Migration Project

The migration of people and capital -- including the steady flow of remittances that immigrants send home -- has an enormous impact on global development. Close to $300 billion of remittances flowed from rich countries to poor countries in 2006, compared to just $70 billion in foreign aid. According to the World Bank, if OECD countries allowed just a 3% increase in the size of their labor force through more flexible immigration policies, the gains to citizens of poor countries would exceed $300 billion per year.

The Migration Project at CID (2009-2011) focused on understanding and strengthening the links between migration, remittances and prosperity. The Project working to expand the possibilities for comprehensive immigration reform in the U.S. by bringing a development lens to the domestic policy debate.