Migration und Migrationspolitik in Luxemburg

Learning material (2023)

Luxemburg hat eine lange Geschichte der Einwanderung. Heute sind fast die Hälfte der Bevölkerung des Landes ausländische Staatsangehörige – meist aus anderen EU-Mitgliedstaaten.

The phenomenology of ‘vulnerable’ refugees: subjective experiences at the intersection between the individual and the structural

Scientific Conference (2023, July 05)

The notion of vulnerability permeates current public discourses, political debates and policy instruments around migration and international protection. In this context, vulnerability can be seen as ... [more ▼]

The notion of vulnerability permeates current public discourses, political debates and policy instruments around migration and international protection. In this context, vulnerability can be seen as another policy category part of the ‘migration apparatus’, which is often treated as a trait of an individual or group based on physical or innate characteristics (such as disability) or situations encountered in the country of origin or transit (such as experiences of violence) (Flegar, 2018). On one hand, some scholars have criticised such individualization of vulnerability, calling attention to the socio-political structures of inequality and exclusion which produce conditions of structural vulnerability (Brown et al., 2017). On the other hand, others criticised the reifying and normalizing effect of the vulnerability label, calling attention to the heterogeneous experiences and the agentic power of the individuals within the labelled group (Clark, 2007). The current paper proposes to contribute to this debate by exploring how the individual and the structural meet in the subjective experiences of young migrants, who may be categorized as vulnerable. Drawing from 15 semi-structured interviews with young adults who received refugee status but still lived in temporary reception centres in Luxembourg, conducted in the framework of the H2020 project MIMY, this study aims to reflexively engage with the vulnerability category by capturing their subjective understandings and experiences. The results of the thematic analysis illustrate the different ways in which our participants interpret, emotionally process, and negotiate the tension and ambivalence between structural inequalities, contingent challenges, and personal goals in building their lives in Luxembourg. [less ▲]

Thinking with the hands: LEGO® Serious Play® a game-based tool to empower young migrants integrating

in Migration Letters (2023), 20(3), 443452

In recent years, various low-threshold and often creative methods and tools have been developed, considering the specific requirements of vulnerable persons to explore their identities, experiences ... [more ▼]

In recent years, various low-threshold and often creative methods and tools have been developed, considering the specific requirements of vulnerable persons to explore their identities, experiences, knowledge, opinions and needs. The idea of LEGO® Serious Play® is based on play pedagogy. Playing allows to distance oneself from everyday life by sliding into a world of imaginations, ideas and utopias while concurrently keeping the ties to reality (Heimlich, 2015). LEGO® Serious Play® uses metaphors to enable participants to express playfully their thoughts and ideas. As the building process with Lego bricks is physical and haptic, LEGO® Serious Play® is a low-threshold method to work with vulnerable groups (Cavaliero, 2017). The following article will concentrate on the use of LEGO® Serious Play® as creative exploration method and its possibilities and limitations when used to empower young migrants in vulnerable conditions in the Germany and Luxembourg in the H2020 research project MIMY. [less ▲]

The Vulnerability of Young Refugees Living in Reception Centres in Luxembourg: An Overview of Conditions and Experiences across Subjective Temporal Imaginaries

in Social Sciences (2023), 12(02),

Vulnerability has become a key concept in discourses and policies on international protection and reception of refugees. In this context, the notion has been described as a tool to provide special ... [more ▼]

Vulnerability has become a key concept in discourses and policies on international protection and reception of refugees. In this context, the notion has been described as a tool to provide special provisions to groups at higher risk or one to perpetuate political agendas within increasingly hostile reception systems. However, vulnerability as an analytical concept has received less attention, with both policymakers and scholars often employing different conceptualisations of vulnerability or treating it as a self-explanatory condition. Building on a previous conceptual elaboration, this paper sets out to apply an understanding of vulnerability as multi-layered, dynamic and embedded in a study of the lived experiences of a group of potentially ‘vulnerable’ migrants, based on ‘fixed’ contextual criteria. Drawing from in-depth interviews with young adults who obtained refugee status in Luxembourg but still live in ‘temporary’ reception centres, this paper provides a wide analytical overview of the conditions of vulnerability encountered by this specific group of migrants, in the process of building their lives in a new country. Following the participants’ subjective temporal imaginaries of past, present and future, the analysis highlights and problematises conditions of structural, situational and experiential vulnerability emerging from their accounts and experiences, and discusses their possible implications. [less ▲]

Rapport de Synthèse sur les restrictions et obstacles injustifiés au droit à la libre circulation ou sur la discrimination fondée sur la nationalité à l’encontre des travailleur·ses issu·es de l’Union Européenne et des membres de leur famille

