Migration to Northern America, predominantly to the United States, is a trend, with the region hosting nearly 59 million migrants by 2020, marking an increase from 56 million in 2015. The majority of these migrants originate from Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by Asia and Europe. Over the past three decades, the number of migrants in Northern America has more than doubled, fueled by emigration from Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia, alongside economic growth and political stability in the region. Compared to the large foreign-born population, the number of Northern American-born migrants living within or outside the region is relatively small, with more living abroad than within different parts of the region itself.
In 2020, the United States had the world’s largest foreign-born population, with over 86% of Northern America’s foreign-born residents. Despite this, Canada’s foreign-born population percentage was higher than that of the United States, reflecting Canada’s higher proportion of immigrants in relation to its total population. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw Northern America implementing international and internal travel controls, including screening and quarantine measures, to prevent the virus’s spread. While international travel restrictions were adjusted in response to the pandemic’s developments, internal movement restrictions were less uniformly applied across the region, with nearly all countries avoiding general internal movement restrictions.
Throughout the pandemic, the balance between travel restrictions and health-related measures evolved, with health-related measures eventually outnumbering travel restrictions. Notably, by mid-2021, there were more intraregional health-related measures than those applied to international arrivals, marking a shift from the early pandemic phase. The United States, a major global economy, is also a source of remittances, sending about USD 68 billion worldwide in 2020, despite a decrease from the previous year.
The United States and Canada have been important destinations for refugees and asylum seekers, with the United States hosting nearly 341,000 refugees and close to a million asylum seekers in 2020, mainly from Latin America. Canada provided refuge to nearly 110,000 refugees and over 85,000 asylum seekers, with many coming from countries like Nigeria, Turkey, and Pakistan. In 2020, all new internal displacements in Northern America were attributed to disasters, predominantly flooding and wildfires, with the United States experiencing the majority of these displacements, particularly due to wildfires in western states. Canada also faced new displacements due to wildfires, though on a smaller scale than the United States.
The COVID-19 pandemic altered migration dynamics in Northern America, leading to a reduction in migrant arrivals in both Canada and the United States due to travel restrictions, consular and border closures, and delays in visa processing and immigration court hearings. Canada saw a drop in new applications and approvals for temporary and permanent residents, with a similar trend observed in the United States, where the issuance of immigrant and non-immigrant visas fell by over half from the previous year. Despite these challenges, the United States and Canada continued to facilitate entry for temporary foreign workers essential to front-line sectors. Migrants have been crucial to the socioeconomic response to the pandemic, particularly in health care and critical industries like food and agriculture. However, their overrepresentation in front-line roles and other socioeconomic factors have made them particularly vulnerable to the pandemic’s impacts, including higher risks of infection and economic hardships.
In 2020, the United States and Canada remained major destinations for international migrants, with the United States hosting the largest migrant population globally and Canada ranking as the eighth largest. Migrants to these countries have increasingly diverse origins, with considerable numbers from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, India, China, and the Philippines. While the number of Mexican-born migrants in the United States has decreased, there has been growth in migrants from other regions, reflecting the changing landscape of migration to these countries.
Canada is actively seeking to increase its immigration levels to address demographic challenges such as an aging population and to support its labor market. Its ambitious immigration plan aims to welcome over 400,000 immigrants annually between 2021 and 2023, focusing largely on economic class programs to sustain population growth and economic vitality. Local initiatives also target immigrant entrepreneurs and promote the distribution of immigrants across smaller provinces and cities to address regional labor needs.
In the United States, recent policy shifts aim to reform the immigration system in response to demographic changes and previous restrictive measures. New initiatives include ending the travel ban on predominantly Muslim and African countries, restoring DACA, halting border wall construction, and proposing a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants. Additionally, efforts are underway to increase refugee admissions and reunite separated migrant families, marking a pivot in the country’s immigration policy.
The number of irregular migrants in the United States has been declining, largely due to return migration to Mexico, with the total population estimated to be around 11 to 11.4 million as of 2018. This decrease is partly attributed to the return of nearly 2 million irregular migrants to Mexico over the past decade. Despite this, there is a growing diversity in the origin countries of irregular migrants in the United States, with increasing numbers from Central America and Asia.
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