MIPEX III is a fully interactive tool and reference guide to assess, compare and improve integration policies in all European Union Member States plus Norway, Switzerland, Canada and the USA up to 31 May 2010.

This new website provides access to the entire interactive and comparable data sets for the Migrant Integration Policy Index from 2007 (MIPEX II) and 2010 (MIPEX III). Using 148 policy indicators it creates a multi-dimensional picture of migrants’ opportunities to participate in society by assessing governments’ commitment to integration. By measuring policies and their implementation, MIPEX III reveals whether all residents are guaranteed equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities. High interactivity and exceptionally user-friendly layout make it extremely easy to examine how each country’s policies compare against the standard of equal rights and responsibilities for migrants, to find out how your country’s policies rank compared with other countries and track if policies are getting better or worse over time. Scores are assigned to each country and calculated by means of 148 policy indicators on migrant integration. These have been designed to benchmark current laws and policies against the highest standards through consultations with top scholars and institutions using and conducting comparative research in their area of expertise. Correlation analysis was undertaken in order to identify trends within and between policies. Read more about the methodology.

This edition focuses on seven policy areas which shape a legally resident third-country national’s journey to full citizenship: Labour Market Mobility, Family Reunion, Education, Political Participation, Long-term Residence, Access to Nationality and Anti-discrimination.

The main findings for the section on Access to Nationality indicate that dual nationality and ius soli are becoming the norms for countries of immigration. Traditional ius soli countries (CA, US, IE, UK, FR) and recently reformed countries (BE, DE, GR, LU, SE, PT) give their foreign residents a slightly favourable path to citizenship. This path is hampered in most countries by the procedure and additional requirements associated to that of residence. To apply, immigrants in Europe wait on average 7 years in total because of some longterm residence requirements. Half of the countries make citizenship conditional upon income and high fees. Applicants are normally required to know the language, often at high or unclear levels. Tests rarely come with the support to pass them. After rather discretionary procedures, applicants can at least appeal and enjoy some protections from statelessness and withdrawal.

Recent changes and trends in new nationality laws significantly improved the conditions for integration in GR (+39) and LU (+32), but slightly undermined them in the UK (-16) and SK (-12). Otherwise, little has changed for most citizens-to-be. Some tests are more professional (DE) and better supported by courses (DE, EE and NL), while fees soared in IE, IT, UK and US. Stakeholders remain divided on whether residence requirements, conditions and security grounds promote or undermine integration in practice. Increasing conditions and years of residence can be viewed as obstacles and poor indicators of integration (GR, earlier PT, BE), or as ‘incentives’ (LU, SK, UK). A few new citizens will benefit from new protections from discretion, withdrawal, and statelessness (DE, GR, HU, LU). But new security grounds in SK and UK (2007) and proposals in BE, FR, NL and US would link security issues to new citizens. The debate centres on whether withdrawing citizenship from people of foreign origin will make society any more secure or integrated.

The MIPEX project is led by the British Council and the Migration Policy Group.

37 national-level organisations, including think-tanks, non-governmental organisations, foundations, universities, research institutes and equality bodies are affiliated with the project alongside the British Council offices in 31 countries across Europe, Canada and the USA. The MIPEX III is produced as part of the project: Outcomes for Policy Change, co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals.