Number: RS21910
Title: International Remittances: A Primer
Authors: Martin A. Weiss, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: The international market for remittances is between $70 billion and $80 billion per year. Of all forms of international development assistance, remittances  or monies sent home by foreign workers overseas  is the most stable, reacting least to international politics or events. For many countries, remittances are a major, and sometimes the primary, source of income for consumption and investment. Moreover, the presence of remittances in the international economy presents several policy concerns for the United States. These range from making remittance services as cheap, and yet as safe as possible to possible implications for U.S. immigration policy.
Pages: 6
Date: August 17, 2004