Statistical sources also include household surveys, specialized migration surveys, and passenger surveys. Household sample surveys are not necessarily focussed on migration but may include questions relevant to the topic, such as Labour Force Surveys, Health Surveys and Living Standards Measurement Study (Global Migration Group, 2017). A key advantage of specialized migration household surveys or migration modules is that they can be composed of different modules aimed at household members who are international migrants, citizens that have emigrated or citizens intending to emigrate.
Figure 4: examples of questions on migration from Mediterranean Household Immigration Surveys
(Source: MED-HIMS, 2019)
(Source: MED-HIMS, 2019)
(Source: MED-HIMS, 2019)
Case study: generating data on different migrant groups using labour force surveys (ILO, 2017) The ILO has developed a labour migration module which is a rich source of data on the social and economic characteristics of immigrant and emigrant workers and has been integrated into the Labour Force Surveys of Moldova and Ukraine. The surveys used three questionnaires to gather information on migrant workers: one for collecting information on household members living abroad; another on household members who intended to migrate within six months; and one on members who had been abroad in the previous 24 months and had returned to the country. |
Case study: Using survey data to demonstrate changes in migration over time, The Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) (UNECE, 2020) Surveys can be either cross-sectional (conducted at one point in time, like a census) or longitudinal (follow a person or household members over time, e.g. panel data). Though longitudinal surveys have more potential for tracking migration processes over time, they are more difficult to implement than a cross-sectional survey. The Canadian Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) is specifically designed to study the integration of new immigrants and includes all migrants aged over 15 years who arrived in Canada during a specified time period. Statistics Canada used administrative sources, i.e., migration records, as a sampling frame. The data were collected at six months, two years, and four years after migrants arrived in Canada. The number of migrants surveyed fell from 165,000 respondents in wave 1 to 7,700 respondents in wave 3. A two-stage stratified sampling design for the first wave ensured that seasonal immigration patterns were also reflected in the sample. Tracing migrants for follow-up is more challenging than for the general population. At least half of migrants participating in wave 1 moved at least once in their first six months in Canada. There have been almost 170 publications based on the Canadian LSIC. |