Migration to OECD countries reaches unprecedented levels, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s 2022 report. Thus, more than one in three OECD countries recorded the highest level in at least 15 years; Countries such as Canada and the UK are reporting the highest numbers ever recorded. With more than 6 million new ‘permanent migrants’, excluding Ukrainian refugees, permanent migration to OECD countries has reached a record high in 2022.

Added to the figures in question is the flow of refugees from Ukraine. As of June 2023, there were approximately 4.7 million Ukrainian refugees in OECD countries. In absolute terms, Germany, Poland, and the United States hosted the largest number of refugees from Ukraine, while Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania received the largest number of refugees, in proportion to their respective countries’ populations.

Asylum applications in the OECD also reached a record high in 2022. More than 2 million new asylum applications were filed in OECD countries last year, the highest number ever recorded; well above the previous record of 1.7 million, and twice as many as in 2021. The increase was largely driven by an increase in applications in the United States, which reached 730,000, compared to less than 190,000 in 2021.

The main countries of origin of asylum seekers in the OECD in 2022 are: Venezuela (221,000), Cuba (180,000), Afghanistan (170,000) and Nicaragua (165,000).

Meanwhile, citizenship gains in OECD countries also reached a new high in 2022, at 2.8 million, according to preliminary data. At the same time, between 2021 and 2022, immigrant employment rates increased in all OECD countries except Poland. The number of international student enrollments approaches 2 million for the first time. To face this challenge, there are two policy questions:

– Many OECD countries experiencing labor shortages prioritize labor migration on their political agenda. Australia and Germany are planning significant changes to their labor migration frameworks, while other countries have increased their labor migration targets.

– Other OECD countries have implemented stricter asylum and border policies, as well as reduced resettlement quotas. Temporary shelter approaches, without a direct pathway to permanent or long-term housing, are increasingly being implemented to meet protection needs.