037 258 282 237 909 255 233 256 171
Panama 103 314 94 658 104 426 99 853 101 889 100 514 96 992 107 299 103 625
Peru 414 120 389 790 395 185 430 665 406 008 418 076 439 688 448 750 445 921
Paraguay 17 212 14 042 15 565 17 119 17 193 15 389 16 183 - -
Salvador 1 108 289 1 078 319 1 157 217 1 207 128 1 245 458 1 254 501 1 247 495 1 315 474 1 352 357
Trinidad and Tobago
225 239 220 906 218 281 223 666 226 074 239 015 235 916 220 234 227 295
Uruguay 47 934 47 685 43 828 52 726 43 811 51 533 46 032 52 516 43 971
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
24 176 20 672 15 250 24 889 24 069 22 191 25 061 23 075 22 950
Venezuela (2) 155 413 171 725 159 655 181 574 198 468 198 632 195 520 216 187 255 520
Total 21 108 380 20 921 782 21 167 967 21 920 505 21 942 842 21 977 597 22 199 182 22 543 946 22 794 627
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
PART III Statistical Annex / 203
E.a.fb.SP. The population born in the Americas living in Spain
Country of birth
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Argentina 290 281 295 401 291 740 286 449 280 286 271 149 259 870 252 955 249 467
Bolivia (1) 240 912 229 375 213 862 202 657 193 600 185 194 177 149 171 392 168 994
Brazil 142 149 153 685 146 941 138 556 132 585 125 883 118 566 114 860 116 068
Canada 5 624 5 835 5 999 6 170 6 286 6 410 6 342 6 487 6 671
Chile 66 874 68 376 67 404 66 001 64 844 62 280 58 618 56 595 55 604
Colombia 330 419 358 762 371 064 373 992 375 463 370 823 363 667 356 475 354 108
Costa Rica 2 883 3 147 3 248 3 330 3 474 3 551 3 551 3 568 3 798
Cuba 92 583 100 451 104 492 111 185 120 296 125 152 128 641 131 245 133 873
Dominica 802 865 889 845 866 870 811 794 803
Dominican Republic
114 707 129 669 136 803 141 220 149 390 155 432 158 481 161 232 163 821
Ecuador 458 437 479 117 484 623 480 626 471 640 456 233 438 979 422 186 410 517
Guatemala 5 861 6 578 6 888 7 253 7 695 7 854 7 795 8 103 8 642
Honduras 23 673 26 834 28 851 32 527 37 916 41 632 43 703 48 208 55 266
Mexico 42 413 45 480 47 101 48 143 49 592 50 569 49 445 49 181 50 464
Nicaragua 10 098 12 491 13 843 16 183 19 186 21 285 21 710 23 393 25 349
Panama 4 241 4 445 4 539 4 581 4 578 4 552 4 413 4 437 4 575
Peru 162 425 188 235 197 605 198 126 198 619 195 488 191 706 188 325 188 103
Paraguay 68 885 82 622 86 682 89 338 90 731 86 526 80 849 78 700 79 931
Salvador 7 120 7 912 8 325 8 848 9 574 9 972 10 066 10 678 11 813
Uruguay 87 345 89 540 87 390 85 375 83 522 80 891 77 753 75 417 74 092
United States 34 057 35 644 37 046 38 285 39 733 41 049 41 988 43 100 44 967
Venezuela (2) 144 593 152 395 155 056 159 348 162 063 162 144 160 588 165 893 180 057
Total 2 336 382 2 476 859 2 500 391 2 499 038 2 501 939 2 464 939 2 404 691 2 373 224 2 386 983
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of; (2) Bolivarian Republic of
Metadata related to Tables E.a.fb.US. and E.a.fb.SP. The population born in the Americas and living in the United States and Spain
Country Comments Source
Spain Population register. Foreign-born recorded in the Municipal Registers irrespective of their legal status. Reference date: 31 December.
Municipal Registers, National Statistics Institute (INE).
United States Includes persons who are naturalised and persons who are in an unauthorised status. Excludes children born abroad to US citizen parents.
American Community Survey, Census Bureau.
