Beyond Control Signalling: Designing Integration Policies for Better Outcomes and Public Trust

In many high-income countries, public opinion on immigration has oscillated between solidarity and anxiety, with people showing remarkable welcome toward certain groups of migrants and refugees while increasingly disapproving of how governments manage migration. Politicians in Europe, North America, and beyond have seized on this discontent, introducing more restrictive policies and adopting control-focused rhetoric.

Yet quick solutions designed primarily to demonstrate control may do little to address the concerns driving public anxiety about immigration, such as rising rents and crowded classrooms. They also risk worsening immigrant integration outcomes, to the detriment of local residents and immigrants alike.

This report sets out practical ways to rebuild public trust through integration policy reforms that go beyond control signaling and balance immediate pressures with a long-term view. It analyses restrictive policies in various high-income destination countries, including whether they are likely to boost public confidence and how they may affect integration outcomes, and notes alternatives that could alleviate pressures on public services and infrastructure that drive public anxiety.