Migration

UK’s Sunak says nothing will stop Rwanda policy; migrants die in channel

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed that nothing would prevent him from sending asylum seekers to Rwanda after parliament finally approved the divisive policy that is designed to deter migrants…

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491 dead and missing in central Med in 2024 – IOM

There have been 167 migrants dead and 324 missing in the central Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Libya reported in its…

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Slovakia will not implement new EU migration rules

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico refused to implement the European Union's new migration system in his country, a sign that tensions around the matter are set to remain high despite…

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UNHCR warns Sudanese refugees may head to Europe if aid not provided

The United Nations refugee chief said on Friday that Sudanese refugees could be making their way to Europe if humanitarian aid was not adequately provided to the people of the…

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Little girl among nine migrants that drowned in Malta’s SAR area

Nine migrants including a little girl died in waters within Malta's search and rescue zone on Wednesday while another 22 were rescued, the Italian Coast Guard said. It said that…

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Poland won’t accept migrant relocation mechanism, PM says

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland will not accept a European Union immigrant relocation mechanism despite the European Parliament's approval of legislation meant to curb migration into the continent. European…

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New Zealand tightens visa rules amid near record migration

New Zealand said that it was making immediate changes to its employment visa program after a near record migration last year which it said was "unsustainable". The changes include measures…

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Cyprus demands Lebanon control migrant flows

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides will head to Lebanon on Monday for talks on migration after the Mediterranean island declared a crisis on refugee flows. “We are indeed in a crisis,…

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UPDATED: Cyprus seeks EU help to curb surge of Syrian refugees from Lebanon

NICOSIA, April 3 (Reuters) - Cyprus appealed on Wednesday for vigorous action from the EU to stem a recent tide of mostly Syrian refugees arriving by sea via Lebanon, saying…

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Migrant crossings to UK hit new record

More than 4,600 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain on small boats so far in 2024, a record total for the first three months of the year and giving Prime…

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EU to provide $178 mln for Tunisian security forces to curb migration

(Reuters) - The European Union plans to provide up to 164.5 million euros ($177.74 million) over three years to Tunisian security forces, the Financial Times reported. Brussels pledged 105 million…

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Australia tightens student visa rules as migration hits record high

By Renju Jose and Stella Qiu SYDNEY, March 21 (Reuters) - Australia will begin enforcing tougher visa rules for foreign students this week as official data showed migration hit another…

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UPDATED: EU to bolster Egypt ties with billions in funding

Deal follows injection of funds from UAE, IMF EU concerned by migration flows via Libya Agreement ignores abuses, says HRW CAIRO, March 17 (Reuters) - The European Union announced a…

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Sixty migrants feared drowned crossing Mediterranean from Libya

ROME, March 14 (Reuters) - As many as 60 people are feared to have drowned on a vessel carrying migrants across the Central Mediterranean from Libya to Italy or Malta,…

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Italy impounds charity ship involved in at sea dispute with Libya

A German charity vessel was on Tuesday impounded by Italian authorities after it ran into a dispute with the Libyan coast guard over the rescue of as many as 100…

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Putin “weaponising” immigration into Europe

The Telegraph in an article revealed that Russia is using private militias to control and “weaponise” immigration into Europe. The Kremlin has influence over a number of the main routes…

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UPDATED: Asylum applications in EU at highest level since 2015/16 crisis

BERLIN, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Asylum applications in the European Union jumped 18% to 1.14 million in 2023, the highest level since the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, data from the European…

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Church of England mulls asylum seeker change amid conversion row

By Muvija M The Church of England (CoE) is considering updating its guidance to clergy on supporting and ministering to asylum seekers, amid concerns that religious conversions are being exploited…

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UK and EU to share intelligence on gangs trafficking migrants in new deal

Britain will gain access to the EU's intelligence on criminal gangs involved in human trafficking as part of a deal with the bloc's border protection agency, Frontex, in another sign…

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Coordinated European police action against one of the largest networks smuggling migrants across the English Channel

