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Irregular Immigration in Europe: Dynamics, Causes, and Policies

Explore the complexities of irregular immigration in Europe, including patterns, numbers, causes, myths, and economic influences. Delve into policy implications and possible solutions for addressing this multifaceted issue.

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Irregular Immigration in Europe: Dynamics, Causes, and Policies

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  1. ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN EUROPE:DYNAMICS, CAUSES AND POLICIES Franck Düvell Centre on Migration, Policy and Society University of Oxford Franck.duvell@compas.ox.ac.uk

  2. Presentation • Introduction • What is an Irregular Immigrant? • Patterns of Irregular Migration • Irregular Migration in Numbers • Cause of Irregular Migration • Addressing the Irregular Migration Myths • The Economics of Irregular Migration • Policy Implications • Possible Solutions

  3. What is an irregular immigrant? There are four major criteria that determine an irregular immigrant: • either a person has clandestinely and without authorisation crossed the border of a nation state and is or is not working; • or a person, who has legally stayed in a given country fails to depart according to the time limit set in his or her visa and overstays and is or is not working; • or a person legally who is staying in a given country is taking up employment in breach of visa regulations and is thereby jeopardising its immigration status; • or a person is born to illegal immigrants and becomes an illegal immigrant him or herself by birth even without ever having crossed an international border.

  4. Patterns of Irregular Migration • Overstaying • Mixed Flows • Biographic breaks • Short-term versus long term strategies • Migration from neighbouring versus distant countries

  5. Irregular Migration in Numbers • 300.000 apprehensions of illegal entrants annually. • 100.000 to 120.000 transit migrants awaiting entry. • Irregular immigrants represent between 2 and 15 per pent of immigrant population, 5 per cent on average. • 4-7 irregular immigrants in EU. • 22-44 million worldwide.

  6. Causes • Irregular migration is a legal, political and social construct. • Irregular migration is related to: - Asymmetries in globalisation, - Global migration systems and networks, - Asymmetries between demand and supply of labour, - Asymmetry between economic forces, individual aspirations and institutional goals (the migration tension triangle), - Asymmetries between flexible lives and migration strategies and inflexible migration regimes.

  7. Irregular Migration Myths • Myth no 1: Irregular migrants represent unfair competition, drive down wages and replace indigenous workers. • Myth no 2: Irregular immigrants undermine the power of organised labour. • Myth no 3: Irregular immigrants are a burden to the welfare system. • Myth no 4: Irregular migrants are involved in criminal activities. • Myth no 5: Irregular immigrants are poor and desperate individuals. • Myth no 6: Irregular immigrants are exploited.

  8. The Economics of Irregular Migration Economists are by and large positive about irregular migration; this is for a number of reasons: • irregular migrants avail themselves to regions, industries and jobs which otherwise struggle to get the workers they need, hence they display the flexibility indigenous workers lack; • they enhance overall productivity by facilitating further division of labour; • they enable survival of otherwise uneconomic businesses and enable to offer goods and services to classes that would otherwise not be able to afford these; • they free indigenous people, mostly women from housework and enable them to join a country’s work force; • they enable quick labour market adjustment to ever changing economic trends; • they respond to asymmetries between nationally available work forces, regular migration schemes and factual demand.

  9. Policy Implications • Is it possible, politically, practically and ethically to deport 4-7 million irregular immigrants from the soil of Europe? • Is it possible to completely control and to stop illegal immigration and overstaying? • Is it possible to put businesses under such close surveillance that employment of irregular immigrants is made impossible? • Is it possible to put private households under close surveillance? • Is it possible to put ethnic minority communities under such close surveillance that accommodating irregular immigrants is made impossible? • Is it possible to completely exclude irregular immigrants from public services so that their stay is practically made impossible?

  10. Possible Solutions • Global freedom of movement (open borders) • Regional freedom of movement • Amnesties • More controls versus more development aid • More legal migration channels • Sustainable migration policy

  11. Centre on Migration, Policy and Society University of Oxford 58 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 6QS

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