MIGRATION

Germany is not obliged to automatically recognise persons seeking protection as refugees because they already have been granted refugee status in another EU country. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled in Luxembourg on Tuesday that the states of the European Union are not obliged to take such action. Background to the case: A Syrian national who obtained refugee status …

To mark the 2024 World Refugee Day, a broad alliance of refugee aid organisations, the church, politicians and cultural figures are organising many activities to commemorate the more than 60,000 people who have lost their lives in the Mediterranean or at Europe’s borders since 1993. World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees …

Germany is set to sign a migration deal with Kenya. This was disclosed by Germany’s Special Envoy for Migration Agreements, Joachim Stamp, in an interview with the Rheinische Post, according to the German press agency dpa. German government is currently negotiating migration agreements with some non-EU countries, including Kenya, in its quest to make migration to Germany more orderly and …

The 24th International Migration Conference will take place from 12 to 14 June 2024 at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria. Focus of the conference is on the topic «Global Citizenship Education» and «current pressing challenges in the context of migration and ‘Sustainable Global Social Work’». With the conference theme “Global Citizenship Education”, the 24th International Migration Conference has chosen a …

USD$3.4 million grant from Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and Energizing Development (EnDev) will subsidize the cost of each unit for households in refugee camps and surrounding host communities  SAN FRANCISCO, CA., AND NAIROBI, KENYA – Wednesday 15 May 2024 – d.light, the global provider of transformational household products and affordable finance for low-income households, is providing 10,000 subsidized solar home …

For allegedly not cooperating in readmitting its citizens repatriated from Europe, the Council of European Union has announced temporary restrictions to the grant of visa to citizens of Ethiopia by Schengen member states. Henceforth, member states will no longer waive requirements with regard to the evidence to be submitted by Ethiopian visa applicants, will not issue multiple entry visas and …

A controversial United Kingdom government bill to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda finally secured the approval of the upper house of parliament on Monday and has been assented to by King Charles. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who hopes the controversial law will boost the fortunes of his Conservative Party in an election expected to take place later this year, said his …

The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted ten legislative texts to reform European migration and asylum policy as agreed with EU member states. Analysts say the sweeping reform of Europe’s asylum policies, reached after nearly a decade of negotiations, would harden border procedures and force all the bloc’s 27 nations to share responsibility. Here are the ten decisions made by the …

The European Union (EU) and Egypt have made a deal under which the north African country will receive financial support in return for closer cooperation on migration with the 27-nation bloc. “Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen signed the joint political declaration document to elevate relations between Egypt and the European …

Last year was a tragic year for migrants, marking the deadliest toll since 2014, according to the International Organisation for Migration. A staggering 8,565 lives were lost on migration routes worldwide, representing a 20 percent increase from the previous year. These heartbreaking figures underscore the urgent need for action to prevent further loss of life, says the UN agency, emphasizing …

Official figures reveal that the EU received more than 1.14 million asylum applications in 2023, the highest number since 2016. Far-right parties could capitalize on the influx in June’s EU elections. Jack Parrock reports More than 1.14 million people applied for asylum in the EU in 2023, according to annual figures released by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). …

Germany and Nigeria have established a new migrant resource centre on the outskirts of Abuja. The German government hopes to make migration successful for both countries involved. On Tuesday, German Development Minister Svenja Schulze opened a new Migration Resource Centre in Ado, a densely populated area near Nigeria’s capital, Abuja. The centre, funded by Germany, is part of a strategy …

The Head of the Education Department of the Council of Europe, Villano Qiriazi, unveiled inspiring insights into the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) at the UNHCR Global Refugee Forum held in Geneva. The event was dedicated to the sharing of best practices and achievements among national and international actors. The EQPR is a special international tool developed to assess …

By Bakary J. Janneh In recent weeks, the actions of the Tunisian Police Force towards African migrants within the country have raised serious concerns and prompted an outcry from human rights advocates. Reports have surfaced detailing instances of the burning of migrants’ habitats and the destruction of their food supplies, painting a grim picture of a gross violation of human …

The Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, approved the new “Repatriation Improvement Act” (Rückführungsverbesserungsgesetz) on 18 January. The law provides for a significant tightening of deportation rules. Among other things, the maximum period of pre-deportation custody is to be extended from 10 to 28 days. The number of cases in which public prosecutors are to be involved in deportations from …

The Nigerian government has warned its nationals against travelling abroad without proper documentation to avoid the unpleasant consequences of irregular migration. The Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Dr Abike Dabiri-Erewa, stated this when she visited some Nigerians in one of the shelters in Brampton, Canada. A statement released via the commission’s handle on X Thursday, warned Nigerians who have the …

Dr. Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, MEP comments on the ongoing debate across Europe about migrants, which she argues, ignores the benefits that refugees can bring to the labour market and fuels racist sentiments against Africans, among others —- The tone that was struck in the run-up to the migration summit and can still be heard from many quarters is very worrying. A …

An urgent appeal has gone to the German government for a better treatment of African applicants for visas to visit the country. Across the continent, Africans are facing immense hurdles to legally obtain visa to enter Germany for the purposes of business, to attend conferences or trade fairs, for leisure visit, to study or receive training. In the appeal addressed …

A total of 519,000 asylum applications were filed in European countries in the first half of this year, marking an increase of 28 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the latest report of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). “As a result of the increase, many EU+ countries* are under pressure with processing applications …

The EU has signed an agreement with Tunisia to block migrants from using the country as a base to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. In view of the rising numbers of migrants and their life-threatening journeys across the Mediterranean, the EU and Tunisia have decided to cooperate more closely on the issue, the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, …