A large-scale operation involving law enforcement and judicial authorities from Belgium, France and Germany, coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, led to the dismantling of one of the most active networks…

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Italy arrests 12 people over speed boat migrant trips from Tunisia

ROME, (Reuters) - Italian police said they had arrested 12 suspected human traffickers for allegedly organising high-speed transfers for at least 73 illegal migrants from Tunisia to Europe. Expert pilots…

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UK nears agreement on cooperation with EU border force

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government will announce in the coming days an agreement for cooperation with the European Union's border protection agency, Frontex, in a further sign of thawing…

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EU, UK announce joint effort on migration

The EU and the U.K. have completed talks ahead of a new blueprint to crack down on illegal migration. The two parties will release details of the new cooperation agreement,…

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More than 80 survivors, but two dead in migrant rescues off Libya, charity says

More than 80 migrants were saved, but two died and three were missing following two sea rescue operations in the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya, the Doctors Without Borders…

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Italian Supreme Court declares handing over of migrants to Tripoli is a crime

It is a crime to hand over refugees and migrants rescued in the Central Mediterranean to the Libyan coast guard because the north African country is not a safe port,…

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Hamburg begins issuing Visa cash cards for refugees

Hamburg has become the first German state to introduce payment cards for asylum seekers. The cards will initially be issued to new arrivals in initial reception facilities, the city's social…

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Record number of migrants died or went missing off Tunisia in 2023

A record 1,313 migrants were reported to have died or went missing off the Tunisian coast last year, a rights group said, highlighting the worsening migrant crisis in the North…

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Seventeen Tunisians on migrant boat towards Italy missing

TUNIS, Feb 12 (Reuters) - At least seventeen Tunisians who were on a migrant boat heading towards the Italian coast are missing, a Tunisian national guard official said on Monday.…

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Stop human trafficking says pope

Pope Francis on Sunday urged the world community to stop human trafficking saying at his weekly Angelus prayer that "too many people are being exploited".Francis also said that tolerance and…

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UK, Italy seek ‘innovative partnerships’ to deal with illegal migration

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed to keep working together to deal with illegal migration by developing "innovative partnerships" along migration routes, Sunak's office…

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Nearly 100 dead or missing migrants in Mediterranean so far in 2024 – IOM

Nearly 100 migrants have died or disappeared in the central and eastern Mediterranean since the beginning of 2024, more than double the toll recorded last year during the same period,…

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Migrant arrivals to Spain’s Canaries jump by over 1,000% in January

The number of migrants from West Africa who braved the sea in fragile boats to reach Spain's Canary Islands jumped more than 1,000% in January from a year ago, data…

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UN rights chief voices concerns over Italy-Albania migrant pact

A deal allowing Italy to build reception camps in Albania for thousands of migrants arriving by sea raises concerns about arbitrary detention and living conditions, the U.N. human rights chief…

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UN migration agency seeks $7.9 billion for migrant support

By Ted Hesson WASHINGTON, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The United Nations migration agency aims to raise $7.9 billion this year through a new funding push to bolster efforts to protect…

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Labour-hungry Germany eases citizenship path despite migration rows

By Thomas Escritt BERLIN, (Reuters) - Germany shortened foreigners' paths to citizenship and ended a ban on dual nationality on Friday by passing a naturalisation law designed to reflect the…

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What is the Rwanda bill? UK’s migrant plan explained

By Michael Holden Britain's parliament is set to vote on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's bill to allow the government to send asylum seekers who arrive without permission in Britain to…

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Two migrants found dead, nine rescued off Greek island

ATHENS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Greece rescued nine migrants and recovered the bodies of two dead people, a woman and a man, close to a rocky shore on the island…

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Legal migration to EU must increase as workforce ages, commissioner says

Legal migration to the European Union will have to increase by 1 million people a year to make up for losses in the bloc's ageing workforce, the EU's home affairs…

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Switzerland expects high numbers of asylum seekers in 2024

Switzerland expects to see 30,000 asylum seekers this year, around the same number of people as in 2023. The number of asylum applications increased again last year. Although conclusive statistics…

