Knowing how many people live in an irregular situation, what their needs are and how regularisation and other measures can affect them, is crucial to develop policies that are both inclusive and effective. But the data we have today about the undocumented population is outdated, scarce, and sometimes contested.

PICUM is joining a group of leading universities and think tanks to launch "MIrreM" (Measuring Irregular Migration), a new research project funded by the European Commission, which will run from 2022 to 2025, and will address this lack of data and knowledge about irregular migration and about regularisation, in Europe and in North America.

The launch conference will be held online on 15 December, 3 to 5 pm CET. Book your place here.

On 21 November, the European Commission launched a new Action Plan to regulate migration in the Central Mediterranean route. The Plan aims to “reduce irregular and unsafe migration”, regulate search and rescue operations, and reinforce solidarity amongst Member States. Among the proposed actions, the Plan foresees to boost collaboration with Tunisia, Egypt and Libya in border management, and open discussions with the International Maritime Organisation to set new rules on search and rescue. The Home Affairs Commissioner has clarified that this Action Plan does not replace the 2020 EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.

The UK government has struck an agreement with France in a bid to stop migrants crossing the English Channel. The deal foresees that the two countries collaborate more closely on policing and that the UK increase payments to France to step up surveillance at French ports and beaches. The two governments have also agreed to improve information sharing and invest in reception and removal centres in France to discourage migrants from attempting to cross the Channel.

In October, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) found three migrants tightly handcuffed and four injured, reportedly from beatings, on the Greek island of Lesvos. The victims and other migrants were approached by around 8 people who claimed to be doctors and proceeded to beat and handcuff them. MSF teams have collected similar testimonies of violence occurring when people arrive on Lesvos and Samos islands to seek safety after a traumatic journey.

End of November, youth groups with lived experience of migration launched the first-ever European umbrella organisation Voicify at an event in the European Parliament. Their stated objective is to foster political participation of young refugees, exiled, migrants, asylum seekers and undocumented people to shape policies that affect them. The network currently comprises more than 30 organisations led by young people with lived migration experiences.

In her recent report, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, draws attention to the vulnerable situation of human rights defenders supporting migrants, including when they are migrants themselves. The report documents cases of defenders who are forced to work in secret, risk being imprisoned, smeared, deported, kidnapped, physically attacked, or killed for their work. The Rapporteur recommends that States provide a safe, accessible, and supportive environment for individuals and organisations that promote and protect the rights of all migrants.

PICUM sent a submission to the Special Rapporteur as part of their consultation process with relevant stakeholders.

The Madrid regional health authorities have removed administrative hurdles that prevented undocumented pregnant women and people with transmissible diseases like AIDS from accessing public hospitals and doctors directly. In November 2021, the Madrid Community had introduced “Specialised Processing Units” through which people in an irregular situation had to go to be able to go to the doctor. These units came with various administrative obstacles and long waiting lists, which meant that many undocumented patients either stopped existing treatment or had to face significant bills for accessing health care. The change now allows public hospitals to register and treat undocumented patients without them having to go through intermediate bodies.

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers – representatives of the national governments – have adopted a recommendation that urges member states to take a victim-centred approach in combating trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation. The Committee calls on member states to address structural risk factors that make certain workers, such as those with irregular or precarious migration status more vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation. The Explanatory Memorandum highlights the importance of providing victims with access to effective remedies, safe reporting mechanisms, and regularisation avenues; and of introducing labour migration pathways that promote decent work, including full access to the labour market for migrant workers and simpler procedures to change employer or being unemployed for certain periods without losing residence rights.