Journal profile · DEMOGRAPHY
International Migration
ISSN 0020-7985 · eISSN 1468-2435 · Wiley-Blackwell
International Migration: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.37; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,500; median 256 days to acceptance (91 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 20% (journal website); 154 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Migration is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Migration and Labor Dynamics, Migration, Refugees, and Integration and Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy, together about 57% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
International Migration is a refereed, scientific journal on migration issues as analysed by demographers, geographers, economists, sociologists, political scientists and other social scientists from all parts of the world. It covers the entire field of policy relevance in international migration, giving attention not only to a breadth of topics reflective of policy concerns, but also attention to coverage of all regions of the world. Issues related to the entire ‘migration cycle’ from origin, transit, host, destination, and return and reintegration are all relevant to the journal. Geographic diversity and contributions based on multi-disciplinary research are particular priorities of the journal. The journal is published for the International Organization for Migration which was established in 1951. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental body and United Nations agency, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and work towards effective respect of the human dignity and well-being of migrants. Click here to connect to the International Organization for Migration homepage.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): DEMOGRAPHY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Türkiye 3, Singapore 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Migration and Labor DynamicsSocial Sciences30.1%
- Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationSocial Sciences15.1%
- Migration, Ethnicity, and EconomySocial Sciences11.8%
- Diaspora, migration, transnational identitySocial Sciences8.9%
- Migration, Health and TraumaPsychology5.6%
- Employment and Welfare StudiesHealth Professions4.4%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences2.2%
- Climate Change, Adaptation, MigrationSocial Sciences2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Demography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Demography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Demography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
AHCIWeb of ScienceCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 2.37LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.81LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.51LetPub ·
- h-index
- 110OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,400OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.65OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 58.15%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 106LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 137Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 343,782Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,767 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 116 | 58 | 15 |
| 2025 | 154 | 113 | 237 |
| 2024 | 152 | 107 | 444 |
| 2023 | 120 | 90 | 676 |
| 2022 | 160 | 71 | 1,231 |
| 2021 | 152 | 60 | 1,568 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
256 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 163 days – 369 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 19 days (91 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 282 days
- Sample
- 91 articles with submission and acceptance dates (270 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 20%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 23 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to final decision
- 33 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 243 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer review, Open peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,500 / EUR 2,910 / GBP 2,340 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use
AI use must be disclosed Model summary
Authors must disclose use of AI Technologies upon submission to International Migration.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
ORCID required for submitting authors Model summary
Submitting authors are required to provide an ORCID identifier as part of the manuscript submission process.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Transparent Peer Review
Participates in transparent peer review pilot Model summary
This journal is participating in a pilot on Peer Review Transparency. By submitting to this journal authors agree that the reviewer reports, their responses, and the editor’s decision letter will be linked from the published article to where they appear on Publons in the case that the article is accepted. Authors have the opportunity to opt out during submission, and reviewers can choose to remain…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism iThenticate Checks
Uses iThenticate for plagiarism screening Model summary
This journal uses iThenticate software to check submitted manuscripts against previously published works. The software returns a similarity score which the journal editors use to move submitted documents through the peer-review process to publication, confident that content is original. iThenticate also benefits authors by ensuring they have sufficiently cited their sources and have presented the …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0020-7985
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-2435
- Society / sponsor
- International Organization for Migration
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 64, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Migration
What CAS zone is International Migration in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Migration is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Demography. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Migration?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.37; CiteScore 4.1, h-index 110.
How long does peer review take at International Migration?
Based on the dates recorded on 91 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 256 days (interquartile range 163–369 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 20% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of International Migration?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 7; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of International Migration based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Türkiye (3) and Singapore (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Migration?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Migration is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists AHCI, Web of Science and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Migration open access, and what is the APC?
International Migration is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,500.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .