Publication date: 08 December 2025
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.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: victim of trafficking, victim of smuggling, psychological vulnerability
Publication date: 02 December 2025
This joint EMN-OECD study provides a comprehensive overview of labour migration laws, policies, initiatives, and practices targeting third-country nationals in EMN Member Countries and Serbia between January 2021 and June 2024. It examines how labour migration is used to address current and future workforce shortages, covering key countries of origin and crucial labour sectors. The study highlights the challenges faced and the practices considered by countries with regard to labour migration.
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Main theme: Economic migration
Publication Type: Thematic Studies
Keywords: labour migration, labour shortages, foreign workers, talent attraction, talent partnership
Publication date: 26 November 2025
This EMNews, the quarterly newsletter of the European Migration Network (EMN), offers an overview of EU and national developments in asylum and migration policy, as well as key statistics and related EMN publications for the period of July-September 2025.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: EMNews
Keywords: EMN, Newsletter, EMNews
Publication date: 21 November 2025
This ad hoc query maps the legislation and current practices in EU Member States regarding the use of the European travel document for the return of irregularly staying third-country nationals (TCNs). It provides an overview of whether the document is used in practice, which third countries accept it, whether established operational procedures exist, and to what extent the document is recognised for transit purposes.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: European travel document, use, acceptance
Publication date: 14 November 2025
This ad hoc query maps the legislation and current practices in EMN Member and Observer Countries regarding the issuance of authorisations to stay for study purposes granted to minors. This mapping includes eligibility criteria, procedural requirements, and information on who assumes responsibility for the minor during their stay in the receiving country.
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Main theme: Study § Training
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: residence permit, authorisation to stay, minor, education
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: 28 October 2025
This ad hoc query examines the extension of alerts in the Schengen Information System (SIS) under Article 3 of Regulation 2018/1860 for persons who don’t leave the territory and whose alert is approaching its expiration date.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: Schengen Information System, alert on return, extension, individual review
Publication date: 06 October 2025
This study provides an overview of legal and policy developments related to the implementation of the Family Reunification Directive since 2017. It examines the current state of national legislation, policies, and practices following two decades of the Directive’s application, incorporating relevant case law and highlighting both challenges and best practices. It also presents data on the scale and evolution of family reunification between 2017 and 2023 (and 2024 where available), drawing on both Eurostat and national sources.
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Main theme: Family reunification
Publication Type: Thematic Studies
Keywords: Family Reunification Directive, application for family reunification, requirement, eligibility, sponsor, family member, digitalisation, access to rights
Publication date: 06 September 2025
This ad hoc query aims to map the processing times of work-based residence permits across EMN Member and Observer Countries, including the collection of statistics on such processing times and the existence of fast-track procedures for certain categories of employees.
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Main theme: Economic migration
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: residence permit, work-based residence permit, processing time, highly skilled workers
Publication date: 01 September 2025
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.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: annual report, Immigration Office
Publication date: 15 August 2025
This ad hoc query examines how EMN Member and Observer countries verify that third-country nationals applying for residence permits with the purpose of study have sufficient funds to support themselves during their stay. The query also explores trends in the issuance of residence permits for third-country national students and their family members in recent years.
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Main theme: Study § Training
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: student, sufficient financial resources, documentary proof, residence permit, application for family reunification
Publication date: 14 August 2025
This EMNews, the quarterly newsletter of the European Migration Network (EMN), offers an overview of EU and national developments in asylum and migration policy, as well as key statistics and related EMN publications for the period of April-June 2025.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: EMNews
Keywords: EMN, Newsletter, EMNews
Publication date: 07 August 2025
This ad hoc query compares the existence, type, and scope of bilateral or multilateral agreements on labour mobility between EMN Member and Observer Countries and non-EU/EEA countries, including whether they target general or sector-specific mobility, contain protection provisions, and provide monitoring or evaluation mechanisms.
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Main theme: Economic migration
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: labour mobility, labour mobility agreement, labour mobility partnership, labour shortage
Publication date: 01 August 2025
The Belgian authorities launched this ad hoc query to understand how other Member States provide information to third-country nationals in the context of return, in order to fulfil their obligation under the Return Directive, and to assess whether making this information available via a website or IT application would be considered sufficient to meet these requirements.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: return counselling, information provision, digitalisation
Publication date: 23 July 2025
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.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: instrumentalisation, migrant, refugee, fundamental right
Publication date: 20 July 2025
This ad hoc query examines how EMN Member Countries use new technologies to address language barriers during return procedures for third-country nationals. It investigates the deployment of tools such as translation software, handheld devices, mobile apps, and artificial intelligence throughout the return process. The query also reviews relevant legal and data protection frameworks and the application of these tools in key return-related activities like identification, communication of decisions, and detention procedures.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: language barrier, digital tool
Publication date: 16 July 2025
This EMN study examines how 25 countries address the international dimension of human trafficking, encompassing prevention, law enforcement, victim support, and international partnerships. It presents national approaches, good practices and persistent challenges, both within EMN countries and in cooperation with third countries. Readers will find examples of institutional cooperation, capacity-building efforts, and initiatives targeting specific regions or groups. The study also highlights how recent EU policy developments are shaping national anti-trafficking strategies.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Publication Type: Thematic Studies
Keywords: trafficking victim, non-EU national, anti-trafficking strategy, international dimension
Publication date: 09 July 2025
The European Migration Network's Asylum and Migration Overview (AMO) 2024 provides an overview of legal and policy developments at both EU and national levels, covering various migration and asylum topics, complemented by Eurostat statistics and national data, for the period January to December 2024.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: Annual Policy Reports
Keywords: annual report
Publication date: 10 June 2025
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.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: fundamental rights, external border, rights violations, ill-treatment, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, border procedure, monitoring mechanism, return hub
Publication date: 01 June 2025
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.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
Publication Type: Study
Keywords: irregularly staying third-country national, social right, labour right
Publication date: 12 May 2025
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.
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Main theme: Migration
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: migration narrative, public perception, disinformation, evidence-based communication, polarisation
Publication date: 12 May 2025
This EMNews, the quarterly newsletter of the European Migration Network (EMN), offers an overview of EU and national developments in asylum and migration policy, as well as key statistics and related EMN publications for the period of January-March 2025.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: EMNews
Keywords: EMN, Newsletter, EMNews
Publication date: 01 May 2025
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.
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Main theme: Integration, Study § Training
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: education policy, Migrant education, migrant student, undocumented student
Publication date: 28 April 2025
This ad hoc query compares the existing legislation in EMN Member and Observer Countries regarding the granting of protection statuses to family members of beneficiaries of international protection, as well as recent changes in practices in light of the regime change in Syria.
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Main theme: International Protection, Family reunification
Publication Type: Ad Hoc Queries
Keywords: application for family reunification, Syria, protection status, suspension, decision-making
Publication date: 03 April 2025
This ad hoc query, launched by EMN Belgium, explores whether authorities in EMN Member Countries are permitted to search the electronic devices of irregularly staying third-country nationals in the context of return. It examines the legal conditions under which such searches may take place, the categories of individuals concerned, the availability of related statistics, and the perceived impact on identification processes. The query also invites information on challenges encountered and any planned legislative developments in this area.
