Myth 1: Irregular Migration is a growing problem that requires more border security

Myth 2: Migrants are only after our social security

Myth 3: Migrants are stealing our jobs

Myth 4: Most migrants are refugees and asylum seekers

Myth 5: Money sent home by migrants helps development

Myth 6: It is only called racism by those who fail to see the real problem

Myth 7: As soon as migrants arrive, they send for their families to join them

Busting Migration Myths

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“We need more border security to combat irregular migration”, “migrants are only after our social security”,“migrants are stealing our jobs”. While their basis in fact is tiny, these “migration myths” are commonly heardall over Europe. These myths are misleading the general public and making migrants into scapegoats of broadersocial and economic issues that Europe is facing.

In addition, in times of European crisis, these myths are helping to contribute to the rise of xenophobic populistmovements that are gaining influence in many EU Member States.

Many migrants working in Europe are already facing precarious working and living conditions with dailyviolations of their human and labour rights. European migration policy needs to be re-evaluated to include thereasons why migrants are leaving their homes (lack of decent work, unemployment and poverty) so that Europecan develop a truly rights-based approach to migration.

A crucial step in this exercise is busting these common “migration myths”. Migrants rights are human rights!

Conny ReuterSOLIDAR Secretary General

Introduction

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Irregular Migrationis a growing problemthat requiresmore border security

Context

The fight against irregular migration continues to bea top priority for the European Union. This ishighlighted by the emphasis on irregular migrationin the European Commission’s latest Communicationon external migration policy: the Global Approachto Migration and Mobility (GAMM)1 released in2011.

In addition, following the increase in irregularmigration to the EU from North Africa in 2011, thecompetencies of the EU’s border agency FRONTEX -whose budget has been increased by €80 millionsince 2005 - were further expanded, now includingcooperation with national border security servicesin countries of origin amongst others. Further,plans were developed to introduce enhanced bordersurveillance or “smart borders” which just showsthat the EU views irregular migration as a seriousissue and threat.

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1 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0743:FIN:EN:PDF

2 Eurostat is the statistical office of theEuropean Union

3 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Migration_and_migrant_population_statistics(Figure 5)

4 As reported by the UNHCR in 2012http://www.unhcr.org/pages/4a1d406060.html

Resource: Briefing: A Rights-Based Approachto Migration and Development: SOLIDARReaction to EC Migration Policy Packagehttp://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/40_migrationpolicypack.pdf

Increased border securityis not a sustainable/rights-based solutionto irregular migration

According to Eurostat2, the EU hosts around32 million migrants (36.5% from other Europeancountries, 25% from Africa, 20% from Asia,16.5% from the Americas and 1% from Oceania)3.Of these, it is estimated that a mere 6-15% areirregular migrants. Compared with an overall EUpopulation of over 500 million, we can see thatirregular migrants actually make up a very smallamount of overall migration.

It is interesting to look at the case of the EU’sreaction to the arrival of roughly 55,000 irregularmigrants4 to Europe from North Africa in 2011– for information, this makes up 0.0001% of theEuropean population. It is especially interesting tolook at the risks that these migrants have to take tomake their trip. For instance, of the roughly 55,000people who attempted to cross into the EU, theUN’s High Commission on Refugees reported thatat least 1,500 either drowned or disappeared.

Civil society organisations cooperating withSOLIDAR members in Tunisia have also reportedthat of the 28,000 Tunisians that migrated toEurope in 2011 (included in the 55,000 above),over 2,500 remain unaccounted for. Humantrafficking is a serious and growing problem.And while the EU has vowed to address this issue,it is clear that increased border security andmigrant safety may be difficult to combine.

Indeed, it is unlikely that increased border securitywill dissuade migrants from migrating, while it willdefinitely increase the risks of their journey and theclandestine networks they may have to resort to.Rather it is essential that the root causes ofmigration, notably the lack of decent work,unemployment and poverty in people’s homecountries are coherently addressed.

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Migrants are onlyafter our social security

2Context

It is often believed that most migrants migrate tothe EU in order to benefit from social welfarepayments while not actually being willing to work.

Most migrants do not have accessto social security and protection

Most migrants do not have any access to socialsecurity at all. Many – in particular irregular –migrants work in precarious conditions. This isespecially true in the domestic work sector.Domestic work – providing care to families andhouseholds – is an important occupation andsource of revenue for millions of people. Aroundthe world, millions of domestic workers clean,cook, look after children and elderly people anddo other tasks for private households5. Inindustrialised countries, domestic work accountsfor between 5-9 % of all employment.

