Towards an intermediary-shaped migration policy? Strategies of private labour market intermediaries in migration policy-making

Abstract Although the study of migration intermediaries has been extensively developed since the 2000s, there remains a lack of knowledge regarding the impact of these non-state actors on agenda-setting in migration policy in host countries and on the making of political claims. Using the case study of Poland, a new immigration destination, this article offers novel insights into the role of migration intermediaries as policy entrepreneurs who adopt diverse strategies to promote their own innovations in labour migration policy. Drawing on a substantial body of empirical material—primarily forty-two interviews with intermediaries, employers’ organizations, and other stakeholders, as well as participant observation—this article delineates five key areas of their involvement in the migration policy-making process (i.e. problem framing; using and expanding networks; working with advocacy coalitions; leading by example; and scaling up change processes). More broadly, this study contributes to research on migration industry actors by moving beyond the previously dominant focus on profit-making activities. Attempts to introduce restrictions on liberal open-door migration policies are triggering increased political engagement among intermediary communities. In this context, the article demonstrates the growing importance of business advocacy coalitions with various communities in promoting their own interests and shaping the ways in which migration and migrants are framed.