How Digital Innovations Are Transforming Immigration Systems Worldwide

Moving immigration into the digital age has been a major theme for governments around the world for more than a decade. As competition for talented migrants to fill critical skills gaps intensifies, the pace of change increases. 

The benefits of digitization are manifold. 

Digitized, streamlined, and automated processes can significantly simplify and expedite the migration experience while also reducing costs and decreasing the risk of manual user error. 

Modernizing manual immigration systems enables interoperability across multiple agencies, which drives greater enforcement and compliance initiatives. Authorities benefit from increased data sharing and communications that enable efficient management of migration flows, inspections, and border security. 

However, while the advance of technology has no reverse gear, this does not mean that the digitization of immigration is without challenges. 

Not least is that the ability to digitize—and the ability for users to access the new technologies—can vary dramatically from country to country, meaning that while the direction of travel is consistent, the speed of change is not. 

Automation also comes with myriad data privacy and data protection issues.

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It is interesting to look at the different ways that governments are both using technologies and navigating those hurdles.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has gradually added electronic filing options for some of its commonly used forms. However, most employment-based petitions remain paper-based. The Department of Labor (DOL) has long used online filing systems for its immigration-related applications. This has benefited both employers and the agency. 

Australia has been progressively moving to an online application system for the past decade for all visa applications.

The U.K. government has been particularly active; examples include the digital delivery of its post-Brexit EU Settlement Scheme and the ongoing transformation of its Sponsorship Management System to streamline the end-to-end sponsorship process, making it easier for users to navigate and further reduce the time to bring a migrant to the U.K.

More than half of the EU member states offer digital services, such as online applications and tracking case progress remotely. 

Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) set technological innovation as a key public policy agenda item for the enhancement of their immigration systems. Their focus on efficiency has led to the greater integration of systems and the ability to automate many transactions. 

More recent advances include those brought in by Hong Kong, where electronic services have been extended to all visa application types. Applicants can complete the entire visa application process online.
In New Zealand, the government recently expanded online submissions of applications to the Skilled Migrant Category. 

Several countries have introduced electronic travel authorization and entry/exit systems—with more on the horizon.

Since February 2022, Immigration Refugees & Citizenship officers in Canada have been granted access to the Canada Border Services Agency’s Exit/Entry Information System. Within minutes, they can verify a foreign national’s residency in Canada, entry documentation, and overstay history. 

In autumn 2022, the government of Mexico launched an electronic Multiple Immigration Form (FMM) for foreign nationals entering for short-term visits.

From August 2023, Vietnam implemented a new visa policy to issue electronic visas (e-visas) to citizens of all countries and territories around the world. 

ETIAS, ESS, and ETA

Looking ahead, the EU has two significant launches planned to be implemented by 2024. The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) is an electronic travel authorization system that will keep track of non-visa-required nationals entering Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, and the Schengen Area for short-term visits. 

The ETIAS system is designed to work in tandem with the entry/exit system and will tighten security. It will be an automated IT system registering short-stay visa holders and visa-exempt travelers each time they enter and exit an EU external border, replacing the current system of passport stamping. 

Similar to the ETIAS system, the U.K. plans to launch its own Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system later this year. The ETA is designed to keep track of non-visa-required nationals seeking to visit or transit through the U.K. for less than six months. 

On the Horizon

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in immigration processes—though relatively limited at present—is already proving transformative, offering unprecedented efficiency and precision in tasks traditionally managed by human operators. AI is poised to fundamentally change the way immigration systems operate. 

However, AI comes with its own unique set of challenges. Systems using AI must be designed to ensure the accuracy of information, prevent biases, maintain transparency in the processes, protect data privacy, and uphold accountability for errors. Responsible AI requires experienced governance with a sharp focus on risk and compliance considerations.

Either way, digital transformation is sure to continue, and we are likely to see:

• More mobile-friendly apps
• More regional cooperation in efforts to standardize entry processes, digital identity programs, and application systems.
• The use of blockchain technology to revolutionize immigration and global mobility. (It will potentially add efficiencies to the process and reduce fraud by validating identity and eligibility checks. It can also be an important tool for digital proof of identity relevant to many types of personal data, including citizenship, health, birth, and education). 
• Greater focus on sharing data across government departments, linking immigration, tax, and labor to address labor and skills shortages
• Use of AI and advanced data analytics to enable immigration systems to understand skills critical to support economic growth at any point in time and be more agile, enabling policymakers to adjust and promote new immigration pathways as shortages arise

With responsible governance, it will be exciting to see where the progress of digital transformation will lead us.

Ann Truett is a partner at Fragomen and vice chair of the Worldwide ERC Immigration Forum.

Jurga McCluskey is a partner and head of immigration Europe at Deloitte LLP and past chair of the Worldwide ERC Immigration Forum.

Azmina Aboobaker is the director of U.S. and global immigration at Meta and chair of the Worldwide ERC Immigration Forum.