Sweden 2013-2014

Lithuania has bilateral agreements on migrant workers with Germany, Ukraine, and Russia. 

Austria has developed an elaborate points system (the Red-White-Red Card Scheme) to facilitate labor migration from non-EU countries for highly skilled workers, as well as for workers in specific shortage professions.

The Department of Labour of Cyprus systematically tries to fill labor shortages with foreign workers, with over 60% of the total work permits granted going to unskilled agricultural workers (foreign workers made up 36% of the sector in 2012).

Special programs to recruit health professionals from abroad, have been created in Portugal, who sees them as “an important answer to overcome the lack of doctors and nurses,” and filling urgent needs in the health system. The supply of qualified doctors in some Latin America countries has led to bilateral and multilateral agreements between the Portuguese government, sending countries (including Uruguay, Cuba, Colombia and Costa Rica), and health institutions.

The 2012-2016 Action Plan for the State Regulation of Migration in Armenia will have GFMD recommendations. The purpose of this action plan is to ensure implementation of the major or prevailing directions of the migration policy established by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

Georgia’s main migration document prioritizes the promotion of legal migration and strengthening migrants’ rights, and calls for practical approaches to issues like diaspora contributions to state development, the benefits of international migration, and harnessing migration’s positive social and economic impacts.

The National Union of Eritrean Women, an association with branches in numerous countries, addresses matters related to gender and women’s empowerment and involvess second-generation migrants

The new Law on Foreigners and International Protection established a new Migration Advisory Board with a mandate of assessing the effects of regional and international migration policy developments on Turkey. The Board will thus be regularly monitoring the development impacts of migration at the national and sectorial levels as part of its duties under the law. 

The Joint Information and Services Bureaus (JISBs) has been introduced in rural areas of Moldova to offer women, as well as potential or returned migrants, better access to quality information and services. The JISBs operates like a “one-stop-shop” for any information or service that women and migrants may need. 

Sweden has entered into social security agreements with 11 countries that mainly cover retirement, disability and survivors pensions and contain coordination and aggregation rules in addition to regulating the portability of benefits.