204 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
E.a.an. Acquisitions of nationality in OECD countries and other countries of the Americas
Country of previous nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Antigua and Barbuda
469 711 499 381 423 427 400 402 420
Argentina 12 182 13 657 11 965 12 934 12 270 11 862 16 976 9 172 7 538
The Bahamas (1) 438 860 583 503 645 673 733 597 626
Barbados 1 209 1 422 1 080 718 850 865 898 753 786
Belize 869 1 350 922 609 812 863 1 021 849 933
Bolivia (2) 2 747 4 655 4 351 6 728 7 570 10 352 26 206 11 667 10 704
Brazil 12 308 19 974 19 124 21 696 25 004 24 291 28 147 25 754 26 604
Canada 11 969 15 557 13 002 11 902 12 643 12 466 12 334 12 393 13 124
Chile 5 133 6 822 4 837 5 091 5 055 5 001 6 629 4 813 3 923
Colombia 34 263 48 076 42 187 51 457 51 340 50 852 68 938 40 087 35 068
Costa Rica 1 560 2 703 1 834 1 426 1 899 1 951 2 081 1 899 1 966
Cuba 21 614 46 212 30 894 20 936 27 678 37 553 40 894 30 897 30 655
Dominica 709 1 190 972 859 834 799 860 751 792
Dominican Republic
25 292 40 568 25 561 21 364 27 255 41 278 55 497 31 730 31 822
Ecuador 31 415 39 930 35 942 51 677 41 285 34 869 53 595 20 685 17 703
El Salvador 18 738 37 383 20 211 11 512 15 134 17 676 19 745 17 149 18 186
Grenada 884 1 150 964 720 807 944 961 883 913
Guatemala 9 463 18 330 9 536 6 077 8 155 9 319 10 028 9 143 9 882
Guyana 7 942 10 123 8 361 6 706 7 395 7 675 7 805 5 987 6 389
Haiti 13 378 25 769 18 533 16 845 17 933 21 754 27 131 19 936 20 403
Honduras 5 488 9 698 5 669 3 943 5 009 6 251 7 977 6 117 6 610
Jamaica 18 986 26 609 20 240 17 027 19 536 20 237 21 257 18 681 20 403
Mexico 125 552 235 475 115 478 71 291 99 508 106 060 104 969 101 224 111 799
Nicaragua 9 273 19 152 8 651 5 667 6 816 6 339 5 906 5 666 6 700
Panama 1 855 3 177 1 916 1 495 1 622 1 741 1 916 1 539 1 621
Paraguay 559 801 866 1 149 1 321 1 847 4 396 2 171 2 446
Peru 18 055 27 092 21 981 22 038 24 224 28 231 37 465 23 101 23 463
Saint Kitts and Nevis
351 555 403 321 316 339 335 310 381
Saint Lucia 640 942 769 775 841 1 052 1 278 958 1 178
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
716 893 783 640 805 922 1 082 840 882
Suriname 1 485 1 659 1 850 1 571 1 644 1 457 1 319 1 444 1 170
Trinidad and Tobago
6 500 8 831 7 335 6 180 6 615 6 866 7 055 5 688 6 040
United States of America
14 605 13 582 12 669 13 058 13 692 14 510 15 740 16 207 17 403
Uruguay 2 143 2 892 2 676 3 291 3 178 3 015 4 725 2 449 2 094
Venezuela (3) 7 425 10 848 9 200 10 355 11 914 12 438 16 453 12 300 13 454
Total 426 215 698 648 461 844 408 942 462 028 502 775 612 752 444 242 454 081
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Commonwealth of (2) Plurinational State of; (3) Bolivarian Republic of
PART III Statistical Annex / 205
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality
Antigua and Barbuda
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
416 661 456 341 386 390 366 358 381
Canada 26 20 16 22 20 19 14 27 24
United Kingdom 20 15 21 10 14 13 9 15 13
Other countries 7 0 2 1 1 0 2 1 2
Total 469 696 495 374 421 422 391 401 420
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Argentina
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
2 348 4 170 3 153 3 140 3 870 3 909 4 177 3 683 3 886
Spain 4 810 5 188 4 629 6 395 5 482 5 217 9 880 2 760 1 929
Canada 1 112 1 038 886 634 652 358 373 595 385
Germany 156 177 144 179 145 147 179 210 218
Australia 421 266 162 160 144 120 120 170 194
France 160 155 183 155 167 153 170 187
United Kingdom 123 122 197 146 117 143 154 101 130
Mexico 450 400 265 170 178 271 304 130 126
Switzerland 60 89
New Zealand 51 36 24 15 52 80 80 65 69
Uruguay 55 43 48 62 82 121 102 53
Bolivia (1) 376 504 457 612 736 513 49
Sweden 39 34 39 43 35 41 56 51 45
Chile 11 10 20 11 23 33 21 31 27
Peru 66 87 87 105 153 130 69 13 26
Other countries 2 595 1 793 1 650 1 049 622 400 407 384 29
Total 12 182 13 536 11 830 12 782 12 147 11 710 16 830 9 038 7 442
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1)Plurinational State of
The Bahamas, Commonwealth of
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
397 838 569 475 609 647 681 545 570
Canada 28 10 6 12 25 14 21 42 29
Other countries 13 12 8 16 11 12 31 10 27
Total 438 860 583 503 645 673 733 597 626
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
206 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Barbados
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
718 1 203 878 535 648 687 683 550 646
Canada 170 120 91 107 123 99 104 124 90
United Kingdom 105 87 96 64 67 68 61 56 38
Other countries 216 12 15 12 12 11 50 23 12
Total 1 209 1 422 1 080 718 850 865 898 753 786
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Belize
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
799 1 291 854 556 742 817 966 773 851
Canada 30 31 16 15 51 24 18 41 44
United Kingdom 18 15 36 15 13 8 20 25 23
Other countries 22 13 16 23 6 14 17 10 15
Total 869 1 350 922 609 812 863 1 021 849 933
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Bolivia, Plurinational State of
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Spain 709 1 103 1 813 4 778 5 333 7 424 23 414 9 130 8 181
United States of America
1 311 2 807 1 700 1 185 1 446 2 063 1 961 1 527 1 689
