Immigration
Immigration Policies by Country 2026
Country | Policy on Immigration↓ | Poliicy on Highly Skilled Workers | Policy on Emigration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | China | Raise | Raise | No |
 | Brazil | Raise | Raise | |
 | Russia | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | Germany | Raise | Raise | No |
 | Thailand | Raise | Raise | Raise |
 | South Korea | Raise | Raise | No |
 | Ukraine | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | Poland | Raise | Raise | |
 | Kazakhstan | Raise | Raise | Maintain |
 | Romania | Raise | Raise | Maintain |
 | Rwanda | Raise | Raise | Maintain |
 | Sweden | Raise | Raise | |
 | Portugal | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | Israel | Raise | Maintain | Lower |
 | Hungary | Raise | Raise | No |
 | Austria | Raise | Raise | |
 | Belarus | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | Bulgaria | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | Finland | Raise | Raise | |
 | Uruguay | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | Lithuania | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | Gabon | Raise | Raise | Lower |
 | San Marino | Raise | No | No |
 | Niue | Raise | Lower | |
 | Morocco | No official policy | Maintain | |
 | Madagascar | No official policy | Maintain | No |
 | Senegal | No official policy | No official | |
 | Burundi | No official policy | Raise | No |
 | Czechia | No official policy | No official | |
 | Denmark | No official policy | Raise | |
 | Palestine | No official policy | Lower | |
 | Grenada | No official policy | No official | |
 | Ethiopia | No intervention | Raise | Maintain |
 | Tanzania | No intervention | No | |
 | Uganda | No intervention | No | No |
 | Burkina Faso | No intervention | No | Lower |
 | Somalia | No intervention | No | |
 | Guatemala | No intervention | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Zimbabwe | No intervention | Raise | Lower |
 | Guinea | No intervention | No | No |
 | Benin | No intervention | No | No |
 | Tunisia | No intervention | No | Raise |
 | Togo | No intervention | No | No |
 | Sierra Leone | No intervention | No | No |
 | El Salvador | No intervention | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Central African Republic | No intervention | No | |
 | Eritrea | No intervention | Raise | Lower |
 | Lesotho | No intervention | No | Lower |
 | Guinea-Bissau | No intervention | No | Lower |
 | Comoros | No intervention | No | |
 | India | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | United States | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Indonesia | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Nigeria | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Bangladesh | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Mexico | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Japan | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Philippines | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | DR Congo | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Vietnam | Maintain | Raise | Raise |
 | Turkey | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | South Africa | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Italy | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Myanmar | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Colombia | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Sudan | Maintain | Lower | |
 | Algeria | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Iraq | Maintain | No official | Lower |
 | Spain | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Argentina | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Afghanistan | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Canada | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Angola | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Uzbekistan | Maintain | Maintain | Raise |
 | Mozambique | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Peru | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Ivory Coast | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Cameroon | Maintain | No official | Lower |
 | Nepal | Maintain | Maintain | Raise |
 | Niger | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Venezuela | Maintain | Maintain | |
 | Australia | Maintain | Maintain | |
 | North Korea | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Syria | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Mali | Maintain | No | Lower |
 | Sri Lanka | Maintain | Maintain | Raise |
 | Zambia | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Chad | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Chile | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Netherlands | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Cambodia | Maintain | Maintain | Raise |
 | Bolivia | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Haiti | Maintain | Lower | |
 | Belgium | Maintain | Maintain | |
 | Dominican Republic | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | United Arab Emirates | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Honduras | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Tajikistan | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Papua New Guinea | Maintain | Raise | Raise |
 | Cuba | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Azerbaijan | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Libya | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Kyrgyzstan | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Nicaragua | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Paraguay | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Serbia | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Republic of the Congo | Maintain | Maintain | |
 | Singapore | Maintain | Lower | No |
 | Lebanon | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Liberia | Maintain | No | |
 | Norway | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Mauritania | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Slovakia | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Ireland | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | New Zealand | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Costa Rica | Maintain | Maintain | |
 | Panama | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Croatia | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Georgia | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Mongolia | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Namibia | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Moldova | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Armenia | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Jamaica | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Albania | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Botswana | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Slovenia | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Equatorial Guinea | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Latvia | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Trinidad and Tobago | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Timor-Leste | Maintain | Maintain | Raise |
 | Cyprus | Maintain | Lower | Maintain |
