Migration policy is anchored in national migration realities, guided by a broad range of international instruments, and shaped by both the political leadership and public discourse. However, migration has become an issue of contentious debate and as a result governments recognize that how well migration is managed is linked to public perceptions of their leadership. People, power and politics are great influencers of migration policy, just as they are in many other areas of public policy. This can present challenges for the non-political policymaker, particularly in efforts to recommend objective, evidence-based approaches to policy that have undergone deep analysis and scrutiny. Often, rhetoric and political narrative undermine the policymaking process, particularly if patterns arise that are seen as threats to sovereignty, or that suggest a “loss of control”. The media play a pivotal role in channelling and shaping discourses, and so it is important to work with them (see more in the Media landscape in the context of migration).
The global context of international migration sets out the scope of, and drivers for, human mobility. Economic, demographic, political, social and cultural, and environmental drivers of migration bring considerable complexity to the national policymaking context. Tensions with other domestic policy domains often emerge. Policymakers face challenges in balancing policy responses. For example, to ensure labour migration optimizes economic well-being while protecting national jobs; or to establish family reunification parameters that are consistent with cultural norms to ensure migrants and citizens alike are treated fairly; or to handle forced migration in a way that is consistent with international law and complies with human rights obligations, but that is also affordable and sustainable for the receiving communities. This becomes more complex as new trends emerge, and new thinking is developed on how to address these drivers, including by considering technological innovations. There is nothing straightforward about this policymaking space.
Shared interests at the international level are more than ever positively shaping national policymaking. The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (the Global Compact for Migration) offers a cooperative framework and acknowledges that no State can address migration alone, while upholding the concept of sovereignty and regard for international obligations (read more in Global initiatives addressing migration). As pointed out in International migration law, there is no unified overarching legal framework for migration, but there is a broad range of instruments, including legal ones, that govern different aspects of mobility. The growing dialogue at the international level is also helping to shape expectations about migration and improving levels of cooperation and partnership among the international community (see International cooperation on migration). Well-explained policies matter, and it can be helpful for national actors to draw on international developments when explaining the national migration experience.