According to estimates by the Pakistani authorities, some 30,000 to 40,000 people from Pakistan attempt illegal passage to Europe via Iran and Turkey every year. InfoMigrants spoke to an expert to find out which factors lead to this trend.
In Greece, a list of 12 'safe countries' intended to facilitate the processing of asylum applications is causing concern among NGOs. According to refugee rights activists, the document eliminates country-specific nuances and endangers some asylum seekers, especially gay and transgender people.
Hundreds of migrants who fled the hell of the detention centers in Tripoli have occupied the premises of the GDF, the UN transit center for evacuating vulnerable and identified refugees out of Libya, for months. They say they are now being kicked out of the center and pushed into a dangerous and conflict-torn city. The UN says the departures are voluntary.
The rules regarding access to accommodation for two categories of asylulm seekers and refugees in Belgium are being tightened according to the Minister for Asylum and Migration in the country. The measure was described as "illegal" by migrant support associations, including the very active Citizens' Platform for Refugee Support in Brussels.
A prosecutor in Calabria has said that in Italy there is a lack of "political choices that should solve and prevent" the exploitation of migrant farmworkers. His comments came after the arrest of 13 gangmasters and seven businessmen working in the agricultural area of Gioia Tauro in Calabria.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR has published a series of "ambitious but achievable" recommendations for the Croatian and German presidencies of the EU Council to make 2020 "the year of change for robust refugee protection," according to a statement published on January 9.
Tunisia is preparing to accommodate a possible new influx of refugees fleeing the war in Libya and has chosen the site of Fatnassia to receive migrants who arrive.
A study carried out by Morocco's statistical institution has revealed that the typical Moroccan migrant is a young married male.
A recent report released by the Council of Europe has called on the Danish government to improve the conditions in two of its migrant detention centers.
Omar, which is not his real name, is from Sudan. When he told his story to InfoMigrants French, he was in an administrative detention center CRA in Rennes, on the point of being expelled. Here the 25-year-old recounts his migratory journey, which was marred by violence and betrayal.
On the Greek island of Samos, not far from Turkey, at least 7,500 Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis and Congolese are living in tents on the outskirts of the city of Vathy. Left almost to their own devices, they wait in desperate conditions for their first asylum application appointments, which - for many - will only take place in more than a year's time. Until then, it's impossible for them to leave.
Seven European cities have come together to create the "Border Towns and Islands Network" (BTIN) to promote cooperation in migration policies. The network is aimed at sponsoring collaboration and reciprocal support among border cities and islands.