Publication date: 12 May 2026
This Inform examines how digital services in legal migration procedures are designed and implemented in EMN Member and Observer Countries to ensure accessibility and inclusion for applicants with disabilities and digitally disadvantaged applicants. It looks at how authorities have adapted applications, document submission, appointment booking, communication and information exchange, and case-tracking services in the context of the ongoing digitalisation of legal migration procedures. The analysis is based on contributions from 25 EMN Member and Observer Countries.
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Main theme: Economic migration, Family reunification, Study § Training, Citizenship & Nationality, Borders & Visa
Publication Type: Informs
Keywords: legal migration, digitalisation, accessibility, inclusion
Publication date: 14 December 2025
This ad hoc query, which informed the preparation of an EMN Inform, collected information on how EMN Member and Observer Countries have adapted digital services in legal migration procedures to ensure accessibility and inclusion for applicants with disabilities and digitally disadvantaged applicants. It examined compliance with relevant EU and international frameworks, as well as national legislation. It also explored additional accessibility measures, support for users with special needs, GDPR safeguards, user involvement in service design, and approaches to digital disadvantage, alongside challenges and good practices identified by countries.
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Main theme: Economic migration, Family reunification, Study § Training, Citizenship & Nationality, Borders & Visa
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: legal migration, digitalisation, accessibility, inclusion
Publication date: 10 November 2025
This ad hoc query examines whether national procedures allow or require immigration officers to request missing or additional information from applicants for legal migration after an initially incomplete application, and, if so, under what circumstances, to what extent, and within which deadlines.
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Main theme: Economic migration, Family reunification, Study § Training
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: legal migration, application for a residence permit, missing information
Publication date: 03 August 2023
Due to the increased need for foreign labour force, Member States are multiplying their negotiations of bilateral agreements and programmes with third countries on labour mobility. In order to have a current state of play and with a view to better coordinate this matter, the European Commission asked EMN Member countries to provide information on any bilateral agreement or programme supporting mobility from third countries.
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Main theme: External Dimension, Economic migration
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: labour migration, labour mobility, legal migration, bilateral agreements, bilateral programmes
Publication date: 26 October 2018
The European Commission has published the new "Feasibility study on sponsorship schemes as a possible pathway to safe channels for admission to the EU". Finalised in October 2018, its outcomes confirm that private sponsorship schemes can efficiently contribute to meeting the goal of promoting safe and legal channels of admission to the EU of those in need of international protection.
The Commission will therefore consider ways in which Member States could be best supported in establishing such schemes.
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Publication date: 03 December 2014
The 9th edition of the EMN Bulletin provides updates on recent migration and international protection policy developments at EU and national level, including latest relevant published statistics.
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Publication date: 03 January 2013
This EMN Inform summarises the main developments in 2011 in legal migration and mobility. Topics addressed include statistics, promoting legal migration channels, economic, family Reunification and integration.
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Main theme: Economic migration, Family reunification, Citizenship & Nationality, Integration
Publication Type: Informs
Keywords: legal migration, mobility
Publication date: 28 December 2010
Ms Joëlle Milquet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Employment and Equal Opportunities responsible for migration and asylum policy, asked the European Economic and Social Committee to draw up an exploratory opinion on the role of legal immigration in the context of demographic challenges.
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Main theme: Migration
Publication Type: Opinion
Keywords: cultural diversity, demography, fundamental rights, labour demand, legal migration, mobility, non-discrimination
Publication date:
On 4 June 2026, EMN Belgium and EMN Sweden, together with the Swedish Expert Group for Aid Studies (EBA) and the Swedish Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi), organised the EU launch seminar “Linking Migration and Development Cooperation: European Experiences and Policy Reflections” at the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the EU in Brussels.
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Publication date:
The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "residence permit" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!
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Main theme: Migration
Keywords: legal migration, residence permit
Publication date:
The event will discuss the factors which drove legal and policy developments in 2022, placing them within broader policy efforts to improve migration management. The event will present the main findings of the ARM, alongside a contextualising statistical overview. It will also provide the opportunity to reflect on a key theme emerging from its findings – the need to attract talent and skilled workers to the EU and the role of partnerships and Team Europe initiatives with non-EU countries.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: annual report, legal migration
Publication date:
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor signed today an agreement with the Senegalese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Annette Seck. Belgium and Senegal agreed to cooperate on the return of irregularly staying Senegalese nationals and on legal migration.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: voluntary return, legal migration, circular migration
Publication date:
Today the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, traveled to Tunisia, showing the importance of the migration partnership between Tunisia and the EU and the willingness for such partnership to be deepened in cooperation with the EU Member States.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: partnership, migrant smuggling, return, irregular migration, legal migration
Publication date:
Legal practitioners are invited to register for this online conference which will give them the opportunity to discuss current developments and reforms in legal migration law with high-level experts in the field.
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Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: legal migration, EU blue card, migrant worker, labour market
Publication date:
This conference aims to provide legal practitioners with an update on recent developments in the EU legal migration system and the mechanisms put in place to tackle labour and skills shortages and to reinforce the attractiveness of the EU for key workers
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Main theme: Economic migration, Family reunification
Keywords: legal migration
Publication date:
The Annual Conference 2017 will focus on the Reform of the EU Legal Migration System.
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Main theme: Migration
Keywords: legal migration, labour shortage
Publication date:
Following the vote in the European Parliament on 5 February 2014, today the Council formally adopted a new Directive on third-country national seasonal workers. Member states will need to transpose the directive within two and a half years after publication in the Official Journal.
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Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: EU directive, legal migration, seasonal labour, seasonal workers directive
Publication date:
At the Metropolis Conference in Tampere, September 13th, Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, looked back to achievements accomplished and challenges still to be faced by the EU in relation to the Common European Asylum System.
