Migration Pack H2

Question 1

What UN agenda aims to support migration?

Answer 1

• 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development
• Calls on countries to facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration
• Through planned and well managed policies

Question 2

What UN article protects migrants?

Answer 2

• UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 13
• Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state
• Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country
• Cannot leave someone stateless
• All states are potential sources of outmigration (except N Korea where exit visa needed)

Question 3

What UN article protects refugees?

Answer 3

• UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14
• Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution

Question 4

Why do migration policies vary between countries?

Answer 4

Change depending on the social, economic and political situation at the time

Question 5

What choices can a country make on policies and examples?

Answer 5

• No policy (e.g. some LICs)
• Open door (e.g. Uganda)
• Maintain current level of migration (e.g. Australia)
• Increase level of migration (e.g. Germany, Sweden)
• Reduce level of migration (e.g. UK, USA)
• Increase proportion of higher skilled workers (e.g. Australia, NZ, UK)
• Encourage return of citizens (e.g. Germany to Turkish citizens with incentives)

Question 6

What is the International Organisation for Migration (IOM)?

Answer 6

• Part of the UN since 1951
• Leading inter-governmental organisation promoting human and orderly migration for all
• 175 member states and presence in 100 countries

Question 7

What SDG refers directly to migration?

Answer 7

• SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities within and among countries
• IOM understands circumstances under which migration might exacerbate inequalities
• Understands barriers that can restrict the potential of migration to be a tool to address inequalities

Question 8

What are the 2 targets under SDG 10?

Answer 8

• Migration governance
• Remittances

Question 9

How does SDG 10 want to improve migration governance?

Answer 9

• Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people
• Through implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies
• Acknowledges need for global, regional and national migration regimes and comprehensive policy frameworks

Question 10

How does SDG 10 want to improve remittances?

Answer 10

• Reduce transaction costs of migration remittances to less than 3% by 2030
• Eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5%
• Aim to cap transaction fees through competition, transparency, more providers and cost-comparison tools

Question 11

Why does SDG 10 want to improve remittance transfers?

Answer 11

• Global remittance flows are large and stable
• Approx $500 billion flowed into LICs and MICs in 2020
• High transaction costs lessen the impact of remittances, burdens migrants and discourages the sending of remittances through formal channels

Question 12

What are Australia’s migration policies?

Answer 12

• Points system to select skilled migrant workers
• Prioritising applicants for jobs based on characteristics
• Good education, language skills and work experience helps
• Candidates with high points are invited to submit a visa application
• Allows migration without a job offer

Question 13

Which other countries have points systems for migration?

Answer 13

• Austria and New Zealand
• Require or prioritise job offers

Question 14

What was the UK’s migration policy in the 1950s?

Answer 14

• Open door approach from Empire and Commonwealth countries
• Skills and labour shortage
• Restricted by 1970s

Question 15

What was the UK’s migration policy in the 2000s?

Answer 15

• Same approach but with EU countries due to freedom of movement
• Significantly more migrants than expected
• Government estimations were wrong by a factor of 10
• Ended with Brexit in 2021

Question 16

What was the UK’s migration policy after the 2010s?

Answer 16

• Under David Cameron government
• Main stated goal was to reduce net migration to under 100,000 a year
• Tried to introduce restrictions on skilled workers with capped numbers and increased skill/salary requirements
• Net migration goal was never reached and every year migration increased
• In 2015 renegotiation, asked to put a pause on migration but EU said no

Question 17

What was the UK’s migration policy in the 2020s?

Answer 17

• Under Boris Johnson government
• ‘Points-Based Immigration System’ on 1 Jan 2021
• Ended UK’s participation in freedom of movement on 31 Jan 2020
• EU citizens would be treated in the same way as the rest of the world

Question 18

What is the UK’s most recent migration policy?

Answer 18

• Under Keir Starmer government
• Aims to select migrants who will contribute the most to the UK economy
• System is more open to skilled migration but cannot bring family or relatives

Question 19

What are the limitations to the UK’s new migration policy?

Answer 19

• European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
• Right to family life
• 42,000 people in 2025 were detected arriving on small boats as refugees
• Compares with 300 people in 2018

Question 20

What was the UK’s Rwanda policy?

Answer 20

• Rishi Sunak implemented it
• Whereby any irregular migrant that turns up illegally will be taken to a 3rd safe country
• Blocked by the ECHR because Rwanda’s humans rights record was questioned
• Starmer government stopped Rwanda policy but is pursuing other 3rd country agreements (e.g. Kosovo)

Question 21

What is Frontex?

Answer 21

• EU’s border police force
• UK pays towards it to strengthen the EU external border
• Ineffective at stopping migrants entering the EU
• Dublin Convention is an EU law that states irregular migrants are meant to claim asylum in the first safe EU country
• But few returns have ever occurred by Frontex

Question 22

What is the US immigration law based on?

Answer 22

• The founding principles
• Reunification of families
• Admitting immigrants with skills that are valuable to the US economy
• Protecting refugees
• Promoting diversity

Question 23

What are the USA’s migration policies?

Answer 23

• Governing body is the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
• Allows 675,000 permanent immigrant visas each year across various catergories
• INA sets no limit on annual admission of US citizens’ spouses, parents and chlidren U21 (green card)
• President consults with Congress each year to set an annual number of refugees to be admitted

Question 24

What were some limitations of the USA’s migration policies?

Answer 24

• 1.6 million migrants came across US-Mexico border in 2021
• Reported by US Border Patrol

Question 25

What has Trump done to the USA's migration policies?

