policymic: Immigration Reform 2013: New Policies Would Benefit Everyone

One way to measure the impact of integration policies is to use comparative evidence as a benchmark. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the U.S. partner for a major international comparative study on integration laws across Europe, Canada, and the U.S. The Migrant Integration Policy Index, MIPEX, is a reference tool that measures and compares the immigration and integration policies of 31 countries...MIPEX also acknowledges that the lowest score goes to long-term residence because the U.S.’s complex immigration laws, limited visa availability, high fees, and long backlogs may make it challenging for immigrants to integrate fully in the American life. In addition, the second lowest score goes to political participation because unlike most European countries, non-citizens in the U.S cannot vote in federal elections and are not represented by federally sponsored advisory bodies. Finally, MIPEX mentions that states including Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington are taking the lead on immigrant integration.
The MIPEX report is not without some drawbacks. One limitation is related to the fact that the survey questions reflect European systems of government and policies that don’t necessarily apply to U.S. laws. Michele Waslin, a senior policy analyst at the IPC said, “Integration is happening in the U.S despite the fact that we don’t have a national strategy and don’t have some of the same laws and policies that other countries have”. One way to address the immigration issue is to develop appropriate, country-specific integration policies. The MIPEX index offers policymakers a framework for analyzing and comparing immigrants’ integration, in addition to assessing the best and the worst practices...
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