Argentinean Migration Statistics: Trends and Challenges

1. Expert Group Meeting on Measuring International Migration: Concepts and MethodsUnited Nations, December 2006 ARGENTINEAN EXPERIENCE IN THE COLLECTION AND COMPILATION OF STATISTICS ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION Alicia Maguid INDEC, Argentina

2. MIGRATION PATTERNS IN ARGENTINA • Between 1870 and 1929 there was large-scale immigration predominantly from Europeans, which was fostered by policies to attract immigrants. During the post-war era, there was a second wave, smaller than the previous one. • Between 1930 and 1960, the development of national industries provoked a rapid urbanization and the internal migration to the large cities. Bordering movements took place essentially between border areas. • In the late 1960s emerge two major migration patterns, which became more intense in recent decades, one involving immigration from neighboring countries and the other one emigration, most of it to U.S.A. and later to Spain, other European countries and Canada. A characteristic is the growing heterogeneity of the universe of emigrants.

3. Although the migration from neighboring countries dates back a long way, in the last decades it became more pronounced and assumed increased visibility as a result of two factors: a) the disappearance of migratory flows from overseas b) its high concentration in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area. The crisis in 2001 led to a sharp contraction of employment and to an increase in poverty. The end of the convertibility reduces the possibility of sending remittances to the countries of origin. Recent researches reveal that the crisis discouraged new arrivals but did not provoke massive returns. The bordering country migrants remain in the Argentinean labor market at the cost of precarious, unstable and poorly paid jobs.

4. RECENT CHANGES IN INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN CONE • An increase in the quantity of intraregional migrants • The inmigration from other countries of America shows the greatest increase • There is an increase in the extraregional emigration and a diversification of the destinations • In Argentina and Chile these three patterns co-exist demanding differents types of information for the design of policies

5. III. SOURCESFOR INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION STATISTICS BORDER COLLECTION ENTRY / EXIT FORMS FLOWS • POPULATION CENSUS • HOUSEHOLD SURVEY • COMPLEMENTARY MIGRATION • SURVEY STOCK • ADMINISTRATIVE REGISTERS: • NATIONAL CONSULATES • REFUGEES • RESIDENCE PERMITS • NATIONAL PROGRAM OF MIGRATORY • REGULARIZATION STOCK OF SPECIFIC MIGRANT´S GROUPS

6. BORDER COLLECTION (entry/exit forms) • Both foreigners and Argentinean citizens must complete the same forms when entering or leaving the country. • Three types of forms are applied depending on the mode • of transport and port of entry: • a)Entries and departures form • b)Statement of Passengers • c) Entries and Departures Register

7. The information recorded in the airports is: •        Name, Surname, Type and ID number •        Date of Birth and Sex •       Nationality •        Country of Birth •        Marital status •        Occupation • Purpose of Entry The collection of statistics at the border is mostly based on administrative criteria and consequently, some information is not gathered, such as the intended length of stay, the country of arrival or departure, the country of usual residence, etc.

8. BORDER COLLECTION If the registers had an appropriate coverage they should count all the entry and departure moves and allow estimates of the net migration of foreigners and citizens. Limitations: • Omission and under-record • In some land borders the short-distance movements within border zones are included. • The socio-demographic characteristics of the people which are possible to record correctly are limited to sex, age, country of birth and of residence, nationality. (Occupation or reason for traveling, are not completed accurately so as to be of use for statistical purpose). • Not in all forms appear the country of usual residence • No migratory condition is applied to the nationals nor to the foreign residents who leave the country.

9. BORDER COLLECTION ­- BORDER STATISTICS • The production of statistical information has serious problems both in the availability of updated data and in the heterogeneity of their quality according to the type of port of entry/departure. • The information is available for the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (BAMA) border points and for some of the 55 computerized crossings. Inthe rest, the migration officials fill abbreviated forms, whose reliability is low. • The INDEC publishes periodically through its website statistics corresponding to BAMA’s airports and sea ports. • The INDEC expects to cooperate further with the National Direction of Migrations to improve the quality, coverage and production of statistics.

10. CENSUS The deficiencies in the information coming from border records have driven to a generalized use of census to calculate the stock of immigrants.It is also used to learn about changes in its composition by period of arrival; their demographic, social and economic characteristics in contrast with those of the native population and to investigate the returning natives. The criterion used by our country to identify such stock is “country of birth”. Questions on international migration (1970, 1980,1991, 2001) • Place of residence -because they enumerate de facto population- • Place of birth • Residence abroad five years prior to the census • Year of arrival in the country The information is available in the INDEC website. The census data in REDATAM format is published. Regarding the emigration no official statistics have been published.

11. HOUSEHOLD SURVEY The Permanent Household Survey (EPH) is an important source for the follow up of international migratory trends and to further the analysis of the migrants’ socio-occupational characteristics. The survey is administered in 28 urban agglomerates (70% of total population) Questions on international migration: • Place of birth • Residence abroad five years prior to the survey Limitations: • The survey sample does not allow for a desegregation of bordering migrants by country of origin • It lacks information on the period or year of arrival. The main results of the survey are published by trimester. There exists a data user’s base available at the INDEC’s website.

12. COMPLEMENTARY INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION SURVEY (ECMI) What was new about the Survey was its complementary role to the 2001 National Population Census, which was given both by the concept design and by the origin of the sample. The data from the survey did not replace those of the census, but included information which, by its own nature, the census could not gather: The ECMI recorded information on the bordering immigrants socioeconomic profile; the year of arrival in the country; the existence of migratory networks; the characteristics of the last residence in the country of birth; the itinerary which the migrants followed within the Argentinean territory; economic exchanges which could have accompanied the circulation of people and the accounting of remittances sent back to the country of birth. The communication of the results, which includes tables controlled by period of arrival, was carried out through a special publication and in the INDEC’S website.

13. ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE MEASUREMENT AND COMPILATION OF MIGRATION STATISTICS • To develop joint efforts to improve the completeness and quality of the Entry and Departure Registers and to produce reliable statistics. • To compatibilize the questions drawn from censuses and surveys. • To include migratory modules regularly in the Household Survey, taking a broadened sample and inquiring on aspects related to migratory networks, remittances, will or intention to return, etc-. • In reference to emigration, although there is a fruitful relationship with CELADE for obtaining data on the Argentinean citizens living in other American countries, the strengthening of links with statistical institutes of the main destination countries would facilitate the analysis of outflows and of Argentinean stock abroad.