The Institute does research about migration and ethnic questions and seeks to improve the conditions for research on migration and to develop co-operation among the organizations and individual researchers involved. The Institute arranges seminars and congresses to create contacts between scholars working in the field of migration. Every year national and international seminars are arranged. Every five years a big congress on internal migration is arranged.
Originally the focus of the Institute's research was on historical emigration and Finnish emigrants especially. During later years this has shifted to contemporary migration issues as net migration in Finland has turned to positive and multiculturalism has become an issue. Research on e.g. integration, identity and education of immigrants, migration from Russia and the Baltic countries (especially Ingrian Finns) and racism are now the main focus.
Series of publications in Finnish, Swedish and English along with the quarterly ”Siirtolaisuus-Migration” make the research known world-wide.
The Institute maintains a Research Register of research completed, in progress, and planned.
The research conducted in the Institute of Migration is partly done by the Institute's own researchers and partly in cooperation with other institutions.