Recent developments in international migration movements and policies

This chapter provides an overview of recent developments in international migration movements and policies in OECD countries. After a brief review of developments in migration flows in 2016, based on preliminary and partial data, it provides a detailed analysis of the trends in permanent migration from 2007 to 2015, by country and by main category of migration – migration for work, family or humanitarian purposes, and migration within free movement areas. The next section addresses temporary migration for work purposes, especially seasonal workers, posted workers and working holidaymakers. The chapter goes on to discuss the unprecedented increase in the number of asylum seekers in OECD countries, then describes the international mobility of students, the composition of migration flows by gender and by country of origin, the evolution of the size of the foreign-born population, and the acquisition of nationality across OECD countries. The chapter closes with a section on policies concerning the main 2015-16 changes made to migration management frameworks, particularly in the European Union.