Canada 98 90 104 86 112 45 78 174 182
Sweden 80 64 79 70 114 127 152 109 122
France 37 37 57 39 61 84 64 94
United Kingdom 76 64 103 78 80 131 103 85 85
Germany 50 46 81 76 79 83 74 89 79
Switzerland 40 63
Chile 95 69 114 78 119 115 55 92 54
Mexico 119 97 43 26 41 48 63 24 47
Peru 28 31 30 15 48 37 18 28 24
Australia 22 8 5 17 8 18 13 22 13
Netherlands 17 13 14 12 16 29 9 17 13
Belgium 26 24 26 27 19 14 7 11
Costa Rica 2 5 6 5 4 4 11
Other countries 114 197 196 218 131 152 168 255 36
Total 2 747 4 655 4 351 6 728 7 570 10 352 26 206 11 667 10 704
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 207
Brazil
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
5 745 8 808 7 960 8 867 10 251 9 884 9 565 8 625 10 516
Portugal 415 4 080 3 993 4 007 5 352 4 596 5 102 4 656 6 394
Canada 780 708 661 592 1 040 754 1 016 2 485 2 046
Spain 779 1 049 943 1 738 1 854 2 540 5 572 2 178 1 650
Germany 845 967 969 1 015 1 018 874 1 045 1 058 1 174
Australia 310 318 345 575 596 646 766 1 048 1 079
France 605 604 665 765 781 691 782 888
United Kingdom 612 604 905 993 898 1 119 1 190 903 884
Switzerland 455 596
Netherlands 173 201 307 272 307 408 238 389 283
Sweden 146 183 190 210 208 230 206 225 232
New Zealand 54 57 31 27 53 93 145 160 205
Belgium 210 179 196 187 184 198 208 82 181
Norway 67 51 68 70 93 94 127 170 150
Bolivia (1) 154 104 84 170 201 190 64
Other countries 2 172 2 164 1 798 2 374 2 301 1 904 2 075 2 348 262
Total 12 308 19 974 19 124 21 696 25 004 24 291 28 147 25 754 26 604
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
Canada
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
8 473 12 387 9 753 8 539 9 318 9 077 8 690 8 385 9 492
Australia 1 208 1 069 855 1 133 1 046 835 1 074 1 317 1 123
United Kingdom 1 140 817 1 243 1 026 1 067 1 237 1 051 1 213 924
France 338 285 405 366 358 302 303 438
Korea 158 226 250 305
Switzerland 151 176
New Zealand 119 104 115 90 126 166 156 200 143
Barbados 109 91 119 107 111 56 237 49 87
Sweden 78 69 75 108 86 78 101 89 82
Netherlands 62 43 49 69 72 87 49 57 66
Germany 30 45 21 36 44 36 49 47 65
Belgium 58 56 55 45 42 50 28 59
Canada 102 80 43 23 16 5 9 22 23
Mexico 65 54 45 26 15 20 32 20 22
Costa Rica 6 5 3 14 17 9 20
Other countries 519 399 341 281 359 311 308 253 99
Total 11 969 15 557 13 002 11 902 12 643 12 466 12 334 12 393 13 124
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
208 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Chile
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
1 346 2 851 1 585 1 249 1 527 1 586 1 649 1 435 1 486
Spain 838 1 141 1 090 1 688 1 556 1 589 3 176 1 194 753
Canada 522 437 461 396 443 305 363 629 413
Sweden 687 592 488 525 483 425 361 360 363
Australia 844 783 217 288 248 199 226 269 236
France 139 130 155 133 146 137 139 173
Germany 145 122 117 122 103 98 79 98 102
Switzerland 79 96
New Zealand 19 28 15 16 27 54 57 95 77
United Kingdom 88 88 95 74 56 86 78 69 50
Norway 108 65 63 56 77 53 64 93 34
Mexico 90 69 72 38 40 56 57 35 29
Netherlands 39 30 41 34 42 43 20 25 23
Belgium 80 88 53 36 45 47 14 21
Bolivia (1) 32 32 33 48 52 50 20
Other countries 327 389 378 382 287 268 263 229 47
Total 5 133 6 822 4 837 5 091 5 055 5 001 6 629 4 813 3 923
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
Colombia
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
12 089 22 926 16 593 18 417 22 693 23 972 22 196 16 478 17 207
Spain 13 852 15 409 16 527 23 995 19 803 19 396 38 215 10 945 8 207
Canada 3 784 4 671 4 289 3 812 4 079 2 540 3 371 7 103 5 116
Australia 393 285 302 432 336 393 627 887 906
France 347 484 589 494 480 598 601 794
Costa Rica 365 477 532 861 801 394 667
United Kingdom 1 844 1 115 1 043 889 804 958 849 548 407
Mexico 892 690 390 305 486 630 601 397 378
Germany 312 287 313 380 304 285 347 327 289
Switzerland 159 206
Sweden 148 138 171 228 270 413 251 199 173
Netherlands 152 151 203 170 204 202 111 191 133
Chile 44 26 61 44 75 149 105 168 120
Belgium 234 156 154 135 156 127 30 101
Peru 27 43 45 35 84 80 48 52 78
Other countries 127 1 355 1 080 1 165 907 1 198 1 492 1 608 286
Total 34 263 48 076 42 187 51 457 51 340 50 852 68 938 40 087 35 068
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 209
Costa Rica
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
1 227 2 376 1 517 1 114 1 511 1 597 1 661 1 461 1 633
Canada 121 110 93 118 163 108 116 193 145
Spain 40 46 35 45 50 66 119 52 47
Germany 20 14 22 22 23 25 24 27 21
Mexico 54 34 34 12 25 33 35 21 21
Switzerland 16 18
France 8 11 6 15 16 19 13 16
United Kingdom 12 10 16 10 14 19 15 13 12
Australia 8 8 4 10 6 5 2 10 11
Netherlands 7 9 14 5 16 9 5 10 10
Sweden 5 5 10 9 22 15 15 16 10
Other countries 66 83 78 75 54 58 70 67 22
Total 1 560 2 703 1 834 1 426 1 899 1 951 2 081 1 899 1 966
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Cuba
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
15 394 39 871 24 891 14 050 21 071 31 244 30 482 24 092 25 770
Spain 2 466 2 870 2 696 3 546 3 088 2 921 6 843 2 894 2 401
Canada 697 658 665 589 877 588 737 1 275 915
Mexico 660 459 307 240 408 579 531 287 305
Germany 320 271 290 313 305 318 345 390 305
France 143 138 175 150 138 110 125 131
Chile 109 115 107 98 137 159 88 115 83