Answer 25

- Muslim ban in 2017 - Restricted illegal entry to US to 0 - Home countries are forced to take back illegal migrants at threat of tariffs - Built a wall along America's southern border

Question 26

Why is there a rise in anti-immigration movements?

Answer 26

- Countries want to regain control of their borders - Lack of sympathy for multiculturalism

Question 27

What are recent changes in UK behaviour towards migration?

Answer 27

- Increased support for the Far Right (e.g. Reform) - Brexit was popular with rural communities, elderly and northern England cities - Mostly about migration and Britain's inability to control numbers entering the country - Seen as undemocratic - 'Enough is enough' campaign after Axel Rudakubana stabbing in Southport - Claimed too much immigrants was straining law and order, NHS and education - Far right activists turn the protests violent

Question 28

What are the conflicting opinions on migrants in America between governments?

Answer 28

- Obama called for work permits to be given to 8 million unauthorised workers - Trump wants to expand the Mexico-US wall and deport 25 million

Question 29

What are the factors which divide views on migration in the USA?

Answer 29

- Economic impacts - National secuirty - Demographic impacts - Cultural impacts

Question 30

How are views on the economic impacts of migration divided in the USA?

Answer 30

- More workers increase GDP - Fill labour shortages in low paid jobs - Economic leakages through remittances - Blue-collar/working class Americans have had income undermined by migrants - Can work for cheaper as many don't pay tax as undocumented

Question 31

How are views on national security of migration divided in the USA?

Answer 31

- Most drugs entering America come through Southern border through migrant communities - Among illegal immigrants, there are fears they might be criminals or terrorists

Question 32

How are views on the demographic impacts of migration divided in the USA?

Answer 32

- Increased diversity - More working age people - White anglo-Americans have a declining birth rate and aging pop - Latin-Americans have high birth rates

Question 33

How are views on the cultural impacts of migration divided in the USA?

Answer 33

- Fears among white Americans that cities are becoming majority minority - Threatening to them - Spanish/Hispanic media is becoming popular

Question 34

What is a recent example of conflicting views on multiculturalism in America?

Answer 34

- Bad Bunny super bowl half time show Feb 2026 - All sung in Spanish - Trump called it an 'affront to the greatness of America' - Turning Point USA organised the All‑American Halftime Show

Question 35

How do attitudes towards immigration vary in the UK?

Answer 35

- Bigger and more diverse the urban centre, the more pro-immigration - Most of rural Britain is against immigration - More migrants in a place = more pro-immigration

Question 36

Why are some groups more likely to be pro-migration?

Answer 36

- People that experience diversity on a daily basis - People who are themselves from a migrant diaspora - Wealthy companies or families that use migrant work

Question 37

What are some groups more likely to be anti-immigration?

Answer 37

- People that don't experience diversity and don't benefit directly - Housing, healthcare and education pressure - Working class have seen income potential eroded by cheaper foreign workers

Question 38

Why is it difficult to have a comprehensive picture of statistics on flows of irregular migrants?

Answer 38

- Change in national laws and policies (e.g. turn regular migration irregular) - Status of migrants can change during their journey and stay in a country

Question 39

What is Turkey's approach to Syrian refugees?

Answer 39

- Allow to claim asylum - Limited labour market access and basic social services/humanitarian assistance - 1.6 million Syrian refugees

Question 40

What is Germany's approach to refugees?

Answer 40

- Open door approach from Angela Merkel - 1.2 million came in total to claim asylum - Chancellor Scholz put restrictions on migrants - Suspended Schengen visa free area

Question 41

What is Japan's approach to migration?

Answer 41

- Admits economic migrants to fill labour shortages on temporary visas - In nursing care, construction and agriculture - One of the most restrictive refugee-receiving countries - Refugee recognition rates are 1-2% and strict screening is prioritised

Question 42

Why are some states powerless to prevent cross border movements?

Answer 42

- LICs don't have resources to police and enforce border controls - Vast borders - Little economic development so difficult to know where state boundary lies

Question 43

Why do transnational identities make African countries powerless to movement?

Answer 43

- Borders in Africa were drawn up by European colonial powers for political convenience - Took little account of different ethnic identities - Within ethnic people, people cross border daily for familial reasons or if they are nomadic farmers/traders

Question 44

What is an example of ongoing transborder movement in Africa?

Answer 44

- Across DRC and Rwanda borders - 3 different ethnic groups - Hutu, Tutsi and Twa

Question 45

Why are militias crossing the DRC border?

Answer 45

- Diamonds are found in the DRC - Government is very weak so militias from neighbouring countries cross the border to take resources E.g. CAR, Uganda

Question 46

What is the resource curse?

Answer 46

- Lots of valuable resources can hurt a country’s long-term prosperity - Targets of cross border militias if they have a weak government

Question 47

What is the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)?

Answer 47

- Well funded militia - Controls diamond mines - Moves freely between DRC, CAR, S Sudan and Uganda - National government don't have the resources to effectively challenge the LRA

Question 48

What is an example of cross border movement in Nigeria?

Answer 48

- Boko Haram in the Sahel region of NE Nigeria - On Chad and Niger Borders - Islamist terrorists conduct raids into Nigeria - Famously kidnapping school girls in 2018 - Nigerian government struggles to tackle them because they move freely across borders as soon as Nigerian army approaches

Question 49

Why is it difficult to combat cross border militias and terrorists?

Answer 49

National military have to respect borders, terrorists don't