Policy Briefs

"Moving beyond observation, this document articulates a shift in advocacy priorities, arguing that the next phase of migration governance must prioritize 'enforceability over availability.' The agenda calls for moving from administrative policy declarations to operational mandates: decoupling residency rights from specific employers, digitizing social security portability, and establishing independent support networks for the most vulnerable. […]

This document contains the consolidated reflections and Inputs from the Migrant Workers’ Consultation with Surya Deva, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development. The consultation was convened by Migrant Forum in Asia.

Migrant workers continue to face major barriers in accessing compensation for workplace injury and death, even where legal protections formally exist. While many labour systems recognise employer liability for work-related injury and death, effective access to compensation remains highly uneven in practice.

Migrant workers are a vital engine of economic growth in many countries, yet they consistently remain among the most vulnerable segments of the labour force. Without robust safeguards, these workers face wage theft, hazardous working conditions, and the risk of being excluded from social protection systems.

Wage theft remains a persistent issue due to structural factors embedded in modern socio-economic systems, resurfacing with particular intensity during periods of crisis, as seen most recently during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global narrative surrounding regular migration pathways presents them as the humane alternative to irregular migration - a solution that promises order, safety, and mutual benefit. However, from the perspective of civil society organizations and migrant rights advocates, particularly in the Global South, this narrative obscures a much harsher reality.

South Korea’s Seasonal Worker Program (SWP), enforced by the Ministry of Justice since its full implementation in 2017, was conceived as a strategic response to acute labor shortages in rural areas, particularly in the agriculture and fisheries sectors.

A growing crisis is unfolding as criminal organizations systematically exploit migrant workers, coercing them into illicit activities such as cyber fraud, online gambling, and cryptocurrency scams. The issue is a global problem.

COVID-19, Long-Term Care, and Migration in Asia Countries throughout Asia are experiencing rapidly aging populations and increasing life expectancy, leading to a large and growing demand for long-term care (LTC) services. Despite the shift to providing care within communities and at home, governments are struggling to provide enough LTC to meet demand. A large part […]

Policy Brief No. 5 Japan's Specialized Skilled Worker Visa Scheme Last September 2021, a consultation between Migrant Forum in Asia and Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan was held to brief MFA members on the new visa scheme of Japan. The Specified Skilled Worker Visa scheme, put into effect in April 2019, is reflective of the […]

Policy Brief No. 3 and 4, 2021 South Asia Studies on Wage Theft Last 18 July, MFA, together with the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) Bangladesh, The International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) India, and the South Asia Regional Trade Union Council (SARTUC) Nepal, held the "South Asian Perspectives on Wage Theft […]

Policy Brief No. 2, 2021 Inclusion of Vulnerable Migrant Groups in COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies in Bahrain The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread changes in the area of labour migration – with the impact upon migrant workers’ jobs and lives as well as those of their families. While the initial focus of countries of destination (COD) were […]

Policy Brief No. 1, 2021 Inclusion of Vulnerable Migrant Groups in COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies in the UAE The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread changes in the area of labour migration – with the impact upon migrant workers’ jobs and lives as well as those of their families. While the initial focus of countries of destination (COD) […]

Immigration Detention: Are Alternatives to Detention Alternatives at All? GCM Policy Brief Series No. 13/ Feb 2021 Immigration detention is a widespread administrative procedure that results in the deprivation of migrants’ liberty. Frequently, individuals are incarcerated in confined facilities in conditions often resembling those of criminal prisons, if not in prisons themselves. Immigration detention can […]

Policy Brief No.4 Migration and Inclusive Democracy: Impact of COVID-19 in Asia   BACKGROUND On 23rd April 2020, the UN Secretary General HE Antonio Guterres referred to the pandemic, in a video message, as causing ‘economic crisis, social crisis, human crisis and human rights crisis’. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about significant changes in migration […]

Policy Brief No.3 The New Social Contract: CSO Reflections BACKGROUND The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the flaws and gaps present in development governance of every government around the world. The flaws and gaps have been further exacerbated for migrant workers and irregular migrants in several countries of destination, now struggling to extend basic services for […]

Which way forward on GCM Implementation in the era of COVID-19? Objective 5 and International Cooperation are the keys. Building on weekly discussions with stakeholders in the context of the “Global Review of the Implementation of the Global Compact for Migration” webinar series,[1] we propose an implementation strategy that takes Objective 5, “Enhance availability and […]

Transitional Justice for Migrant Workers: Responsibilities of Business BACKGROUND Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of migrant workers have been repatriated back to their home countries with months of unpaid wages and benefits due. The issue of wage theft is endemic for migrant workers which has been further exacerbated by the current crisis. […]

Justice for migrant workers: creating an effective solution to address wage theft This brief has been developed with the aim of providing an overview of the problem of wage theft and highlight the urgent need to address it, putting an end to its perpetration and stopping condoning the impunity of those who exercise it. Among […]

The current pandemic has caused wide-reaching changes in the economies and society of both countries of origin and destination. As governments slowly come to terms with lockdown measures through adaptive and dynamic policymaking, they are looking not only at the near future to address the immediate public health emergency and provide relief to the affected […]