 | Estonia | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Mauritius | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Fiji | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Solomon Islands | Maintain | Raise | Raise |
 | Guyana | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Bhutan | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Luxembourg | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Suriname | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Montenegro | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Malta | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Maldives | Maintain | Raise | Maintain |
 | Brunei | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Bahamas | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Iceland | Maintain | Raise | No |
 | Vanuatu | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Samoa | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Saint Lucia | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Kiribati | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Micronesia | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Tonga | Maintain | Raise | Raise |
 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Antigua and Barbuda | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Andorra | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Dominica | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Liechtenstein | Maintain | Maintain | No |
 | Monaco | Maintain | Maintain | |
 | Marshall Islands | Maintain | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Palau | Maintain | Maintain | Lower |
 | Cook Islands | Maintain | Raise | Lower |
 | Nauru | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Tuvalu | Maintain | Raise | |
 | Pakistan | Lower | Maintain | Raise |
 | Egypt | Lower | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Iran | Lower | Maintain | Lower |
 | United Kingdom | Lower | Lower | No |
 | France | Lower | Raise | No |
 | Kenya | Lower | Maintain | Lower |
 | Yemen | Lower | Maintain | Raise |
 | Malaysia | Lower | Raise | Lower |
 | Ghana | Lower | No | Lower |
 | Saudi Arabia | Lower | Maintain | Lower |
 | Malawi | Lower | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Ecuador | Lower | No | Lower |
 | Jordan | Lower | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Greece | Lower | Lower | |
 | Switzerland | Lower | Maintain | |
 | Turkmenistan | Lower | Lower | |
 | Oman | Lower | Lower | |
 | Kuwait | Lower | Raise | No |
 | Qatar | Lower | Raise | No |
 | Gambia | Lower | Lower | Lower |
 | Bahrain | Lower | Lower | No |
 | Djibouti | Lower | Maintain | No |
 | Belize | Lower | Maintain | Maintain |
 | Barbados | Lower | Raise | Lower |
 | Seychelles | Lower | Maintain | Lower |
- Immigration and Emigration Policies - Indicate the government’s policiesy to influence the level of documented immigration into (and out of) the country. Response categories for this variable are: Raise, Maintain, Lower, No intervention, and No official policy.
- Policy Rationale - Indicates the government’s underlying reasons for the current immigration policy. Response categories for this variable are: 1. To counter long-term population decline, 2. To address population aging (which shrinks the available work force), 3. To meet labor demands in certain sectors of the economy, and 4. To safeguard employment opportunities for nationals.
- Measures on Integration - Indicates whether the government has adopted specific policies or programmes aimed at integrating immigrants into the host society. Response categories for this variable are: 1. Language skills training, 2. Transfer of professional credentials, 3. Protection against discrimination, and 4 None of these.
- Measures on Irregular Immigration - Indicates whether the government has adopted specific policy measures to address the issue of irregular immigration. Response categories for this variable are: 1. Penalties for employers of migrants in an irregular situation, 2. Fines, detention or deportation of migrants in an irregular situation, and 3. Regularization of legal status under defined schemes or conditions.
- Measures to Attract Diaspora Investment - Indicates specific policy measures that the Government has adopted to encourage or facilitate investment in the country by its diaspora. Response categories for this variable are: 1. Reduced costs of transferring remittances, 2. Tax exceptions or breaks, and 3. Preferential treatment in providing credit or allotment of licences.
- Policy to Encourage the Return of Citizens - Indicates whether the government has adopted any policies or programmes to encourage the return of its citizens living abroad.
Snapshot
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Many countries aim to raise immigration and highly skilled worker inflows, including China, Germany, and Brazil.
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Some countries explicitly signal a tighter stance by listing “Lower” for immigration policy, including the United Kingdom, France, and Pakistan.
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Several countries, such as Japan and South Korea, limit permanent immigration while still recruiting foreign workers for shortages.
How Immigration Policies Differ by Country
Immigration rules aren’t the same everywhere. Some countries actively bring people in to fill jobs or offset aging populations, while others keep entry tightly controlled to protect local labor markets or preserve national identity. These choices directly affect how easy it is to move, work, and settle in a new country.
Countries like Canada, Germany, and Australia generally keep immigration steady and predictable, often prioritizing skilled workers. Others, such as Japan and South Korea, allow immigration more selectively, opening doors mainly where labor shortages exist. Meanwhile, some nations maintain strict limits overall, making long-term settlement difficult even as economic pressures grow.
How Countries Decide Whom to Let In
Most immigration systems are shaped by practical needs. Governments look at such factors as worker shortages, aging populations, and economic growth, then adjust their rules accordingly. When businesses can’t find enough local workers, immigration often becomes a pressure valve rather than a political ideal.
Countries such as Canada and Germany openly use immigration to fill gaps in healthcare, construction, and technology. By contrast, Japan takes a more cautious approach—maintaining tight overall controls while quietly expanding visas in areas where labor shortages have become unavoidable.
What Immigration Looks Like After Arrival
Immigration policy doesn’t stop at the border. Once people arrive, countries differ widely in how easily newcomers can work, settle in, and fully participate in daily life. Some governments invest heavily in language training, job placement, and legal protections, while others leave newcomers to navigate these challenges largely on their own.
Countries like Canada, Germany, and Australia tend to pair immigration with strong integration support, making it easier for migrants to enter the workforce and build long-term stability. In contrast, nations such as Japan and South Korea often allow entry for specific labor needs but offer fewer pathways to permanent settlement, keeping immigration more temporary by design.
