Migration, Integration, and Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean: A Policy Review

The Caribbean is commonly viewed as a region of emigration, and some countries do have sizable diasporas in North America and Europe. But many people also move among Caribbean countries—for work or study, to join family, or to seek safety from persecution. Climate change and natural disasters have also spurred intraregional migration and are likely to do so with growing intensity in the years to come.

This report explores the many different forms migration takes in the Caribbean, and the policies and institutions in place in the region to manage it. The primary countries of study are The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. To a more limited extent, the study also covers Aruba, Curaçao, the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), and the remaining Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Member States.

Among other things, the report offers data on immigrant populations in the region overall and in different countries, and an overview of national migration and humanitarian protection institutions, regional free mobility pathways and agreements, and immigrant integration policies. It also looks at how Caribbean countries have increasingly sought to engage their diasporas, including via remittances and private-sector development efforts.