Pathways for Regular Migration

In 2017, Argentina granted access to temporary residence and suspended the deportation of Haitians, due to the situation in Haiti, in particular the repeated natural disasters.

In 2014 and 2017, Morocco implemented two regularization campaigns, which benefitted, among others, migrants with serious illnesses, women and their children, and unaccompanied children.

From 1 January 2014 to 31 January 2014 Morocco implemented the first regularization of migrants on an exceptional basis. The categories of migrants in an irregular situation who could benefit from the regularization were the following:

In Finland, a residence permit on compassionate grounds may be granted as a residual and final step of the asylum procedure, after the refugee claim under international and regional refugee law has been rejected. It can be granted for reasons related to medical conditions, ties to Finland or other individual compassionate grounds, particularly in consideration of the circumstances a person would face in the home country or the vulnerable situation of the individual.   

In Spain, the migration law (Aliens Act) foresees the possibility to request a temporary residence permit for humanitarian reasons

In Argentina, temporary residence for humanitarian reasons can be granted to migrants when there is a presumption of risk of death in the country of origin due to the lack of medical treatment.

Spain, New Zealand and Australia have expanded the use of pre-existing temporary work quotas to target migrants from disaster-affected areas and areas facing adverse impacts of climate change

The Mexican legislation provides for a humanitarian residence permit for migrants who are victims or witnesses of a crime committed in the national territory. 

In Austria, a residence permit is granted if a person cannot be returned because the removal would be in violation of the right to private and family life within the meaning of Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The Japanese Economic Partnership Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines established the legal framework to receive Indonesian and Filipino nurses and care workers. Japan has been receiving candidates to become nurses and care workers from these countries for years. The program provides language training and the opportunity to work in Japanese hospitals. Candidates can take the examination to become qualified nurses and care workers and access work in Japan beyond the 3- or 4 year- period foreseen by the program.

Uruguay has introduced specific measures to minimize administrative irregularity linked with international human mobility and is pursuing legal framework revisions to promote migrants’ rights, bilateral and multilateral social security agreements, visa waiver agreements, and various measures in line with civil society recommendations.

The most significant examples of regularization and access to residence and identity documents are the following: