Migration

Greece approves quicker migrant returns, aims to set up return hubs

Greece's parliament approved legislation late on Tuesday to fast-track deportation of rejected asylum seekers and allow their transfer to "return hubs" outside the bloc once bilateral agreements ‌are reached with…

Read More Here

Libyans block off UN refugee office in protest against migrants

Hundreds of Libyan demonstrators blocked off the office of the U.N. refugee agency in the capital Tripoli on Thursday during a protest against migrants ‌who have travelled to the country…

Read More Here

EU paves way to allow migrant deportations to centres outside bloc

European Union lawmakers and governments agreed on Monday on new rules allowing countries to send ‌migrants ordered to leave the bloc to centres in third countries, a move that has…

Read More Here

Spain to introduce job-matching plan for migrants granted legal status

Spain will introduce a plan to match migrants to jobs under a programme ‌to grant legal status to about 500,000 undocumented workers to help drive economic growth, the country's top…

Read More Here

EU fails to agree on migrant returns law

EU negotiators on Thursday failed to back rules to increase deportations from the bloc amid continued disagreement on a start date. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner has referred to the returns…

Read More Here

From Vietnam to the EU by air: 8 arrested in a migrant smuggling sting across Europe

On 30 March 2026, a coordinated international French-led operation, which was supported by Europol and involved law enforcement and judicial authorities from Germany and Hungary, led to the dismantling of…

Read More Here

Cyprus records fall in asylum applications according to Eurostat

Eurostat data published this week showed a decrease in asylum applications in Cyprus, with 130 first-time claims and 95 repeat applications in December 2025. This represents a decline from November…

Read More Here

Britain to bar study visas for four nations, halt Afghan work visas

Britain said on Tuesday it would block study visas ‌for nationals from four countries and halt work visas for Afghans, using what it called an "emergency brake" to curb rising…

Read More Here

Deaths surge on Mediterranean migration corridor to historic high — UN

The start of this year has been the deadliest on record for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration. At least 606…

Read More Here

German government pushes Syrians to return to their homeland

Last year, 5,976 Syrians applied for voluntary repatriation to Syria, which was funded by the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), submitting all the necessary documents. Of these,…

Read More Here

Spain to grant around half a million undocumented migrants legal status

Spain's Socialist-led government presented a draft decree to expedite legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants, in its latest move to integrate migrant workers even as other European…

Read More Here

Human trafficker who tortured migrants in Libya jailed for 20 years in Netherlands

An Eritrean people trafficker who tortured African refugees and migrants in camps in Libya was jailed for 20 years on by a Dutch court, with a judge saying he had…

Read More Here

Hundreds feared missing or dead trying to cross the Mediterranean

Hundreds of people are feared dead or missing after attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, with reports of multiple shipwrecks in the last ten days following bad weather, the U.N.…

Read More Here

One rescued, 50 feared drowned after migrant boat sinks off Tunisia

A migrant has been rescued and 50 others are feared drowned after a boat sank in the Mediterranean, officials said on Sunday. The man had been in the sea for…

Read More Here

More than 3,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain in 2025

More than 3,000 people died trying to reach Spain by sea over the past year, a sharp fall from the previous 12 months. However, activists cautioned that the drop reflected…

Read More Here

British and Danish PM urge European leaders to reform human rights laws to tackle illegal migration

Sir Keir Starmer has urged European leaders to reform human rights laws to make it easier to deport illegal migrants ahead of crucial talks on a potential shake-up of the…

Read More Here

EU countries back migration crackdown

EU countries on Monday signed off on sweeping new plans to reform how the bloc deals with migration. The measures, approved at a meeting of EU justice and home affairs…

Read More Here

US widens travel ban to more than 30 countries

The U.S. plans to expand the number of countries covered by its travel ban to more than 30, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. Noem, in an interview on…

Read More Here

EU updates asylum guidance for Syrian refugees a year after fall of Bashar al-Assad

The European Union issued updated guidance for asylum applications by Syrian nationals on Wednesday that reflects new conditions in Syria a year after the fall of former long-time leader, Bashar…

Read More Here

Finnish Workplaces See Rapid Rise in Foreign Recruitment

A big shift is underway in Finnish working life — and not even poor employment numbers have managed to slow it down. Finnish working life is undergoing internationalisation. Workplaces now…