Switzerland 65 82
Costa Rica 145 172 181 168 188 52 80
Sweden 90 93 67 82 101 94 117 95 76
Bolivia (1) 78 14 20 33 32 37 61
Colombia 15 16 15 10 22 34 51
Jamaica 27 50
Portugal 85 63 58 58 47 59 55 47
United Kingdom 88 78 90 97 94 123 92 65 44
Other countries 1 630 1 381 1 306 1 496 1 159 1 309 1 458 1 289 254
Total 21 614 46 212 30 894 20 936 27 678 37 553 40 894 30 897 30 655
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
210 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Dominica
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
539 975 672 543 594 597 642 520 653
France 78 86 104 75 74 65 48 46
Canada 67 44 46 45 62 32 35 63 36
United Kingdom 34 47 53 52 36 48 45 27 31
Germany 4 3 9 8 14 10 8 14 14
Other countries 65 43 106 107 53 38 65 79 12
Total 709 1 190 972 859 834 799 860 751 792
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Dominican Republic
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
20 645 35 251 20 778 15 451 20 508 33 351 39 590 23 775 26 665
Spain 2 800 3 496 2 766 3 801 4 985 6 028 13 985 5 260 3 649
Canada 240 208 250 172 194 146 174 422 450
Germany 246 156 195 223 222 251 261 320 288
Switzerland 160 181
France 129 120 117 106 119 89 119 152
Netherlands 87 91 112 126 118 139 85 90 102
Costa Rica 78 79 112 135 137 46 65
Mexico 69 48 50 29 22 75 59 53 63
United Kingdom 20 36 59 56 49 51 40 43 45
Belgium 84 108 81 59 66 58 28 35
Austria 10 13 36 30 31 33 42 41 33
Norway 20 21 21 26 23 26 34 29 24
Sweden 18 28 42 19 22 28 28 18 20
Peru 1 1 3 8 15 9 7 13 13
Other countries 974 903 936 1 112 823 956 1 045 1 313 37
Total 25 292 40 568 25 561 21 364 27 255 41 278 55 497 31 730 31 822
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 211
Ecuador
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Spain 21 371 25 536 25 769 43 091 32 026 23 763 41 612 10 783 8 291
United States of America
7 229 11 908 7 609 5 931 6 929 8 783 9 470 6 952 7 664
Canada 492 401 376 377 412 241 265 525 428
Belgium 242 205 206 154 119 153 227 168 252
Germany 190 141 194 182 205 190 229 216 251
France 68 98 103 112 91 110 114 164
United Kingdom 743 582 546 493 350 362 331 169 123
Switzerland 88 108
Chile 43 62 72 81 97 173 95 127 83
Mexico 83 63 41 41 46 63 59 40 62
Sweden 73 72 77 70 92 117 84 75 48
Netherlands 58 57 78 64 83 91 40 50 41
Australia 57 44 28 36 38 34 44 40 36
Costa Rica 21 18 19 18 26 16 26
Portugal 55 46 51 47 23
Other countries 813 773 829 1 036 695 762 978 1 275 103
Total 31 415 39 930 35 942 51 677 41 285 34 869 53 595 20 685 17 703
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
El Salvador
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
17 157 35 796 18 927 10 343 13 834 16 685 18 401 15 598 16 930
Canada 681 561 512 470 515 360 420 835 660
Spain 93 128 112 151 166 191 503 205 196
Costa Rica 71 84 76 109 102 73 160
Mexico 159 118 163 81 82 99 109 66 66
Australia 72 64 18 21 31 26 45 47 51
Sweden 84 64 55 32 84 55 47 41 31
France 10 14 15 14 22 14 20 28
Switzerland 7 12
Germany 22 22 15 9 6 14 15 14 10
Belgium 14 14 10 11 7 8 4 10
Other countries 385 522 309 270 300 217 183 239 32
Total 18 738 37 383 20 211 11 512 15 134 17 676 19 745 17 149 18 186
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
212 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Grenada
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
511 850 683 446 528 683 717 544 664
Canada 297 228 201 193 228 182 148 248 157
United Kingdom 71 60 68 68 41 71 64 48 81
Other countries 5 12 12 13 10 8 32 43 11
Total 884 1 150 964 720 807 944 961 883 913
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Guatemala
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
8 181 17 087 8 619 5 375 7 285 8 797 9 530 8 549 9 344
Canada 348 284 261 242 305 152 189 333 280
Mexico 185 141 209 95 117 196 141 62 57
Costa Rica 14 14 9 38 20 17 43
Germany 28 15 27 29 19 27 35 30 39
France 16 15 14 15 18 14 19 28
United Kingdom 21 16 19 5 16 12 8 8 21
Netherlands 7 11 13 14 9 23 9 12 13
Sweden 9 9 4 6 9 16 5 13 13
Other countries 670 737 360 259 360 78 97 100 44
Total 9 463 18 330 9 536 6 077 8 155 9 319 10 028 9 143 9 882
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Guyana
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
5 631 8 290 6 840 4 932 5 413 6 201 6 295 4 327 5 162
Canada 2 000 1 384 938 1 115 1 393 887 936 1 321 911
United Kingdom 242 209 324 437 383 379 190 143 133
Barbados 28 70 112 83 66 81 269 81 87
France 112 106 100 94 95 89 83 61
Netherlands 16 25 22 9 24 21 9 10 10
Other countries 25 33 19 30 22 11 17 22 25
Total 7 942 10 123 8 361 6 706 7 395 7 675 7 805 5 987 6 389
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 213
Haiti
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
11 552 21 229 13 290 12 291 14 191 19 114 23 480 13 676 14 053
Canada 1 727 1 512 2 058 1 249 1 439 755 1 434 3 961 4 037
France 2 922 3 070 3 166 2 204 1 799 2 121 2 181 2 228
Switzerland 23 28
Germany 18 9 14 14 14 17 17 18 13
Other countries 81 97 101 125 85 69 79 77 44
Total 13 378 25 769 18 533 16 845 17 933 21 754 27 131 19 936 20 403
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Honduras
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
4 669 8 794 4 858 3 056 3 980 5 294 5 462 4 433 5 039