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Irregular migrant arrivals almost doubled in Spain in 2023

By Joan Faus MADRID, (Reuters) - Around 57,000 migrants entered Spain irregularly last year, almost double the 2022 number as arrivals on the Canary Islands in fragile boats from west…

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Czechs extend controls on Slovak border until Feb. 2

PRAGUE, (Reuters) - The Czech government extended temporary controls on the country's border with Slovakia until Feb. 2, Interior Minister Vit Rakusan said, maintaining the measures set up to fight…

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US, Mexico agree to strengthen efforts to curb record migration

MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) - Mexican and U.S. officials have agreed to work together more closely to tackle record migration at their shared border, the countries' governments said in a joint…

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Migrant caravan advances north as U.S. officials head to Mexico

By Jose Torres VILLA COMALTITLAN(Reuters) - Thousands of migrants and asylum seekers moved slowly north across the southern Mexican state of Chiapas on Tuesday in a caravan hoping to reach…

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What’s in the new EU migration and asylum deal?

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The European Union agreed on Wednesday on new rules to handle irregular arrivals of asylum seekers and migrants, a deal hailed as…

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Tougher French immigration bill passes, Macron’s parliament majority wobbles

By Elizabeth Pineau and Michel Rose French lawmakers gave their final approval to a contested bill that toughens rules for immigrants on Tuesday, giving President Emmanuel Macron a policy victory…

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UPDATED: EU reaches agreement on new set of rules to manage migration and asylum

The European Union reached agreement early on Wednesday on new rules designed to share out the cost and work of hosting migrants more evenly and to limit the numbers of…

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EU says it will take in slightly more refugees from third countries

GENEVA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - A senior European Union official said on Thursday the bloc will in 2024-25 allow in more than 60,000 of the most vulnerable refugees, a slight…

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Cyprus calls for EU rethink on Syria migration as refugee numbers rise

By Michele Kambas NICOSIA, Dec 14 (Reuters) - As record numbers of Syrian refugees reach the shores of Cyprus, the Nicosia government wants the European Union to consider declaring parts…

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Albania’s top court suspends ratification of migrant pact with Italy, citing constitutional review

By Florion Goga TIRANA, (Reuters) - The Albanian parliament will have to suspend ratification of a migrant pact agreed with Italy after a top court on Wednesday endorsed an opposition…

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UK’s Sunak sees off revolt to win vote on Rwanda migrant plan

By Andrew Macaskill, Michael Holden and Alistair Smout British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak avoided defeat in parliament on Tuesday on an emergency bill to revive his plan to send asylum…

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French lower house rejects Macron’s immigration bill

French lawmakers sent the government's immigration bill back to the drawing board on Monday in a surprise move that cut short debates at the lower house and dealt a blow…

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Rohingya face rejection in Indonesia after surge of boat arrivals

By Hidayatullah Tahjuddin and Stanley Widianto PIDIE, Indonesia, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Myanmar's Rohingya face a wave of hostility and rejection in Indonesia, where regional communities say they are fed…

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Australia plans to halve migrant intake, tighten student visa rules

By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Australia on Monday said it would tighten visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers that could halve its migrant intake over…

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Germany to extend border controls with Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland

Germany plans to extend its border controls with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland to stem a migration surge and combat people-smuggling until Dec. 15, a spokesperson for the interior…

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UK interior minister signs new Rwanda treaty to resurrect asylum plan

By Philbert Girinema, Andrew Macaskill and Michael Holden KIGALI/LONDON, (Reuters) - Britain signed a new treaty with Rwanda on Tuesday which it said would overcome a court decision blocking its…

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Britain announces stricter visa measures to reduce migration

Britain sought to cut the number of migrants arriving in Britain through legal routes on Monday, raising the minimum salary they must earn in a job by a third after…

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Poland expands border controls with Slovakia to curb illegal immigration

WARSAW, (Reuters) - Poland will extend temporary controls on its borders with Slovakia until Jan. 2, 2024, in response to continuing efforts by migrants to enter from Slovak territory. Slovakia…

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