Read More Here

Ireland tightens immigration rules in bid to slow population growth

Ireland introduced measures to tighten its immigration rules that the justice minister said were aimed at slowing a "worryingly" high rate of population growth amid numbers seeking asylum that were…

Read More Here

Number of Britons leaving the UK significantly higher than previously thought

The number of Britons who left the UK last year is significantly higher than previously thought, revised figures show. The number of British nationals who left the UK in the…

Read More Here

Britain toughens asylum policy in major overhaul as anti-immigration sentiment rises

Britain on Monday said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up the deportation of those who arrive illegally, in a major overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of…

Read More Here

Fast-track deportations to be announced as part of asylum reforms

Plans to fast-track the deportation of illegal migrants as part of sweeping reforms of the UK's asylum policy are to be announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. In a statement…

Read More Here

Libya urged to shut migrant detention centres at U.N. meeting

Libya was urged at a U.N. meeting on Tuesday to close detention centres where rights groups say migrants and refugees have been tortured, abused and sometimes killed. Multiple states including…

Read More Here

Chancellor Merz Says Syrians No Longer Qualify for Asylum

Syrians no longer have grounds for asylum in Germany now the civil war in their country is over, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said, as his conservatives seek to fend off…

Read More Here

Red Crescent Confirms Fatalities After Migrant Vessel Capsizes Near Libya

The bodies of at least 18 migrants, who died when their boat capsized west of Libya's capital Tripoli, were recovered while over 90 survivors were rescued, a local Red Crescent…

Read More Here

European Commission delays decision on migration assistance

The European Commission is set to miss its own legal deadline on announcing which EU countries should receive help with their migration issues — and it’s not particularly worried. A…

Read More Here

EU-backed Libyan coastguard increasing violent attacks at sea, report finds

Libyan militias have increased attacks on migrants and humanitarian workers in the central Mediterranean in recent years, according to a new report by search-and-rescue NGO Sea-Watch. The report, published Tuesday,…

Read More Here

Pope Leo will ‘stand with’ Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants’ rights, advocates say

Pope Leo XIV said he will stand with Catholic leaders in protecting immigrants facing mass deportations in the U.S., according to a group of American Catholic leaders and advocacy groups…

Read More Here

Britain not seeking visa deal with India

Britain will not pursue a visa deal with India, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, as he aims to deepen economic ties with the country following this year's trade agreement. Starmer…

Read More Here

British PM tells BBC he wants to change how international law used in asylum cases

Sir Keir Starmer wants to change how international law is interpreted, to stop unsuccessful asylum seekers blocking their deportation on the grounds they could be sent to worse prisons or…

Read More Here

UK plans tougher residency rules based on English skills, civic conduct

Britain plans to tighten the rules over how migrants can settle permanently by making applicants prove their value to society, including being able to speak a "high standard" of English,…

Read More Here

Starmer says Labour shied away from illegal immigration concerns

Sir Keir Starmer has publicly acknowledged "where some on the left went wrong" on immigration, saying that his party needs to tackle "every aspect of the problem". Writing in the…

Read More Here

European Commission dismisses NGOs’ call to stop financing of Libyan Coast Guard

The European Commission has dismissed a call from 42 civil society organisations for it to stop financing the so-called Libyan Coast Guards whose agents are deployed on the country’s coast…

Read More Here

Arrests in crackdown on human trafficking network active across continents

Europol coordinated a joint action day between the Brazilian Federal Police (Polícia Federal) and the Irish National Police and Security Service (An Garda Síochána) against a criminal network involved in…

Read More Here

Trump administration moves to tighten duration of visas for students and media

The Trump administration aims to tighten the duration of visas for students, cultural exchange visitors and members of the media, according to a proposed government regulation issued on Wednesday, part…

Read More Here

EU Commission labels alleged Libyan attack on NGO ship ‘worrying development’

The European Commission considers an alleged Libyan coast guard shooting on the NGO boat Ocean Viking, which occurred on Sunday, a “worrying development”. This is one of several documented occasions…