Spain 151 185 241 473 440 578 2 135 1 217 1 115
Canada 138 137 162 112 145 89 119 200 226
Mexico 123 98 131 55 92 143 129 60 74
Costa Rica 23 22 23 28 30 27 57
Germany 19 19 25 16 29 19 26 27 18
Switzerland 11 16
United Kingdom 7 10 13 21 11 10 11 12 14
France 5 6 11 13 17 9 11 12
Other countries 358 428 210 171 269 101 86 119 39
Total 5 488 9 698 5 669 3 943 5 009 6 251 7 977 6 117 6 610
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Jamaica
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
12 314 21 324 15 098 12 070 14 591 15 531 16 442 13 547 16 566
Canada 3 382 2 435 1 859 1 854 2 336 1 558 1 762 2 604 1 917
United Kingdom 3 165 2 715 3 148 2 958 2 514 3 005 2 874 2 372 1 782
Germany 38 34 27 21 9 36 30 21 29
Australia 15 10 10 9 9 8 17 15 22
Barbados 11 20 39 36 30 14 77 18 18
Sweden 8 5 5 8 1 7 9 12 15
Switzerland 12 13
France 5 6 5 6 4 7 4 11
Belgium 1 8 11 12 5 7 4 10
Other countries 52 53 37 54 40 69 32 72 20
Total 18 986 26 609 20 240 17 027 19 536 20 237 21 257 18 681 20 403
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
214 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Mexico
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
122 258 231 815 111 630 67 062 94 783 102 181 99 385 94 889 105 958
Canada 1 654 1 717 1 846 1 799 2 411 1 432 1 620 3 602 3 493
Spain 593 763 584 932 856 862 2 027 776 555
Germany 205 212 272 313 346 337 439 401 423
France 169 164 243 275 260 355 308 407
United Kingdom 136 116 246 229 259 253 298 251 228
Australia 83 81 112 143 105 125 239 266 221
Switzerland 83 120
Netherlands 76 65 87 57 80 120 80 115 95
Sweden 73 77 72 74 60 66 88 92 90
Belgium 30 51 44 53 51 53 23 47
Norway 29 17 31 21 30 17 29 38 30
Costa Rica 12 12 16 17 33 22 25
New Zealand 17 19 11 2 17 25 24 17 20
Peru 17 24 20 20 24 33 11 17 18
Other countries 369 337 343 326 229 298 321 324 69
Total 125 552 235 475 115 478 71 291 99 508 106 060 104 969 101 224 111 799
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Nicaragua
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
8 164 17 954 7 445 4 047 5 092 5 870 5 064 3 775 3 951
Costa Rica 634 766 802 1 197 1 318 1 043 1 971
Spain 57 66 71 129 122 181 581 487 530
Canada 161 112 99 96 86 79 78 144 102
Sweden 27 23 17 24 12 22 27 26 25
Germany 28 18 27 20 28 16 22 16 24
Mexico 80 61 57 27 26 45 46 28 23
Netherlands 6 5 15 8 5 6 9 23 14
France 15 1 11 7 10 10 12 13
Switzerland 5 11
Other countries 116 132 117 108 120 110 69 107 36
Total 9 273 19 152 8 651 5 667 6 816 6 339 5 906 5 666 6 700
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 215
Panama
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
1 617 2 870 1 694 1 215 1 340 1 532 1 598 1 277 1 412
Costa Rica 30 54 27 58 44 39 61
Canada 51 45 30 55 56 33 43 72 50
Spain 39 53 43 65 69 82 183 56 49
Other countries 118 155 122 102 113 94 92 95 49
Total 1 855 3 177 1 916 1 495 1 622 1 741 1 916 1 539 1 621
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Paraguay
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Spain 78 179 298 766 864 1 297 3 799 1 643 1 850
United States of America
234 386 310 212 289 338 331 256 338
Canada 89 64 69 54 56 51 80 90 89
Bolivia (1) 28 4 13 15 17 17 58
France 13 12 17 17 20 21 29 18
Switzerland 10 18
Germany 31 16 26 13 12 22 41 17 16
Sweden 3 5 7 3 4 7 10 2 12
Other countries 124 138 116 80 66 97 97 107 47
Total 559 801 866 1 149 1 321 1 847 4 396 2 171 2 446
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
216 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Peru
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
7 965 15 016 10 349 8 551 10 266 11 814 11 782 9 572 10 701
Italy 883 1 064 1 947 2 235 1 726 1 589 2 055 3 136 5 503
Spain 6 490 8 206 6 368 8 291 9 255 12 008 20 788 6 131 3 896
Canada 884 859 1 345 1 008 1 135 626 774 1 888 1 215
France 206 209 280 238 276 278 323 350
Australia 222 200 176 238 232 213 309 378 271
Germany 283 268 281 265 268 224 237 240 250
Bolivia (1) 197 65 37 130 172 199 245
Sweden 253 247 185 193 154 242 230 180 175
Switzerland 109 146
Chile 196 174 170 128 214 305 153 237 142
United Kingdom 221 171 213 212 172 212 186 139 102
Mexico 292 213 166 107 138 182 159 100 93
Netherlands 77 94 96 72 82 117 62 130 93
Costa Rica 64 101 78 153 127 46 77
Other countries 225 273 201 240 180 293 280 293 204
Total 18 055 27 092 21 981 22 038 24 224 28 231 37 465 23 101 23 463
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.(1) Plurinational State of
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
334 529 389 305 306 319 315 270 360
Canada 15 23 9 10 5 11 10 20 11
Other countries 2 3 5 6 5 9 10 20 10
Total 351 555 403 321 316 339 335 310 381
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Saint Lucia
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
506 779 583 554 600 724 856 635 775
Canada 104 106 110 129 157 100 122 228 211
United Kingdom 159 163 125
France 19 32 35 30 20 19 26 40
Barbados 21 30 40 49 44 47 110 61 18
Other countries 9 8 4 8 10 2 8 8 9
Total 640 942 769 775 841 1 052 1 278 958 1 178
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 217
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
450 623 513 375 416 511 574 405 467
Canada 254 229 209 213 313 191 232 378 265
