Judicial Frameworks
The majority of migration laws of the countries analyzed are recent, modern, and contemplate a broad array of rights that promote the integration and regularization of migrants. The countries of Latin America generally have laws that are more recent than those in the Caribbean. On average, their laws guarantee migrants more than three of the six rights analyzed: 1) permanent mechanisms for the regularization of migrants; 2) access the labor market; 3) access to the public health system; 4) access to public education; 5) family reunification; and 6) rights to vote in some elections.
Regularization processes
Since the year 2000 the region has seen more than 90 extraordinary regularizations in 18 of the 26 countries analyzed. Regularization is a tool used by countries that face migrant populations in irregular situations, facilitating their socioeconomic integration in the host country.
* Only the 26 countries analyzed are mapped.
Regional mobility
Many countries offer preferential access to temporary and permanent residence, by means of subregional or bilateral agreements, or even unilateral measures, for migrants from certain countries that meet basic criteria and, in some cases, preferential treatment in access to citizenship. On the other hand, there are still numerous cases of countries that require entry visas to be obtained prior to travel for nationals of other countries of the region.
International Instruments
The percentage of international and regional instruments on human rights that have been ratified by countries of the region is quite high, but lower in the Caribbean. Nine of the principal human rights treaties of the United Nations that contain elements relevant to human mobility, two Global Pacts from 2018, and four conventions and protocols of the Americas are analyzed.