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Irregular Migration: Causes, Patterns, and Strategies

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Global Perspectives on Migration and Development

Part of the book series: Global Migration Issues ((IOMS,volume 1))

Abstract

Irregular migration was spotlighted at the Puerto Vallarta Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) as a critical theme for development: it reduces the potential of migration to contribute to development but can also result from the lack of development-friendly policies of country of origin and destination. The main cause of irregular migration is less a disregard of regulations by migrants than a continuing inequality within and between countries, and the failure of states to create adequate migration regimes to meet economic demand. Mismatches between entry rules and labor demand, bureaucratic complexities, and delays contrast sharply with rapid transport and communication technologies that facilitate cross-border labor flows and take little account of the changing social dynamics of migration. This chapter examines regional patterns of irregular migration and policy responses and offers some brief case studies on Mexico, Italy, Turkey, the Republic of Korea, and Malaysia. Reflecting the discussions in the GFMD, the paper shows how most efforts at combating irregular migration have been difficult to implement and produced mixed results. Comprehensive, inclusive, and cooperative approaches were needed, and the GFMD had succeeded in bringing more countries of destination to the table on this issue.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    From 2000 to 2010, AVRR was implemented in 45 countries to return over 400,000 irregular migrants to 174 countries. Between 2008 and 2010, the UK, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium returned the most irregular migrants; Brazil, Iraq, the Russian Federation, Kosovo (Serbia), Serbia, and Mongolia were the main destinations (IOM 2010a, b). The AVRR operates in three stages. The predeparture stage includes return counseling, provision of origin country information, travel allowances, and reinstallation grants; the transportation stage includes transport and medical checks; and the postarrival stage includes reception, health-related support, provision of reintegration grants, support for vocational training, and income-generating activities.

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  1. Department of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Stephen Castles, Magdalena Arias Cubas, Chulhyo Kim & Derya Ozkul

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Castles, S., Cubas, M.A., Kim, C., Ozkul, D. (2012). Irregular Migration: Causes, Patterns, and Strategies. In: Omelaniuk, I. (eds) Global Perspectives on Migration and Development. Global Migration Issues, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4110-2_9

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