COVID-19 and international migration

• Author: Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
• Pages: 460-462

ATLAS OF MIGRATION 2020 / COVID-19 AND MIGRATION

460

3. COVID-19 AND INTERNATIONAL

MIGRATION

20 InternationalMigrationOutlook2020,OECDPublishing,Paris,2020.https://doi.org/10.1787/ec98f531-en.

Whatarethe implicationsofCOVID-19 forinternational

migration?Through2020,reportshavesuggestedthatthe

pandemiccouldreshape migrationows,shift migration

routesandalterthecomposition ofmigrantpopulations.

Unfortunately,however,comprehensivedatafor2020on

internationalmigrationows worldwide,oron residence

permitsgranted bythe EU-27iscurrently unavailable.

TheOECDhasexamineddatafromafewselectcountries

forwhichitis available,andshown howthenumber of

residencepermitsgranted byOECDcountriesin therst

semesterof2020 fellby46compared withthesame

periodin2019.20

Bycontrast,wedonotexamineallformsofmigrationand

mobility,butratherdrawondataonresidencepermitsfrom

previousyearsto observethetrend leadingupto 2020

andtoreectonthepotentialimplicationsduringandafter

thepandemic.Itshouldbenotedthatrestrictionsonnon-

essentialtravelto theEUduring thepandemicarealso

likelytohavehadaneectonmobility,includingtourism

andshort-termvisas.Thisinturnmayhaveimpacted on

theopportunitiesforpeopletoentertheEUonashort-term

visaandthenapplyforaresidencepermitor overstayin

an irregular status.

MigrationowstotheEU-27duringthepandemicarelikely

tobeaectedby thecontextin countriesofdestination

andorigin. Ononehand, peoplemay bedeterredfrom

migratingtoacountrywithahighprevalenceofCOVID-19

cases.Countrieswithmorestringentrestrictionsonentry,

mobilityandworkingarealsolikelytograntfewerresidence

permitsor beless attractiveto potentialmigrants. On

theother hand,people whocontract thevirus maybe

unabletomigrate.Othersmayseektomoveaway ifthe

prevalenceofthevirusincreasesorifthepandemichasa

severeimpactontheireconomicsituation.Governmentsin

potentialdestinationcountriescouldalso establishentry

bansto preventpeoplearriving fromplaces withlarge

numbersofCOVID-19cases.

Lookingatcountriesofdestination,asFigure9shows,the

numberofresidence permitsgrantedby EU-27Member

Stateshasconsistentlyincreasedoverrecentyearsfrom

justundertwo millionin2015 tonearlythree millionin

2019.Anincreasingproportionofthesepermitshasbeenfor

remuneratedactivities,representing41ofthosegranted

in2019.COVID-19islikelytoimpactonthesetrends,asa

resultofshiftingentrypoliciesinMemberStates,lockdown

measureswhichimpactonremuneratedactivitiesandthe

economichardshipassociated withthecrisis whichmay

removeemploymentopportunities.However,the specic

implicationsarelikelytovarybetweenMemberStates.

AsFigures10 and11 seemtosuggest, theredoes not

appearto be a clear relationship between a Member

State’smigrationtrendsand thescaleof thepandemic.

TheMemberStatewhichhasonaveragegrantedthemost

residencepermitsoverthepastveyearshasbeenPoland,

whichhasalsohadasmallernumberofCOVID-19cases

comparedwithsimilar-sizedMemberStates.Aswasvisible

FIGURE 9. FIRSTRESIDENCEPERMITS(ALLLENGTHS)ANNUALLYISSUEDINALLEUMEMBERSTATESACROSSTHELASTFIVEYEARSBYREASONOFTHE

PERMIT.BOTHSIZEOFTHEPIEANDFIRSTFIGUREATTHEBOTTOMSHOWTHETOTALNUMBEROFPERMITS,WHILETHEPERCENTAGEATTHEBOTTOMSHOWS

THERELATIVEDIFFERENCEWITHRESPECTTOTHEPREVIOUSYEAR.

NOTE:THECATEGORY‘OTHERREASONS’INCLUDESALLFORMSOFPROTECTION.

SOURCE:ESTAT(MIGR_RESFIRST)

Work Education Family Other

41%

14%

27%

35%

14%

21%

34%

13%27%

26%

30%

13%

30%

30%

15%

34%

22%

18%

29%

28%

Reason

Value

% of Total Value broken down by Time. Color shows details about Reason. Size shows sum of Value. The marks are labeled by % of Total Value. The data is ltered on Geo and Citizen. The Geo lter

 

2019

2 953 140

6%

2018

2 790 045

4%

2017

2 695 342

8%

2016

2 494 522

25%

2015

1 991 485

   



+13 + + + +