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International migration in policy and practice in South Asia

International migration from South Asia has grown in importance over the last 50 years, in terms of the number of migrants and the economic impact of this movement. In the past three decades, there have been significant changes in the migration flows from the region. What role has national policy on migration played in these changes and how effective has policy been in controlling and shaping these migration flows?

In research conducted at the School of Social and Political Studies of the University of Edinburgh, the secondary literature on international migration from the region has been examined to better understand these changes and to begin to explore the effects of policy on international migration flows. The main conclusions reached are that increasing numbers of migrants from South Asia are responding to a growing range of demands, internationally, for labour and that emigration and immigration policies do not stop migration but do affect the conditions that migrants move and live in.

Large populations of migrants from South Asia have established themselves in Western Europe, North America and particularly the Middle East over the past 50 years. The labour demands in these destinations have fluctuated and changed in this time but the linkages once established have been maintained and the migrant populations have grown steadily. In addition, South Asian migrants have begun to respond to new labour demands in the past 20 years, particularly from South East Asia. International migration is of great importance to the livelihoods of many households in the region and has been significant to the national economies of Pakistan, and more recently, of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

It is concluded in the report that:

The most important factor in determining migration flows is demand for labour.
Emigration policies do not stop migration, but restrictive policies and the poor implementation of policies can make migration more dangerous for migrants. Conditions for migrants can be improved where emigration policy seeks to support and protect migrants, such as in the case of Sri Lanka.
Nor do immigration policies stop migration flows, but restrictive policy or the lack of policy affects the conditions that migrants work and live under and has a severe impact on their rights.

The main recommendations made in the report are:

There is a need to collect more reliable and comparable information on international migration from South Asia, particularly on existing populations of migrants and on the scale of illegal migration.
A framework for the rights of migrants exists in the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. One possible means of improving the conditions and rights of migrants from South Asia is through the development of bilateral agreements based on the convention and on examples of best practice, such as the migration policy of Sri Lanka.

Source(s):
‘Migration in Policy and Practice in South Asia’, by Francis Watkins, 2002

Funded by: DFID (SSRU R7892)

id21 Research Highlight: 4 November 2002

Further Information:
Francis Watkins
School of Social and Political Studies
University of Edinburgh
Adam Ferguson Building
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LL
UK

Tel: +44 (0)131 651 1532
Contact the contributor: F.Watkins@ed.ac.uk

University of Edinburgh, Scotland

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