United Kingdom 159 122 114
Barbados 10 38 60 50 73 58 148 47 31
Other countries 2 3 1 2 3 3 6 10 5
Total 716 893 783 640 805 922 1 082 840 882
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Suriname
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Netherlands 1 285 1 006 1 142 967 934 875 659 828 594
France 422 476 416 481 363 444 449 341
United States of America
159 202 198 161 194 189 160 127 183
Belgium 7 9 14 7 15 16 10 33
Canada 28 16 17 16 31 13 29 17 15
Other countries 6 4 3 4 4 2 11 13 4
Total 1 485 1 659 1 850 1 571 1 644 1 457 1 319 1 444 1 170
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Trinidad and Tobago
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
4 514 7 305 5 726 4 740 5 014 5 596 5 784 4 147 4 869
Canada 1 397 1 032 802 797 1 041 658 708 1 070 804
United Kingdom 480 378 664 522 450 496 409 377 280
Barbados 25 41 72 49 52 42 90 26 23
Australia 22 24 9 22 15 17 19 22 22
France 4 5 10 9 15 8 5 12
Sweden 10 10 13 1 4 6 6 6 10
Other countries 52 37 44 39 30 36 31 35 20
Total 6 500 8 831 7 335 6 180 6 615 6 866 7 055 5 688 6 040
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
218 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
United States
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Canada 4 267 4 133 3 736 3 716 5 090 3 834 4 470 7 357 6 655
United Kingdom 2 792 2 205 3 116 2 926 2 591 3 350 3 119 2 908
Australia 2 168 2 016 1 420 1 736 1 680 1 356 1 564 2 034 1 833
Korea 1 414 1 587 1 764 1 681
Germany 434 595 578 771 869 756 994 919 816
France 499 475 529 493 539 408 459 558
New Zealand 418 392 331 327 437 573 630 659 516
Sweden 340 279 296 417 326 366 411 450 508
Switzerland 364 390
Netherlands 195 199 230 235 227 315 223 264 233
Costa Rica 51 48 53 93 117 70 146
Barbados 192 194 259 241 216 179 430 89 143
Belgium 122 160 158 161 129 138 158 101 139
Mexico 287 246 266 117 79 109 119 120 136
Norway 53 43 36 22 44 31 54 64 134
Other countries 3 286 2 573 1 715 1 767 1 394 1 550 1 573 1 493 607
Total 14 605 13 582 12 669 13 058 13 692 14 510 15 740 16 207 17 403
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
Uruguay
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
496 924 634 585 751 849 933 812 902
Spain 839 1 201 1 451 2 219 1 978 1 819 3 362 1 229 862
Canada 140 150 183 154 147 89 146 160 121
New Zealand 3 5 1 6 24 24 24 25 42
Australia 103 93 36 54 35 16 31 41 25
Mexico 71 58 42 13 52 41 41 22 23
France 19 27 38 27 20 14 29 22
Germany 35 22 22 21 16 14 20 20 18
Sweden 24 28 29 28 20 31 25 15 18
Costa Rica 3 6 3 4 3 4 12
Other countries 429 386 248 169 125 112 129 92 49
Total 2 143 2 892 2 676 3 291 3 178 3 015 4 725 2 449 2 094
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
PART III Statistical Annex / 219
Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Country of acquired nationality
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
United States of America
3 575 6 557 4 735 5 243 6 856 7 404 7 648 6 871 8 192
Spain 1 324 1 581 1 744 2 730 2 596 2 823 6 347 2 055 1 808
Canada 611 739 797 793 1 101 690 719 1 490 1 583
Mexico 316 309 159 126 162 279 334 259 484
Australia 103 88 129 138 90 95 250 330 327
United Kingdom 153 120 221 206 175 252 263 231 207
Germany 113 76 84 71 102 106 111 111 189
France 72 94 102 141 134 115 106 161
Colombia 4 16 5 15 10 17 76
Switzerland 43 55
Costa Rica 7 20 28 34 43 25 54
Portugal 111 91 76 87 68 45 80 51
Norway 13 13 8 4 18 10 21 46 43
Netherlands 67 41 77 55 66 75 44 67 43
Peru 36 56 64 67 67 67 59 26 33
Other countries 1 103 1 049 964 695 400 435 497 543 148
Total 7 425 10 848 9 200 10 355 11 914 12 438 16 453 12 300 13 454
Sources and definitions: See Introduction to Statistical Annex and Metadata.
E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in American and OECD countries, by country of previous nationality and country of acquired nationality (cont.)
220 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
Metadata related to Tables E.a.an. and E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in OECD countries and countries of the Americas
Country Comments Source
American countries
See metedata related to Tables I.a.an. and I.d.an.
Australia Data from 2005 to 2010 are based on the former Reporting Assurance Section. Data from 2011 are sourced from Citizenship Programme Management. From 2014, figures inferior to 5 individuals are not shown.
Department of Immigration and Border Protection.
Austria Data refer to persons living in Austria at the time of acquisition.
Statistics Austria and BMI (Ministry of the Interior).
Belgium Data refer to all acquisitions of Belgian nationality, irrespective of the type of procedure. Data only take into account those residing in Belgium at the time of the acquisition.
Directorate for Statistics and Economic Information (DGSEI) and Ministry of Justice.
Canada Data refer to country of birth, not to country of previous nationality. Persons who acquire Canadian citizenship may also hold other citizenships at the same time if allowed by the country of previous nationality.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Chile Register of residence permits. Department of Foreigners and Migration, Ministry of the Interior.
