MIrreM examines estimates and statistical indicators on the irregular migrant population in Europe as well as related policies, including the regularisation of irregular immigrants.

Led by Albert Kraler at the Department for Migration and Globalisation, the 17-partners-consortium has developed the MIrreM project in response to a call under the European Commissions’ Horizon Europe Programme, building on the broad expertise assembled in the consortium and as well as past projects some partners were involved in, such as CLANDESTINO (2007-2009) the first-ever research project on estimates of irregular migration in the EU, the REGINE project (2007-2008) that examined regularisation practices in 27 EU Member States or the ongoing City Initiative on Migrants with Irregular Status in Europe (C-MISE).

A core aim of the project is to address the uncertainty and contested nature of evidence on irregular migration by fostering a shared understanding of basic features of and policy options in regard to the phenomenon. MIrreM will analyse policies defining irregularity, stakeholders’ data needs and usage, and assess existing estimates and statistical indicators on irregular migration in the countries under study and on the EU level.

Using several coordinated pilots, the project will develop new and innovative methods for measuring irregular migration and will explore if and how these instruments can be transferred or scaled up to other socio-economic or institutional conditions. Based on a broad mapping of regularisation practices in the EU as well as detailed case studies, MIrreM will develop ‘regularisation scenarios’ to better understand conditions under which regularisation should be considered as a policy option. Together with expert groups to be set up on irregular migration data and regularisation, respectively, the project will synthesize findings into a Handbook on data on irregular migration and a Handbook on pathways out of irregularity. The project’s research will cover 20 countries, including 12 EU countries and the United Kingdom, Canada and the US and five transit countries.

A core mandate of the project consists of engaging relevant stakeholders, including NGOs, service providers, migrant led organisations, researchers, and policymakers on local, national and EU levels in the research, in order to better take into account their needs and feedback results from the project into their work.

For more information on the Project, please visit: https://www.irregularmigration.eu/

Funding

European Commission, Horizon Europe, Call “Inclusiveness in Times of Change”, Call Topic “Estimates of irregular migration – stakeholder network” (HORIZON-CL2-2021-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-01), Grant Number 101061314

Project coordination

University for Continuing Education Krems – Danube University Krems (Scientific Coordinator: Albert Kraler)

Project Partners

 

European University Institute (PI: Ettore Recchi)
University of Osnabrück (PI: Franck Düvell)
University of Maastricht (PI: Arjen Leerkes)
University of Turku (PI: Jussi Jauhiainen)
Complutense University Madrid (PI: Claudia Finotelli)
Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) (PI: Marina Nikolova)
University of Milan (PI: Maurizio Ambrosini)
University of Potsdam (PI: Jasper Tjaden)
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migration (PICUM) (Director: Michele Levoy)
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) (PI: Veronika Bilger)
Migration Policy Institute Europe (MPI-E) (PI: Hanne Beirens)
University of Warsaw (PI: Pawel Kaczmarczyk)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (PI: Tuba Bircan)
Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-CIES) (PI: João Carvalho)

Associated Partners

Toronto Metropolitan University (PI: Anna Triandafyllidou)
University of Leiceister (PI: Alan Desmond)
University of Oxford (PI: Carlos Vargas-Silva)

For further information about the project contact the coordinator Albert Kraler (albert.kraler@donau-uni.ac.at).

Access the project description on the EU’s Funding and Tender portal here