Myria, the Federal Migration Centre and independent national rapporteur on trafficking in human beings, published its independent and public annual report “Victims: Seeing Them and Listening to Them” on 8 December 2025. The report draws attention to the psychological vulnerabilities of victims of human trafficking and calls, inter alia, for strengthened training and specialisation of professionals on the specific psychological vulnerabilities and needs of these victims.

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, warns that externalised asylum and migration policies must be carefully designed to avoid serious human rights risks. His report highlights how transferring asylum, return, and border control functions to other countries can expose migrants to torture, arbitrary detention, and collective expulsions. Particular risks arise in the external processing of asylum claims, return procedures including “return hubs,” and outsourcing of border control. The Commissioner calls on states to adopt precautionary approaches, safeguard vulnerable people, and ensure transparency and accountability.

Each year, the Immigration Office publishes an activity report. This annual report presents the activities of the Immigration Office over 2024, providing figures inter alia on entry and stay, vulnerable groups, international protection, the fight against irregular migration, return, and misuse of procedures.

When countries outside the EU encourage or organise the movement of migrants to put pressure on the Union or its Member States, this is called the instrumentalisation of migration. This position paper from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) explains what this means, why it matters, and how the EU can respond. It highlights the need to balance measures against political manipulation with the obligation to respect people’s fundamental rights. The paper warns that some responses risk undermining the right to asylum and other protections at the EU’s external borders.

The Fundamental Rights Report 2025 provides an overview of the state of fundamental rights in the EU, highlighting key developments and trends observed in 2024. The report includes a dedicated section on ‘Migration and asylum at the EU’s external borders’, which addresses, among other issues, challenges related to search and rescue operations, incidents of ill-treatment and rights violations at borders, concerns about border procedures under the New Pact, and fundamental rights risks associated with proposed return policies.

This research paper introduces the "IRMIGRIGHT", the first bespoke database of social and labour rights of irregularly staying migrants in twenty-eight European countries. A number of findings emerge from the data analysis, including the fact that, on average, irregularly staying migrants have significantly weaker social rights than labour rights.

In its annual report, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) provides a comprehensive overview of asylum figures for 2024, along with key internal developments and initiatives aimed at improving efficiency and decision-making. The report also addresses upcoming procedural changes, international cooperation efforts, new competences related to statelessness and vulnerable applicants, staffing and organisational improvements, and clarifications on operational and budgetary resources.

This JRC Science for Policy report provides a comprehensive understanding of migration narratives and their impact on public perception and policy. It seeks to equip policymakers and communication professionals with the insights and tools needed to navigate the complex landscape of migration narratives and promote a more nuanced and evidence-based understanding of migration in a political context often tainted by misinformation and divisive rhetoric.

The 2025 SIRIUS Migrant Education Policy Index introduces a novel framework for evaluating inclusive education policies across 15 EU Member States. Structured around seven key dimensions, the Index highlights existing disparities and effective practices in supporting migrant learners. It underscores the urgent need for systemic reforms to ensure equitable and high-quality education for all students, regardless of migration background. The report advocates for a learner-centred approach prioritising structural flexibility, cultural and linguistic inclusion, and coordinated policy interventions.

This report provides a diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Flemish framework for management of economic migration and recommendations for possible areas of reform. The report also presents some of the first empirical analyses of retention and outcomes of economic migrants in Flanders. 

In this annual forecast, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) outlines the 10 migration issues that can shape international migration in 2025. The search for "innovative solutions" to irregular migration and a European Union focusing on return are among the points of attention. 

Myria, the Federal Migration Centre and independent national rapporteur on trafficking in human beings, published its independent and public annual report "A chain of responsibilities" on 19 December 2023.

This MPI Europe Policy Brief explores how digital technologies could be leveraged to support the implementation of the pact and where caution is merited. It also discusses the broader implications of digitalization in migration and asylum systems and reflects on how policymakers can set appropriate governance models and safeguards to ensure responsible use of new technologies.

In its annual report, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) provides a global overview of asylum figures for the year 2022. The report also focuses on international aspects as well as on the training and well-being of the staff.

The 2023 edition of International Migration Outlook analyses recent developments in migration movements and the labour market inclusion of immigrants in OECD countries. It also monitors recent policy changes in migration governance and integration in OECD countries. This edition includes two special chapters on the labour market integration of migrant mothers and on fertility patterns among migrant populations in OECD countries. The Outlook also includes country notes and a detailed statistical annex.

This MPI Europe study examines the challenges sponsorship programs have faced in recruiting, retaining, and diversifying the sponsors for refugees in community sponsorship programs, as well as strategies that programs could and in some cases already use to overcome these obstacles. 

This report examines the fundamental rights of long-term residents in the EU and the reasons behind the low uptake of EU LTR permits, despite them typically giving more rights than national LTR permits. The findings of this report can inform discussions of the revision of the EU legal framework regulating long-term residence and the framework’s implementation.

New research carried out in the context of the Equality Law Clinic at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) focuses on the EU Single Permit Directive and shares concerns regarding the complexity and efficiency of the application (and renewal) procedure, the exclusion of certain categories of migrants from the scope of the Directive and the lack of protection of migrant workers from exploitation.

In its annual report 2022, Fedasil presents the main developments and statistics in the fields of reception, voluntary return and resettlement over the past year.

Each year, the Immigration Office publishes an activity report. This annual report presents the activities of the Immigration Office over the past year: the number of requests, the number and type of decisions, the most represented nationalities, etc.

As the go-to source of information on international protection in Europe, the annual EUAA Asylum Report provides a comprehensive overview of key developments in asylum in Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (EU+ countries). 

FAIRWORK Belgium's 2022 annual report analyses inter alia the complex system of single permits. Given current practices, this system "benefits dishonest employers" according to the organisation.

This joint OECD-European Commission publication presents a comprehensive comparison of the integration outcomes of immigrants and their children in OECD, EU and selected other countries. It includes 83 indicators covering three main areas: labour market and skills; living conditions; and civic engagement and social integration. The publication also provides detailed data on the characteristics of immigrant populations and households. 

The Fundamental Rights Report 2023 contains a section on asylum, borders, visa, migration and integration. Fundamental rights at borders, asylum and immigration policies in transition and EU information technology systems are of particular concern to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. 

In this bulletin, FRA takes stock of concerns and improvements regarding the fundamental rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. It highlights the EU Member States’ legal and practical responses. It identifies key trends, promising practices, long-standing and emerging patterns, and persistent concerns.