Czech Republic
Acquisitions of nationality by declaration or by naturalisation.
Ministry of the Interior.
Denmark The decrease in 2013 can be explained by the change in the naturalisation conditions that year.
Statistics Denmark.
Estonia Acquisitions of citizenship by naturalisation. Police and Border Guard Board.
Finland Includes naturalisations of persons of Finnish origin. Central Population Register, Statistics Finland.
France Data by former nationality for naturalisations by “anticipated declaration” is unknown for the years 2006 and 2007.
Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice.
Germany Figures do not include ethnic Germans (Aussiedler). Federal Office of Statistics.
Greece Data refer to all possible types of citizenship acquisition: naturalisation, declaration (for Greek descents) or adoption by a Greek.
Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction.
Hungary Person naturalised in Hungary: naturalisation (the person was born foreign) or renaturalisation (his/her former Hungarian citizenship was abolished). The rules of naturalisation in Hungary were modified by the Act XLIV of 2010. The act introduced the simplified naturalisation procedure from 1 January 2011, and made it possible to obtain citizenship without residence in Hungary for the foreign citizens who have Hungarian ancestors. This data refer only to those new Hungarian citizens who have an address in Hungary.
Central Office Administrative and Electronic Public Services (Central Population Register), Central Statistical Office.
Iceland Includes children who receive Icelandic citizenship with their parents.
Statistics Iceland.
Ireland From 2005 on, figures include naturalisations and Post nuptial citizenship figures.
Department of Justice and Equality.
Italy Ministry of the Interior.
Japan Ministry of Justice, Civil Affairs Bureau.
PART III Statistical Annex / 221
Country Comments Source
Korea Ministry of Justice.
Latvia Acquisition of citizenship by naturalisation including children who receive latvian citizenship with their parents.
Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs.
Luxembourg Excludes children acquiring nationality as a consequence of the naturalisation of their parents.
Ministry of Justice.
Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE).
Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
New Zealand
The country of origin refers to the country of birth if birth documentation is available. If not, the country of origin is the country of citizenship as shown on the person’s passport.
Department of Internal Affairs.
Norway The statistics are based on population register data. Statistics Norway.
Poland Data include naturalisations by marriage and acknowledgment of persons of Polish descent, in addition to naturalisation by ordinary procedure.
Office for Repatriation and Aliens.
Portugal Acquisition of nationality by foreigners living in Portugal. Until 2007, data exclude acquisitions of nationality due to marriage or adoption.
Institute of registers and notarial regulations, Directorate General for Justice Policy (DGPJ).
Slovak Republic
Data refer to persons living in Slovak Republic at the time of acquisition.
Ministry of the Interior.
Slovenia Include all grounds on which the citizenship was obtained.
Internal Administrative Affairs, Migration and Naturalisation Directorate, Ministry of the Interior.
Spain Includes only naturalisations on the ground of residence in Spain. Excludes individuals recovering their former (Spanish) nationality. The large increase in the number of naturalisations in 2013 is due to the Intensive File Processing Nationality Plan (Plan Intensivo de tramitación de expedientes de Nacionalidad) carried out by the Ministry of Justice.
Ministry of Employment and Social Security, based on naturalisations registered by the Ministry of Justice.
Sweden Statistics Sweden.
Switzerland Federal Office of Migration.
Turkey Ministry of Interior, General Directorate of Population and Citizenship Affairs.
United Kingdom
The increase in 2009 is partly due to the processing of a backlog of applications filled prior to 2009.
Home Office.
United States
Data by country of birth refer to fiscal years (October to September of the year indicated).
Department of Homeland Security.
Metadata related to Tables E.a.an. and E.d.an. Acquisitions of nationality in OECD countries and countries of the Americas (cont.)
222 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
E.a.em. Employment rates of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2008 to 2015
Country of birth
Percentages
2008-2009 2010-2011 2012-2013 2014-2015 2008-2009 2010-2011 2012-2013 2014-2015
Men Women
Antigua and Barbuda
89 79 nr nr 71 nr nr nr
Argentina 78 72 69 68 61 58 57 60
Bahamas 67 64 71 65 49 55 68 69
Barbados 69 77 66 73 77 73 74 78
Belize 72 65 72 77 64 67 60 64
Bolivia 74 70 62 59 71 75 70 70
Brazil 80 76 75 75 64 57 56 54
Canada 81 75 77 78 67 62 63 65
Chile 77 73 68 69 64 55 61 60
Colombia 71 68 70 70 63 61 60 61
Costa Rica 90 79 79 78 58 55 60 62
Cuba 76 69 72 75 61 58 59 60
Dominica 68 73 72 69 65 71 72 52
Dominican Republic
67 67 69 69 59 59 59 60
Ecuador 72 67 63 72 66 62 57 62
El Salvador 83 81 84 84 64 62 64 64
Grenada 77 76 72 80 76 75 69 71
Guatemala 84 82 84 86 56 54 56 55
Guyana 71 74 72 75 72 67 66 64
Haiti 73 66 71 73 69 63 64 67
Honduras 77 77 79 82 63 60 60 59
Jamaica 74 68 69 73 72 71 72 74
Mexico 82 79 81 84 47 49 50 52
Nicaragua 81 77 79 83 70 65 64 68
Panama 79 66 74 73 66 66 65 66
Paraguay 80 75 56 64 81 69 71 71
Peru 78 72 76 78 69 67 63 63
Trinidad and Tobago