A majority of domestic workers are women andmigrant workers with an irregular status, beingforced to live in their employer’s household andbeing very vulnerable to exploitation. In Europe,demographic factors (i.e. growing number of olderpeople) and changing patterns of employment(i.e. more women working outside the household)have resulted in a growing demand for domesticwork and in particular, domestic full time care inthe home6. With their services, these workers– often invisible as their work place is a privatehousehold – provide a considerable contributionto European wealth and well-being.

So migrants are actually contributing to themaintenance of “our” social system.

The right to healthcare as a basic social right isstipulated in Article 12 of the United InternationalCovenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights(ICESR). While all 27 EU Member have ratified theCovenant, according to the EU Fundamental RightsAgency (FRA), European human rights standardsallow for a distinction of access to health carebetween regular and irregular migrants7.

In a 2011 survey in 10 EU Member States by FRA,irregular migrants often only have access to basichealth services, even though they are often exposedto “health threatening working conditions”8.Some EU Member states surveyed do not providehealthcare beyond emergency care, or if furthercare is provided, it either has to be reported to theauthorities by the care provider or proof ofresidence has to be produced.

The European Commission should address thisfundamental rights issue rather than keeping thefocus on the distinction between regular andirregular migrants.

5 ILO, Domestic Work, Policy Brief, n. 4

6 SOLIDAR, 2011, Domestic Workers: FromModern Day Slavery to Equal Rights, p.12

7 European Union Agency for FundamentalRights (2011) “Migrants in an irregularsituation: access to healthcare in 10 EuropeanUnion Member States, p.12

8 European Union Agency for FundamentalRights “Migrants in an irregular situation:access to healthcare in 10 European UnionMember States” (2011), p.1

Resources: Briefing: Migrant DomesticWorkers: From Modern-Day Slaveryto Equal Rightshttp://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/7_report_rt_dommigworkers_4may_2011.pdf

Film: Through the Eyes of Migrants:Filipino Domestic Workers in Italyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB0BWYWqy3E&feature=player_embedded

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Migrants are stealingour jobs

3Context

The crisis continues to impact on Europeaneconomies with EU unemployment rates runningat an average of 11%, and as high as 25% in Spainand 22% in Greece9. In this situation, there is agrowing perception that Europe cannot sustainfurther immigration and that low skilled migrantsin particular should be sent back to their countriesof origin.

Europe needs more migrants

Due to demographic change, the EU will needincreased immigration in the medium andlong-term. Predictions indicate that there will beshortages of labour in several sectors includingthe health and care sectors. In the EU 27, between2008 and 2060, the population aged over 65 willincrease by 79%, while the population aged over80 is expected to increase by 181%.

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9 Eurostat, Unemployment Statistics 2012http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Unemployment_statistics

10 European Commission, Second BiennialReport on Social Services of General Interest,pp. 17-22

Resources: Briefing: Migrant Domestic Workers:From Modern-Day Slavery to Equal Rightshttp://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/7_report_rt_dommigworkers_4may_2011.pdf

Film: Through the Eyes of Migrants:Filipino Domestic Workers in Italyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB0BWYWqy3E&feature=player_embedded

The ageing of the population will increase thedemand for long-term care services, while theavailability of informal and family carers willdiminish due to changes in family structures andin European societies (increase of single-personhouseholds, growing participation of women in thelabour market, increased workforce mobility andageing of the population)10. This dilemma alsoextends to other sectors like agriculture, tourismand horticulture. As such, many employers reportthat they have trouble to fill vacant positions forseasonal work as the interest in this work sectorremains low.

While the current EU discussion is thereforefocused on attracting greater numbers of healthcareprofessionals from non-EU countries, the exampleof domestic workers (see Myth 2) shows that thisgap is increasingly closed at the expense ofmigrants’ rights. We therefore need increasedmigration to sustain the European Social Model.

Most migrantsare refugeesand asylum seekers

4The majority of migrants are forcedto leave their homes to look for work

Poverty and the lack of decent work are in fact themajor driving forces behind international migration,particularly in the developing world. In fact, 90%of total international migrants, estimated by theInternational Labour Organisation at 214 million in2010, are migrant workers and their families. Themajority of these are low skilled, seeking a moreprosperous life11.

