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.

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.

This ad hoc query explores how EMN Member and Observer Countries support legally residing migrant children (third-country nationals) in adapting to the cultural environment of primary and secondary schools. It focuses on national measures, including language support, teacher training, targeted initiatives, and the use of specific educational tools. It also examines challenges, good practices, and whether countries monitor migrant children's academic performance.

This ad hoc query, launched by the Finnish National Contact Point of the EMN, explores whether and how EMN Member and Observer Countries measure the efficiency of their international protection procedures. It looks in particular at indicators such as the number of interviews conducted per full-time equivalent (FTE), the average length of these interviews, and the number of decisions issued per FTE. It also considers the tools used for these assessments and the actors responsible for carrying them out.

This ad hoc query, which informed the preparation of an EMN Inform, collected information on how Member and Observer Countries organise vocational education and training (VET) for applicants and beneficiaries of international protection. It covers programme structures, admission conditions, support measures, incentives, obligations, and the recognition of prior skills, as well as good practices and key challenges in delivering VET.

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.

This ad hoc query examines the initiatives in place across EMN Member and Observer Countries to encourage employers to participate in the integration of their employees.

This joint EMN-OECD Inform presents an overview of the different approaches to the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and subsequent adaptation of migration strategies in EMN Member and Observer Countries and non-EU OECD Countries. The Inform also provides some examples of common challenges and good practices in developing and implementing migration strategies.

This ad hoc query examines the voluntary return procedures for Ukrainian nationals granted temporary protection in EU Member States, focusing on the support provided for their return and reintegration. The aim is to understand the various national approaches to facilitating voluntary returns, including whether reintegration assistance is offered and how these programmes are funded.

This ad hoc query investigates how healthcare services for applicants for international protection are organised in EMN Member and Observer Countries. It examines which authorities are responsible for providing such services, who covers the costs, and what types of services adult applicants are entitled to. It also explores how applicants access medical treatment, whether reception centres have healthcare personnel on staff, and how healthcare services are managed during a mass influx of migrants.

This ad hoc query examines the obligation imposed on Member States to make an audio recording of the personal interview of applicants for international protection, as outlined in the Pact on Migration and Asylum. It explores the means currently used by some EMN Member Countries to record, store, and transmit recordings of personal interviews, as well as how others intend to implement this obligation in the future.

This joint European Migration Network (EMN) – OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) Inform provides an overview of innovative initiatives to attract foreign talent between January 2021 and March 2024 by EMN Member Countries and selected non-EU OECD member countries. It also analyses whether and how EMN Member Countries monitor the effectiveness of these initiatives and identify related challenges and good practices.

This European Migration Network (EMN) study documents the illegal employment of third-country nationals in EMN Member Countries between 2017-2022. It includes an up-to-date analysis of key legislative and policy frameworks and practices to prevent, identify and tackle the illegal employment of third-country nationals, including beneficiaries of temporary protection. It also provides examples of challenges and good practices.

This ad hoc query examines whether EMN Member and Observer Countries use mechanisms to verify that applicants are genuinely residing in the allocated accommodation. It explores how these mechanisms are implemented, whether vulnerability criteria are considered, and the rules for determining if accommodation has been abandoned and if residents can challenge such assessments. It also looks into whether these mechanisms have led to legal challenges, particularly regarding data protection.

This EMNews (used to be named Quarterly or Bulletin) of the European Migration Network (EMN) offers an overview of EU and national developments in asylum and migration policy as well as an overview of key statistics, plus related EMN publications for the period October-December 2024.

This ad hoc query examines how EMN Member and Observer Countries use service providers for return and reintegration services. It covers whether countries manage operations directly or rely on service providers, details on contracts and procurement methods used, and how they assess European Procurement Regulations when choosing procurement approaches, including any exceptions justifying direct contracts.

This ad hoc query maps the existence of language requirements prior to entry for family members of beneficiaries of international protection. Responding countries also report on experiences with pre-entry language requirements for other categories of residence permits, when applicable.

This ad hoc query looks into the time limit within which an administrative authority may detain, without judicial review, an applicant for international protection or an irregularly staying third-country national who is subject to return.

This ad hoc query explores the legal frameworks and practices of EMN Member Countries to understand how they link reception conditions to whether an asylum seeker is legally employed.

This Inform provides information on current national legislation and practices for the collection and processing of biometric data of third-country nationals in 24 EMN Member Countries and three EMN Observer Countries (Norway, Serbia and Ukraine) in accordance with national and European law requirements. 

This ad hoc query examines the existence of national initiatives across EMN Member and Observer Countries to support parents of allophone children to navigate the schooling system in order to improve their children’s academic success and overall integration in their host society.

This ad hoc query examines whether EMN Member Countries structurally involve third-country nationals in the development of migration policies at the national level. If so, it investigates in which areas, at what point and how such consultations take place. It aims to gain insight into lessons learnt in organising migrant involvement in the policy development.

This ad hoc query looks into which countries verify that the sponsor who applies for family reunification is not a threat to public order when examining the application for family reunification.

This ad hoc query maps the schemes in place across EMN Member and Observer Countries to issue residence permits for so-called “digital nomads”, or persons who work remotely for an employer registered outside of their country of residence. Emphasis is placed on the issue of the use of forged documents in the applications for such permits.

This ad hoc query examines national regulations and practices concerning the employment of third-country nationals during short stays or visa-free stays, as well as the procedures in place to issue long-stay D-visas for the purpose of employment.