New OAS-OECD Report: International Migration in the Americas
Migration has become one
of the central themes in the hemispheric political agenda, given its
complexity and international nature. To identify the main trends of
migration flows in the Americas, the Organization of American States
(OAS) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD) published the report
“International
Migration in the Americas”
(SICREMI 2015),
which seeks to contribute to the formulation of public policies
based on evidence, leading to the improved management of migration
in the region.
The report is based on the
Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the
Americas (SICREMI),
which since 2009 has become a unique source of information on
migratory flows to and from countries of the Americas. SICREMI uses
data from various sources - censuses, surveys, administrative
records, among others - to analyze the magnitude, trends and
characteristics of international migration in the countries
participating in the report.
This Third Report
highlights regional migration trends for the 2010 and 2013 period,
highlighting topics of interest, such as the feminization of
migration; asylum and refuge; settlement or return; the labor market
situation of migrants from the Americas to Europe and the United
States; over-qualification of migrants and remittances to Latin
America and the Caribbean.
Among its findings, SICREMI 2015 reports that between 2010 and 2013,
intraregional migration - within Latin America and the Caribbean -
increased by 17% and if it continues growing at the same rate, would
double in the next four years. It is estimated that in 2013, 1 in 4
immigrants in the Americas settled in Latin America and the
Caribbean, while 2 out of 4 immigrants opted for more traditional
destinations like the United States or Canada.
Intraregional migration:
Natashia
Arredondo, a Colombian-US American, lived in Colombia until she was
19 years old, when she migrated to the United States to pursue
undergraduate studies. After completing her degree, she moved to
Panama seeking better working conditions. Natashia obtained work
and residence permits through one of the latest waves of the “Crisol
Razas”
regularization program, and worked in Panama for two years as
the General Manager of a company recycling electronic materials.
In 2014 Natashia migrated once again to Mexico, where she
opened a branch of the Panamanian company. Currently, Natashia
lives with her husband and son in the Federal District, and is
open to the possibility of emigrating yet again.
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The report also notes that rates of over-qualification of immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean are 15 to 20 points higher than those of local citizens. That is, compared to the host country, immigrants from the Americas tend to reduce their employment prospects if they are unable to find jobs commensurate with their skills, and accept, if only temporarily, lower paying jobs that require inferior levels of competency.
Over-qualification
of Migrants:
Alicia Quintero, 55 years old, is an industrial engineer with a
Masters in Business Administration. For many years, Alicia
worked at Petroleos de
Venezuela (PDVSA), until the oil strike of 2002-2003 when
she lost her job. Since then, Alicia failed to find work in her
field, which is why in 2006, she began the process of acquiring
a skilled-worker visa in Canada. Currently, she is in Canada
working in a customer service company. Despite being
overqualified for the job, Alicia feels that her living
conditions have improved in comparison to her country of origin.
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A section of the report
features summaries per participating country, which highlights
developments in public policy, provides an update on migration
policy frameworks, as well as major indicators of migratory
movements, the migrant population and the employment of migrants. 20
member states of the OAS participated in the SICREMI 2015 Report:
Argentina, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, United States
and Uruguay.
Migration is a
major issue for the OAS given that public policies in one country
affect citizens from other countries, thus its discussion and
management necessarily requires bilateral and multilateral
considerations to guarantee the rights of migrants. "We should
remind everyone that human rights are the central issue of all
debates on migrants and migratory policies. All migrants, in virtue
of their human dignity, are protected by international human rights
law, without discrimination, in equality with citizens, regardless
of their administrative situation or condition," stressed the
Secretary General of the Organization, Luis Almagro, during the
launch of the publication
on
28 August.
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