61 72 74 73 63 68 66 69
United States 76 76 76 75 59 58 59 61
Uruguay 79 74 69 72 66 59 58 59
Venezuela 73 74 70 71 60 57 56 53
Sources: European OECD countries: European Labor Force Surveys (Eurostat); United States: American Community Surveys.Notes: Data refer to the population aged 15-64. For the United States, the persons aged 15 were not asked about their employment status; they are considered here as inactive.nr: not reliable
PART III Statistical Annex / 223
E.a.un. Unemployment rates of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2008 to 2015
Percentages
Country of birth
2008-2009 2010-2011 2012-2013 2014-2015 2008-2009 2010-2011 2012-2013 2014-2015
Men Women
Antigua and Barbuda
nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Argentina 12 16 17 16 14 17 20 19
Bahamas nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Barbados 9 nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Belize nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Bolivia 19 21 27 31 15 12 16 12
Brazil 8 11 11 8 11 16 18 17
Canada 5 7 5 5 5 7 7 5
Chile 12 13 17 15 12 18 16 15
Colombia 16 21 16 17 14 19 19 17
Costa Rica 4 nr nr nr 7 nr nr nr
Cuba 11 15 13 8 9 16 15 13
Dominica nr nr nr nr 11 nr nr nr
Dominican Republic
14 17 15 12 13 15 17 13
Ecuador 19 23 24 15 15 19 25 17
El Salvador 10 10 6 4 9 12 10 8
Grenada nr nr nr nr nr nr nr nr
Guatemala 9 9 7 4 9 14 12 9
Guyana 12 10 12 9 6 11 11 10
Haiti 13 17 13 10 9 17 15 12
Honduras 14 11 9 6 10 14 14 11
Jamaica 10 16 14 11 8 11 10 8
Mexico 9 9 7 5 11 14 12 9
Nicaragua 1 11 9 6 8 11 10 7
Panama 7 nr 10 nr 6 nr 8 8
Paraguay 12 nr 31 21 9 nr 14 13
Peru 10 17 13 9 10 13 16 14
Trinidad and Tobago
19 14 12 10 6 10 12 8
United States 6 nr nr nr 7 nr nr nr
Uruguay 14 15 22 18 12 18 26 21
Venezuela 14 13 15 12 15 17 19 21
Sources: European OECD countries: European Labor Force Surveys (Eurostat); United States: American Community Surveys.Notes: Data refer to the active population aged 15-64. For the United States, the persons aged 15 were not asked about their employment status; they are considered here as inactive.nr: not reliable
224 / INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE AMERICAS SICREMI 2017
E.a.pr. Participation rates of emigrant workers from the Americas in the United States and the European OECD countries by country of birth and gender, 2008 to 2015
Percentages
2008-2009 2010-2011 2012-2013 2014-2015 2008-2009 2010-2011 2012-2013 2014-2015
Country of birth Men Women
Antigua and Barbuda
92 86 nr nr 75 78 nr nr
Argentina 88 86 83 81 71 70 71 74
Bahamas 74 75 77 74 52 67 76 75
Barbados 76 90 76 81 80 81 78 83
Belize 76 77 80 82 70 73 72 68
Bolivia 91 89 85 84 83 85 83 80
Brazil 87 86 85 82 72 68 68 65
Canada 85 81 81 82 70 67 67 69
Chile 87 85 82 81 72 67 72 71
Colombia 85 86 83 84 73 75 74 74
Costa Rica 94 87 87 84 59 65 66 67
Cuba 85 81 82 81 68 69 70 68
Dominica 77 79 nr 78 73 80 78 63
Dominican Republic
78 80 81 78 68 69 71 69
Ecuador 88 87 83 84 78 76 76 75
El Salvador 93 90 90 88 70 71 71 69
Grenada 82 84 77 85 80 82 77 76
Guatemala 93 90 90 90 62 63 64 61
Guyana 81 83 82 82 77 75 75 71
Haiti 83 79 82 81 75 76 76 76
Honduras 90 87 87 87 69 70 69 66
Jamaica 82 81 81 82 78 80 80 80
Mexico 90 87 87 87 52 56 57 57
Nicaragua 90 87 87 88 76 74 71 73
Panama 85 76 82 78 70 74 71 72
Paraguay 91 91 82 81 89 76 83 82
Peru 86 87 87 85 76 77 75 74
Trinidad and Tobago
76 84 83 81 67 76 75 75
United States 81 80 81 79 63 61 64 66
Uruguay 92 87 89 88 75 72 78 75
Venezuela 84 85 83 81 71 69 69 67
Sources: European OECD countries: European Labor Force Surveys (Eurostat); United States: American Community Surveys.Notes: Data refer to the population aged 15-64. For the United States, the persons aged 15 were not asked about their employment status; they are considered here as inactive. nr: not reliable
PART III Statistical Annex / 225
Metadata related to Tables E.a.em., E.a.un., and E.a.pr. Labor force outcomes of emigrants from the Americas in the United States and Europe
Country Defintions Source
United States Definitions are based on the definitions of the International Labor Organisation.
American Community Survey, United States Census Bureau.
Europe European Union Labor Force Survey, Eurostat.
This is the fourth annual report of the Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI, for its acronym in Spanish). The report collects data from diverse sources (censuses, surveys, administrative records, etc.) in order to process and disseminate information regarding the magnitude, trends, and characteristics of international migration in the countries that participated in this report: Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States and Uruguay.
The methodology of this report is based on the Permanent Observation System on Migration (or SOPEMI) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), adjusted to the needs of the region in accordance with a participatory process involving the countries through a network of national correspondents and the participation of national and international organizations working in the field of migration.
SICREMI is an initiative of the Organization of American States (OAS) that aims to contribute to the promotion and development of public policies that lead to improved migration management in the Americas through the facilitation of dialogue, cooperation, institutional strengthening and access to information.
This publication is available at www.migracionoea.org/sicremi
www.migracionoea.org
17th Street and Constitution Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C., U.S.A. 20006
www.oas.org