The Belgian authorities are looking to improve/review the special residence procedure for unaccompanied foreign minors, known as the Best Interest Procedure. In this context, Belgium launched three ad hoc queries to seek information from other Member States on (i) similar residence procedures specifically for UAMs, (ii) procedures followed in case return to the country of origin is considered and (iii) steps taken to implement return decisions.

The DRC Global Displacement Forecast 2023 Report, projects that the total number of people displaced will increase by 1.9 million in 2023 and an additional 3.5 million in 2024. This means that by 2024, the number of displaced people will have more than doubled since 2015 and increased by more than 50 million. 

The Dutch National Contact Point (NCP) to the European Migration Network launched an ad hoc query on the existing data on unaccompanied minors (UAMs) outside of international protection procedures in other Member Countries. With this query, the Dutch NCP wanted to get a better picture of the total influx of UAMs in a European perspective.

This ad hoc query, launched by Luxembourg, examines what guidelines, procedures, and possible best practices are in place when LGBTIQ+ individuals are detained.

This discussion paper stands against the immigration detention of minors, even used as a measure of last resort, and calls for implementing meaningful alternatives to detention during return procedures. It also recommends mandating the collection of data on this matter.

Unaccompanied minors who have little or no perspective of receiving a residence permit within EU Member States, may have co-existing problems such as mental health issues or substance addiction. This ad hoc query examines how EU Member States deal with this specific group and how they could improve the reception and supervision of these young persons.

Do Member States grant access to the labour market to family members of international students and, if so, to which family members and under which conditions? This ad hoc query launched by Belgium shows that policies and practices in this matter still vary among Member States.

On 25 April 2022, the EMN published its inform on attracting and retaining international researchers, which provides an overview of the means adopted by Member States to enhance attractiveness for international researchers, as well as the main challenges and best practices that they encountered to admit and retain them.  

This EMN inform outlines approaches, experiences and best practices in monitoring, detecting and addressing the misuse of authorisations to reside in the EU for the purpose of study.

How do Member States and Norway ensure the care and protection of children who arrive in their countries, and what measures are in place in relation to guardianship, education, access to justice, and more? This new report from the European Migration Network (EMN) provides an overview of the progress made during 2020 in the implementation of the recommendations laid out in the 2017 Communication on the protection of children in migration and is the second edition of a series of reports developed by the EMN.

How do Member States ensure the protection of children in migration procedures, and what measures are in place in relation to guardianship, accommodation, transition into adulthood, and many more? This report from the European Migration Network (EMN), published on 10 March 2021, maps the state of implementation in 2019 of the recommendations laid down in the 2017 European Commission Communication on the protection of children in migration.
 

24 Member States provided information on national laws and practices regarding the detention of families with children in migration procedures, the possibility to detain one of the parents and detention in the context of the age assessment process.

The COVID-19 crisis has impacted the ability of international students to enrol in a HEI abroad and to travel to that country to take up studies. How did EU & OECD countries respond? Did they adapt their admission processes? An answer to these and other questions can be found in the Inform.

These studies explore the types of national protection statuses existing in Belgium and the EU, as well as their key characteristics in terms of procedures and rights.

The phenomenon of unaccompanied migrant children going missing has increasingly been in the focus of public attention in the EU. Several international organisations and European NGOs have raised concerns that the disappearance of unaccompanied minors is not always addressed in an effective manner. What policies and procedures are in place to register and follow up on cases of missing children, and how is data on missing children collected in EU Members States, Norway and the UK? The new Inform from the European Migration Network (EMN), in collaboration with international organisations, EU agencies and NGOs, offers a comprehensive picture of how the phenomenon is tackled currently in the EU.

The PROTECT – Preventing sexual and gender-based violence against migrants and strengthening support to victims project aims to support the coordination and/or adaptation of support services for sexual and gender-based violence victims and potential victims among refugees, migrants and asylum seekers (children and adults, including LGBTQI people). It is funded by the European Union's Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme (2014-2020).