Read More Here

UK’s Farage warns of ‘civil disorder’, unveils plan to deport asylum seekers

Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's anti-migration Reform UK party, announced a plan on Tuesday to repeal human rights laws to allow for mass deportations of asylum seekers, action he said…

Read More Here

Ten years on: Merkel reflects on 2015 refugee decision

It has been ten years since German Chancellor Angela Merkel made her famous "Wir schaffen das" ("We can do this") statement regarding her decision to accept hundreds of thousands of refugees into Germany.…

Read More Here

Libyan Coast Guard Fires on Ocean Viking NGO Vessel After Rescue Operation

The humanitarian ship Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Mediterranée, came under heavy fire from the Libyan Coast Guard in what the NGO has denounced as a “violent and deliberate attack.”…

Read More Here

Asylum applications in the EU up to 54,780 in May 2025

In May 2025, 54 780 first-time asylum applicants (non-EU citizens) applied for international protection in EU countries, marking a 30% decrease compared with May 2024 (77 945) and a 12% increase compared…

Read More Here

Search Continues After Migrant Shipwrecks Off Lampedusa Kill at Least 27

At least 27 people, including a 1-year-old girl and three teenagers, died when two overloaded migrant boats capsized in rough seas off the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday, officials…

Read More Here

At Least 370 Dead, 300 Missing on Central Mediterranean Migrant Route in 2025

At least 370 people have died and 300 remain missing on the Central Mediterranean migrant route between January 1 and August 9, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM)…

Read More Here

Greece may extend North Africa asylum ban if migrant flow resurges

Greece could extend a suspension on examining asylum applications passed by parliament last month if migrant flows from Libya start rising again, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris said on Thursday. In…

Read More Here

UK to start implementing migrant returns deal with France

Britain said it will start work within days to implement a deal to return some migrants who arrive on small boats to France, a key part of its plans to…

Read More Here

Libyan coast guards train in Greece under plan to stem migrant flows

Libyan coast guard officers have started training on the Greek island of Crete as part of a plan to strengthen cooperation and help the two countries stem a surge in…

Read More Here

UK sanctions target people smugglers, small boat dealer in migrant crackdown

Britain announced sanctions on Wednesday on 24 people and one company it said were involved in people smuggling, as part of efforts to cut the number of migrants arriving on…

Read More Here

Greece pushes EU to take tough line on migration

Greece has presented other EU governments with what it called its strictest plan to deter migrants and is pushing for “return hubs” outside the continent. The country’s newly appointed migration…

Read More Here

EU Migration Commissioner says he is ready to negotiate with Khalifa Haftar

The European Union must remain ready to negotiate with Russia-aligned Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar in order to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from further weaponizing migration, EU Migration Commissioner Magnus…

Read More Here

People smugglers to have assets frozen and be banned from UK

People smugglers face having their assets frozen and being banned from entering the UK, the foreign secretary has announced. David Lammy said new powers under the Sanctions Act will allow…

Read More Here

Frontex says illegal crossings into EU down 20 percent in first half of 2025

Illegal crossings into the European Union fell to 75,900 in the first half of 2025, according to the EU’s border agency. In a press release, Frontex attributed the 20 percent…

Read More Here

France and UK agree to joint migration deal

France and the United Kingdom on Thursday reached several deals on migration, nuclear cooperation and support for Ukraine, after a visit from French President Emmanuel Macron to London. The three-day…

Read More Here

Greece to Introduce Tougher Measures to Deter Migrant Arrivals

Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris on Thursday indicated that the government is planning to introduce new “disincentives” as part of a crackdown on migrant arrivals following an influx from…

Read More Here

Greece to suspend processing asylum applications from north Africa for three months

Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has just told the parliament that Greece will suspend processing asylum applications for migrants arriving on boat from north Africa. In comments reported by Kathimerini,…

Read More Here

Poland imposes checks on German and Lithuanian borders amid migration fears

Poland introduced temporary controls on its borders with Germany and Lithuania on Monday, in what the government said was a step to check migrants more thoroughly amid public concerns over…

Read More Here

Austria set to deport man to Syria, marking first for EU since Assad’s fall

Austria is preparing to deport a Syrian man whose asylum status was revoked due to a criminal conviction, in what an EU official and rights groups say will be Europe's…

Read More Here