Regularization of Migrants in an Irregular Situation in the OSCE Region: Recent Developments, Points for Discussion and Recommendations
When
Where
Organized by
This webinar will bring together migration experts, policymakers and civil society representatives and focuses on good practices and lessons learnt from various approaches to migrant regularisation across the OSCE region. It will include a presentation of a recent ODIHR-commissioned report on key trends and noteworthy practices in migrant regularization, including latest developments in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Status resolution is the most pressing priority for undocumented people, who currently have very few options for regularization. Migrants in an irregular situation face barriers in accessing basic services and cannot fully exercise their social and economic rights, including the rights to housing, healthcare and education. Challenges in exercising labour rights when working irregularly also increase risks of migrant workers facing exploitation by employers, violence and discrimination, and negatively affect their ability to secure a livelihood.
The majority of OSCE governments have carried out regularisation programmes and/or established on-going regularization mechanisms at least once in the past twenty years, and many several times. Regularization not only helps improve migrants’ working and living conditions and contributes to fulfilling human rights, social and public health objectives, but also contributes to increasing tax and social security revenues. In addition, it helps gain relevant information about migrant populations and contributes to evidence-based policymaking. Regularization measures might also help meet states’ foreign policy objectives.
There are few recent sources that systematically map regularisation practices. The ODIHR report covers measures to regularize status and to prevent irregularity identified across the OSCE region since 2007. It presents recommendations and points for further discussion which will be of interest to stakeholders from national administrations as well as from civil society organizations.
To attend the webinar, please register here by 7 November 2021, 23:59 CET.