Guidelines on the use and dissemination of data on international immigration to facilitate their use to improve emigration data of sending countries Task Force on Measuring Emigration Joint UNECE/Eurostat Work Session on Migration Statistics, organised in collaboration with UNFPA Geneva, Switzerland, March 3-5, 2008

Outline Background Objectives of the Guidelines Content of the Guidelines Guidelines’ application Guidelines-based best practises

Background ( how it happened) Task Force proposed by ECE-Eurostat Seminar on International Migration, March 2005 The proposal endorsed by the Bureau of CES, October 2005 Feasibility study (19 countries), November 2005-June 2006 Four analytical reports and the first draft of the Guidelines, November 2006

Background ( how it happened) ( continue) A summary report on the data exchange exercise, March 2008 The revised version of the Guidelines, March 2008

General objectives of the Guidelines To provide a “roadmap” to countries seeking improvement of their emigration data To advise countries producing data on their immigrants on the needs of immigrants’ sending countries To suggest to international organisations to increase an emigration scope in data collection and dissemination

Content of the Guidelines Emigration data - Needs vs. typologies - National statistical data sources - Strengths and weaknesses of statistical sources

Content of the Guidelines (continue) Immigration data as possible source on emigrants - Main sources, their characteristics and relevance for countries of origin - What to pay attention to when using destination countries’ data – “critical factors” - Type of emigration data sought vs. suggested sources

Content of the Guidelines (continue) How to meet, in the best way, sending countries’ data needs - Detail of available immigration data in destination countries - Access to the data: standard tabulations dissemination

Guidelines’ application (the lessons learned so far - examples) CIS countries (the regional perspective) - Allowed for examination of regional differences - Facilitated a discussion on data collection methodologies

Guidelines’ application (the lessons learned so far - examples) Canada and Australia, Italy, Poland, the UK, the US (the country’s perspective) - Expanded the coverage of data on flows from Canada to the US - Enabled to analyse a profile of Canadian emigrants vs. their destinations

Guidelines-based best practices For countries seeking emigration data - Prioritise information needs (main destination countries, total emigration vs. specific groups’ emigration ) - Explore data availability at destinations - Request customised data sets - Evaluate data received - Develop data exchange protocols

Guidelines-based best practices (continue) For countries producing immigration data - Expand details of published data to accommodate information needs of immigrants’ sending countries (immigrants’ country of origin, country of previous residence, citizenship, characteristics) - Explore usefulness of other sources for inclusion in tabulation programmes (e.g. LFS) - Improve access to metadata information

Guidelines-based best practices (continue) International organisations - Disseminate data by country of immigration and country of emigration - Compile a “regional portrait” of emigrants (showing the region’s countries, and emigrants’ characteristics)