Decent work sums up the aspirations of all peoplein their working lives – for opportunity and decentincome; labour rights, voice and recognition; andpersonal development; as well as non-discriminationincluding gender equality. A recurring statementby migrants interviewed12 was that given thechoice, they would stay in their home countriesif they could earn enough to live on and supporttheir families.

As labour migration is a prevalent form of migrationand many migrants work in precarious conditions,international labour standards have a crucial role inprotecting migrant rights. A wide range of universal

standards protecting all workers’ rights have beendeveloped, including some that specifically addressthe needs of migrant workers. At the internationallevel, the rights of migrant workers are protectednotably by promoting the ratification andimplementation of the principal internationalconventions protecting migrant workers’ rights,namely the International Convention on theProtection of the Rights of Migrant Workers andTheir Families (ICRMW), the ILO Convention 97 onMigration for Employment and ILO Convention 143(supplementary provisions) on Migrant Workers13.

None of the EU Member States has yet ratified theUN Convention on the Protection of the Rights ofMigrant Workers and Their Families, while onlyeight (Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, TheNetherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UnitedKingdom) have ratified the ILO Convention 97and only five (Cyprus, Sweden, Italy, Slovenia andPortugal) ratified the ILO Convention 143 to date14.An increased coherence of the EU’s approach tomigration policy work remains essential.

Context

It is often perceived that the majority of migrantsconsist of refugees and asylum seekers. Further-more, it is often argued that a more open migrationpolicy is prevented by the lack of common groundin policy position as well as legislation between EUMember States.

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11 ILO Decent Work Agendahttp://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_125362.pdf

12 SOLIDAR (2011): International Migration –The Search for decent work, p.4http://cms.horus.be/files/99931/MediaArchive/Migration_report_web.pdf

13 Concord (2011), Spotlight on EU PolicyCoherence for Development, pp.58-59

SOLIDAR (2011): International Migration –The Search for decent work, p.14http://cms.horus.be/files/99931/MediaArchive/Migration_report_web.pdf

14 SOLIDAR (2011): International Migration –The Search for decent work, p.14http://cms.horus.be/files/99931/MediaArchive/Migration_report_web.pdf

Resource: Case study - Through the Eyesof Migrants: the Search for Decent Work

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Money sent homeby migrantshelps development

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Context

A prevalent discussion in the context of south-south and south-north labour migration – andhighly prioritised in recent EU Communicationson migration15 – is the role of remittances, that isfunds sent by migrant workers to their dependentsin their country of origin.

Remittances sent home by migrants is considerablylarger than Official Development Assistance (ODA)and according to the World Bank figures is thesecond largest source of income for developingcountries after Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)16.They can contribute significantly to povertyreduction and shelter households at times ofpolitical or economic crisis. The Asian DevelopmentBank estimates that, in 2006, remittances kept4.3 million people out of poverty in the Philippines.They can also help stimulate the local economythrough increased consumption and even helpcreate employment17.

Remittances are no substitutefor a sustainable approachto migration and development

Global remittances are projected by the World Bankto amount to € 267.5 billion in 2011 and to increaseto € 333.5 billion in 2014. By comparison,EU Overseas Development Aid is € 53.1 billion.These remittances sent to developing countries are,however, out of necessity, often mostly spent ondaily consumption. In addition, they are veryvolatile and have been strongly affected by theglobal economic crisis, falling by 5.8% in 2009.In addition, the increased volume of remittances todeveloping countries has not kept pace with localinflation and with the ongoing current crisis. Inaddition, remittances may even often boost inflationin receiving societies as well as most importantly,dissuading governments in developing countriesfrom promoting firm provisions for welfare andsocial protection systems.

These remittances come at a high price. Migrantsface a very uncertain future in their country ofdestination. In addition, migrants often work inprecarious conditions being socially excluded anddependent on their employer in a “grey legal area”with no protection against mistreatment,as witnessed in the domestic work sector.

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15 “Improving EU support to developingcountries in mobilising Financing forDevelopment” of July 2012 and EC COM2011 (743), p. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0743:FIN:EN:PDF

16 World Bank’s Migration and DevelopmentBrief 12 (April 23, 2010):Outlook for Remittance Flows 2010-11http://go.worldbank.org/SSW3DDNLQ0

17 “Migrant Workers’ Remittances: ADevelopment Instrument in Question”European Social Watch Report 2009

Resource: Briefing: No magic wand:co-development as an integration toolhttp://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/codevelopment_en_final_version.pdf

It is only called racismby those who failto see the real problem

6Migrants cannot be blamedfor the growing social problems in the EU

Swedish journalist Per Wirten observes a “NewRacism” on the rise in Europe. One cause for thisrise of influence is a change of rhetoric and tacticsof the far rights described by Virten18 as “nationalistgroups exploiting fear and hiding behind liberalvalues to deliver a modern version of old hatred”.

