Toronto, June 29, 2023 – The Migrant Rights Network – Canada’s largest migrant-led coalition – welcomes the call by Felipe González Morales, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants at the Human Rights Council this week, urging countries to create regularization (permanent resident status) programs for undocumented migrants and provide more supports to migrant workers.
Releasing his much-awaited final report at the end of his tenure, Mr Morales insisted that “Regularization is a tool of protection and inclusion that benefits migrants, their families, destination countries and communities. States must provide options for permanent residence, citizenship and meaningful participation of migrants in host societies.”
The report, issued after a year-long study, outlines the reasons that migrants become undocumented, the impacts of living without status and the specific criteria regularization programs must meet, all of which are in line with the recommendations of Migrant Rights Network. In December 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to ensure permanent resident status for undocumented migrants, and for migrant students and workers. The third Parliamentary session since this promise ended this June without any action or announcement.
“For decades now, undocumented migrants and their organizations have called for regularization as the single-most effective policy program to ensure rights and justice for undocumented migrants, over 500 civil society organizations have joined us, now the United Nations is adding their voice, what more will it take for Prime Minister Trudeau to do the right thing?”, asked Syed Hussan, Migrant Rights Network Secretariat. “We call on Prime Minister Trudeau to ensure permanent resident status for all undocumented people, migrant workers, students and families without delay.”
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants report noted that “Regularization serves as a first step towards concrete economic and social integration for migrants in their destination countries and communities. In economic terms, regularization allows migrants to obtain formal employment, undertake entrepreneurial ventures, establish small businesses, pursue self employment and exercise their capacity for innovation. Regarding social rights, obtaining regular status also allows migrants to access social security protection systems as, in some countries, universal health care is limited to emergency treatment and the schooling available to migrant children with irregular status is limited to primary education; migrants in regular situations enjoy greater access to health-care systems and education” (Paragraph #44)
The top-recommendation of the report is that “The Special Rapporteur concludes that through human rights-based, gender responsive pathways for regular migration and for the regularization of undocumented migrants, States must provide options for permanent residence, citizenship and meaningful participation in civic life to facilitate social and family integration.”
Mr Felipe further recommends that States must “provide more flexibility to ensure that the rights and residence status of migrants are not tied to one employer” so as to ensure that migrants do not become undocumented.
Background
- Read the full report here: https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G23/075/40/PDF/G2307540.pdf?OpenElement
- Read the UN’s press release here: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/06/states-must-broaden-pathways-regularisation-migrants-un-expert
- Watch a video of the presentation by the Special Rapporteur: https://twitter.com/UN_HRC/status/1673341847069134848
- Migrant Rights Network’s proposal for regularization: https://migrantrights.ca/resources/regularization-in-canada/
Media Contact
Syed Hussan, hussan@migrantworkersalliance.org