This project will achieve regular collaboration between Europe’s well-developed networks of migration researchers and stakeholders for the purpose of evidence-based policymaking. As a result, European coordination on migration will be better informed of and more responsive to the recent migration dynamics and their diverse consequences. ReSOMA aims • for sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships for researchers and stakeholders to consult and work with each other more regularly in their ongoing work to inform EU public debates • to make the EU’s platforms for policy dialogue and consultation more evidence-based • to raise new evidence-based top priorities for the EU’s policy agenda A clear collaborative structure and toolbox will enable inter-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder analysis and policy dialogue with some of the most influential EU policymakers at EU and national level. Researchers will be able to put forward their robust scientific evidence and recognised authority in their field, while stakeholders will provide their complementary expertise with on-the-ground know-how and front-line experience. They are also well-positioned to secure attention from policymakers and allies from diverse sectors of society. In this collaboration, EU think-tanks will play a bridging role to combine the academic and practical expertise. They will also work alongside them to translate their evidence into ready-to-use policy briefs, recommendations and convincing messages and framings. In the end, the project will produce activities and deliverables that are both amplifying the voice of researchers and stakeholders in EU policymaking and tailored to the needs and constraints of EU and national policymakers. With the newly created tools and relationships, the project’s partners are exceptionally well-placed to enhance the role of the migration sector and research community in EU policymaking.

A host of irregular migrants currently live in de facto “limbo” conditions in Europe, with significant economic and human costs. According to registrations, less than 20% of all non-European nationals receiving an order to leave, voluntarily return to a third country or are deported. Those not returning receive limited opportunities to regularize their stay, since states fear that regularization attracts irregular migration, and will not be supported by voters. FAiR promises to bolster EU return migration governance by addressing the legitimacy deficits that plague policies on return and alternatives to return. FAiR complements dominant rational choice perspectives by systematically assessing the importance of norms, frames and shared meanings for intergovernmental cooperation on return. Together with stakeholders in EU+ and non-EU+ countries, FAiR pushes quantitative and qualitative research boundaries in the field, focusing on 5 non-EU+ (Georgia, Iraq, Niger, Nigeria, Turkey) and 5 EU+ states (Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Switzerland). Specific contributions of FAiR include: econometric models to reduce measurement bias in Eurostat return data; better measurements of Europe’s return policies through a Migration Return Policy Index (MIREX); causal inference analysis for all EU+ countries on the effects of policy and non-policy drivers of enforced return; a large survey experiment in 10 EU+ countries on public support for alternatives to return policies; improved guidelines for the human rights monitoring of enforced return; and, a negotiation and implementation game that will help international actors to reach agreement on return and readmission. FAiR offers multidisciplinary expertise and comprises a mix of academic, policy research, governmental and irregular migrant advocacy organisations, spanning Europe, Africa and the Middle East. FAiR targets objectives 1, 17, 21 and 23 of the Global Migration Pact, and 10.7, 16.8, 17.9, 17.16, and 17.18 of the SDGs.

In recent years, the Returns and Readmissions policy has become the preferred solution for the EU and its member states to address migrants living in situations of irregularity. Yet, different actors have raised concerns over the lack of effectiveness of the policy, violations of migrant’s fundamental rights associated with its implementation and the dependency on third countries for its application. In the first phase of the project, MORE will provide an exhaustive analysis of the development of the policy and its supporting evidence to understand why it has become a preferred solution and why it has been understood to be ineffective. In parallel, the project will examine the development, rationale, objectives, supporting evidence and implementation for 6 alternative policies that are or have been implemented in EU member states and the UK. The project will look at when and why these are or were implemented and why they have not become the main response to situations of administrative irregularity among migrants in the EU.

DignityFIRM contributes to improving conditions of irregular migrants (IM) working in Farm to Fork (F2F) labour markets in four EU member states (IT, NL, PL, SP) and two associated countries (MO, UA). To derive structural recommendations for improvements, we analyze regulatory infrastructures that govern these conditions distinguishing five influential spheres of stakeholders at the EU, national, and local levels, and at the level of employers and IM themselves. The focus on IM in F2F labour markets is timely given the instrumental role of these industries in securing EU livelihoods, the high systemic dependency on IM that coincides with persistent group vulnerabilities. By providing knowledge and innovative tools to improve regulatory infrastructures, this project enhances IM’s access to basic rights and services, and improves their precarious working conditions. Doing so, we contribute to systemic resilience of F2F industries and the EU’s ambitions for social and economic transformation. Our project adopts a mixed-method research approach, that includes a special focus on the division of labour in F2F markets with respect to gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, health and safety. Doing so, we provide new knowledge on 1) the multidimensional regulatory infrastructure and the conditions of IM therein, 2) their access to basic rights and social services, and 3) employer reliance on IMs. We build on our analysis of the current situation, and work towards innovative solutions by developing Dignity tools in co-creation with stakeholders across the five stakeholder spheres. We propose group sensitive policy measures at EU, national, and local level, across four policy domains: migration management, EU pillar social rights, labour market sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Doing so, we create a pathway for impact towards upholding IMs’ access to rights and services and simultaneously addressing labour market needs and wellbeing of host communities.

Targeted policy responses for irregular migration require better knowledge about the characteristics of the irregular migrant population and dynamics of irregular migration, as well as about the effects of policy measures. Yet, quantitative data relating to irregular migration are scarce, often outdated and contested. The inadequecy of current data makes it challenging for stakeholders to develop and monitor policies. How do legal frameworks in different countries define migrant irregularity? What are the characteristics of irregular migrants in terms of age, gender, nationality or other socioeconomic variables? How can the effects of policy measures, such as regularisation, be assessed? MIrreM adresses the challenge of insufficent knowledge about irregular migration and regularisation in Europe by actively involving relevant stakeholders in every stage of this project – as co-creators of its results and as stakeholders to its mission. In a rigorous comparative and multi-level study, we will assess the policies, data needs and estimates that define migrant irregularity in 11 EU member states, the UK, Canada, the USA and five transit countries. Using several coordinated pilots we will develop new and innovative methods for measuring irregular migration and ‘regularisation scenarios’, and we will explore if and how these instruments can be transferred or scaled up to other socio-economic or institutional conditions. Based on these insights, we will develop two public databases: a) a database with estimates on irregular migrant stocks and b) a database on irregular migration flows, that will also include data on regularisations. Together with the expert groups, we will synthesize our findings into a Handbook on data on irregular migration and a Handbook on regularisation that will support evidenced-based and targeted policymaking concerning irregular migration. Finally, we will develop training resources for policymakers, practitioners, journalists and early-career researchers.