This “New Racism” combines rhetoric ofdecreasing social rights, growing poverty and ideasof liberalism with a hostility to multiculturalism andmigration as well as calling for a restriction ofsocial welfare to native born persons. This isexemplified by the Dutch Freedom Party’s websitewhere people can report if they think they lost ajobs to a migrant as well as problems allegedlycaused by migrants including crime, alcoholism,drugs use, dumping household waste andprostitution.

Context

Populist and extremist political parties are gainingincreased support and are currently represented inthe parliaments of 16 EU Member States. Part oftheir success is their strategy to link migrants togeneral growing socio-economic problems.

18 Per Wirten “The New Racism“ in Europeon the borderline, Fresh Thinking No2,2011, p.11

Resource: International Migration:The Search for Decent Workhttp://solidar.org/IMG/pdf/migration_report_web.pdf

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This “taking care of our own first” rhetoric isspreading supported by many of the migrationmyths previously discussed. We are currentlywitnessing a growing mainstreaming of anti-immigration policies with more moderate forcesand political parties increasingly employing arhetoric of scepticism towards migration.

Migrants’ rights are human rights. Furthermore,migration is a solution not a cause of the growingsocial problems in Europe. Thus, promoting racismand xenophobia under the guise of aiming toprotect the social rights of the native bornpopulation distracts from crucial facts.

As soonas migrants arrive,they sendfor their familiesto join them

Context

A common misconception is that migrants aimto establish residence in Europe and thensubsequently bring their family over. This is seenas a way to maximise the use of the social welfaresystem to the migrant’s advantage.

Family reunification is a fundamental right

Even though the right to family reunification is ahuman right as recognised in multiple internationalstandards19 and a European Directive20, a 2008evaluation report of European Commissionobserved that deficiencies exist in theimplementation of the EU Directive by EU MemberStates21.

What is more, several obstacles persist22 to familyreunification, for instance, resource and housingrequirements, high fees and complicateddocumentation requirements as well as longwaiting periods. Furthermore, the age of overeighteen years of age to be eligible for familyreunification undermines the right of access forchildren.

A true rights-based approach to migration mustensure the right to family reunification in line withhuman rights instruments.

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19 Article 8 of the European Convention onHuman Rights and Article 7 of the EU Charterof Fundamental Rights stipulate thefundamental right for family reunification.

20 Article 4(1) European Directive on FamilyReunification of 2003 recognises the right tofamily reunification of “core family members(spouse and minor children)” and sets theright minimum standards by guaranteeing theeffective right to family life and familyreunification for all migrants andbeneficiaries of international protection.

21 http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0610:FIN:EN:PDF

22 Observed in a 2011 Report of the EUFundamental Rights Agency (SOLIDARITY -Fundamental rights of migrants in anirregular situation in the European Union,Fundamental Rights Agency, 2011,pp.-100-102) and a joint statement ofSOLIDAR and 74 other European NGOsin May 2012http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/FRA_2011_Migrants_in_an_irregular_situation_EN.pdf

Family Reunification – 75 NGOs Statement,31 May 2012http://www.ecre.org/component/content/article/56-ecre-actions/289-more-than-70-ngos-have-called-on-the-member-states-and-the-european-commission-to-safeguard-the-family-life-of-migrants-and-refugees.html

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“Decent Work for All! Making Migration work forDevelopment” is a three-year project (2010-2013)which aims to raise awareness among Europeancitizens and policy-makers about the links betweendevelopment, migration and decent work; as wellas the need to guarantee equal basic rights forall workers in the EU, irrespective of their originor legal status.

SOLIDAR is carrying out this project with sevenmember organisations: ADO SAH ROM (Romania),Czech Council on Foreign Relations (CzechRepublic), ISCOD (Spain), ISCOS (Italy), SolidaritéLaïque (France), Pour la Solidarité (Belgium) andProgetto Sviluppo (Italy).

Find out more on www.solidar.org

About the project

Author: Michael OberreuterResponsible Editor: Conny ReuterProject Coordinator: Michael OberreuterPublication Coordination: Abigail Goundry

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This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The content of this publicationis the sole responsibility of SOLIDAR and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

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