Programs & Projects

Migration and Border Policy

Migration and Border Policy

In 2016 and 2017 the Lowy Institute conducted a significant research project to produce independent research and analysis on the challenges and opportunities raised by the movement of people and goods across Australia’s borders. An important goal of the research was to put Australia’s experiences in a broader regional and global context.

The Migration and Border Policy Project included workshops and roundtables which bring together external experts and government officials in an effort to build genuinely strategic approaches to complex migration and border issues. It also included annual Border Policy Research Fellowships in which an officer of the then Department of Immigration and Border Protection undert­ook research on migration and border policy issues at the Lowy Institute.

The Project was supported by the Australian Government’s then Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

Experts
Latest publications
News and media
Migration and border policy links: Rohingya crisis, deportations, people-smuggling and more
Migration and border policy links: Rohingya crisis, deportations, people-smuggling and more
President of Refugees International Eric P Schwartz discusses his recent visit to Bangladesh in a Council for Foreign Relations event focusing on the Rohingya crisis.   …
Migration and border policy links: UN inaction on Rohingya, offshore processing, self-reliance and more
Migration and border policy links: UN inaction on Rohingya, offshore processing, self-reliance and more
The UNHCR Regional Representation in Canberra has called on Australia's government and parliamentarians to take responsibility for the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Papua New…
Migration and border policy links: Nauru’s growth, worker pathways, remittances and more
Migration and border policy links: Nauru’s growth, worker pathways, remittances and more
Following reports that over 11,000 Rohingya crossed the border into Bangladesh on Monday alone, reporters on the ground are sharing stories of extreme violence, mental health…
Migration & border policy links: What the US wants, Afghanistan, Rohingya repatriation and more
Migration & border policy links: What the US wants, Afghanistan, Rohingya repatriation and more
Reflecting on the failures of offshore processing, UNHCR’s Regional Representative, Thomas Albrecht, urges the Australian government to step up, share responsibility and do its…
Migration and border policy links: Safe zones, the Black Sea route, investor visas and more
Migration and border policy links: Safe zones, the Black Sea route, investor visas and more
With reports of hostilities in southern Bangladesh, Richard Weir outlines the dangers of establishing Rohingya 'safe zones' in Myanmar. Meanwhile, in a blog post for the Council…
Migration and border policy links: Cox’s Bazar, refugee swaps, illegal deportation and more
Migration and border policy links: Cox’s Bazar, refugee swaps, illegal deportation and more
One year on, Chatham House's Jeff Crisp analyses the progression of the UN's Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, set out in the New York Declaration.The…
Skilled migration policy and the labour market  performance of immigrants
Reports
Skilled migration policy and the labour market performance of immigrants
This working paper reviews the effect of a specific migration policy change in Australia and examines whether migration policy can be used to influence immigrants’…
Migration & border links: Myanmar, DACA repeal, contemporary displacement and more
Migration & border links: Myanmar, DACA repeal, contemporary displacement and more
With nearly 400,000 Rohingya crossing the border into Bangladesh, Secretary General of the UN, António Guterres, has called on Myanmar’s authorities to cease acts of violence,…
Migration and border policy links: Myanmar, global compact on migration, DACA and more
Migration and border policy links: Myanmar, global compact on migration, DACA and more
Over 125,000 Rohingya refugees are estimated to be fleeing conflict and persecution in Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the Indian government…
Migration & border policy links: Merkel and no regrets, Hurricane Harvey and more
Migration & border policy links: Merkel and no regrets, Hurricane Harvey and more
The Kaldor Centre’s Dr Claire Higgins offers a critique of the Australian government’s decision to transfer a number of asylum seekers residing in the country to the ‘final…