Managing Migration for Development

Migration policy has for long been seen as the prerogative of the receiving state. That state, and that state alone, is responsible for selecting who comes within its borders, how many to admit, for how long and for what purpose. In the case of the United States, where immigration has been an integral part of state building, immigration policy fashioned a "nation by design". However, today, a more nuanced approach to migration policy has emerged: the idea that population migration can be "managed", not just for the benefit of the destination state but also for the states of origin of the migration, as well as for the migrants themselves. Such an approach brings immigration and development policy into an uneasy dialogue. Officials from State Departments, Home Offices or Ministries of the Interior find themselves in discussions with representatives from development and aid ministries or departments. Migration becomes no longer simply a unilateral matter but has emerged as a matter of foreign policy through bilateral and multilateral negotiation among states.