Report (2023)

Migration Internationale au Luxembourg: Système d'observation permanente des migrations OCDE

Report (2022)

Le Luxembourg reste un pays attractif à l’immigration. Entre 2021 et 2022, la population luxembourgeoise a continué d’augmenter, passant de 634.730 à 645.397 habitants (+1,7%), ce qui représente une ... [more ▼]

Le Luxembourg reste un pays attractif à l’immigration. Entre 2021 et 2022, la population luxembourgeoise a continué d’augmenter, passant de 634.730 à 645.397 habitants (+1,7%), ce qui représente une hausse supérieure à l'année précédente mais toujours plus faible qu’avant la pandémie. Cette augmentation est principalement due à l'immigration nette (+9.376). La part luxembourgeoise représente 52,9% de la population et les ressortissants étrangers 47,1%. L’année 2021 a vu une augmentation importante de 27,6% du nombre de titres de séjour délivrés par rapport à l’année précédente, et même de 6,9% par rapport à 2019. Le titre de séjour le plus fréquemment délivré reste celui de « membre de famille ». Le nombre total de visas accordés dépasse de 13,1% celui de 2020, mais reste inférieur de 45,2% à celui de l’année de 2019. La politique en matière d’immigration et d’asile en 2021 et au premier semestre 2022 a été particulièrement impactée par les répercussions chroniques de la pandémie COVID-19, mais aussi par les contrecoups de la guerre en Ukraine. L'évolution dynamique de la pandémie COVID-19 a nécessité de multiples adaptations des mesures sanitaires. Le gouvernement luxembourgeois a notamment modifié à plusieurs reprises la liste des pays tiers sûrs dont les ressortissants sont autorisés à entrer au Luxembourg ainsi que la liste des pays dont le Luxembourg accepte les certificats de vaccination. Par ailleurs, la loi du 30 juillet 2021 modifiant la loi sur la nationalité a étendu le délai pour un candidat au recouvrement de la nationalité luxembourgeoise pour souscrire la déclaration de recouvrement auprès de l'officier d'état civil jusqu’au 31 décembre 2022. Suite à l'afflux massif de personnes déplacées en provenance d’Ukraine, provoqué par l'invasion de l'Ukraine par la Russie le 24 février 2022, la directive sur la protection temporaire a été déclenchée pour la première fois. Fin juin 2022, 4.175 personnes au total ont obtenu le statut de la protection temporaire au Luxembourg. Considérant l’accès au marché du travail des bénéficiaires de protection temporaire, le Conseil de gouvernement a précisé que les personnes jouiront d’un accès direct, sans test du marché. Par ailleurs, la politique en matière d’immigration a été impactée par les conséquences de la prise de pouvoir par les Taliban en août 2021. Jusqu’à la fin de l'année 2021, le Luxembourg a évacué au total 45 ressortissants afghans en étroite collaboration avec les pays de Benelux. De plus, un engagement de 90 admissions humanitaires a été pris dans le cadre de l'exercice d'engagement étendu pour les ressortissants afghans pour les années 2021 et 2022. Dans ce contexte, le Luxembourg a temporairement suspendu certaines décisions concernant les demandes de protection internationale de ressortissants afghans au niveau ministériel et devant les juridictions administratives. Outre les développements susmentionnés, certaines évolutions législatives sont également à considérer entre janvier 2021 et juin 2022. Au regard de la Loi sur l’immigration, la loi du 16 juin 2021 modifie certaines dispositions relatives aux stagiaires, à la prise en charge d’un ressortissant de pays tiers, au regroupement familial, aux travailleurs transférés intragroupe, ainsi que certaines simplifications pour la délivrance de certains documents de séjour. En outre, le projet de loi n°7954 propose de structurer de manière claire et cohérente les différentes catégories de mesures d’éloignement. D’ailleurs, le projet propose des précisions au niveau de l’autorisation de séjour pour raisons privées. Concernant la protection internationale, la loi du 16 juin 2021 modifie la loi sur l’asile en modifiant la procédure de recours contre une décision de transfert Dublin en introduisant des voies de recours extraordinaires contre une décision de clôture définitive et contre une décision de retrait. De même, il s’agit d’élargir le champ du personnel policier autorisé à procéder aux vérifications dans le contexte d’une demande de protection internationale. Par ailleurs, le projet de loi n°8014 portant modification de la loi sur l’asile vise à matérialiser des modifications quant à la sauvegarde des droits des demandeurs de protection internationale. À partir du 1er janvier 2021, l'ONA a transformé son système d’accueil, comprenant initialement trois phases, à un système à deux phases et introduit une nouvelle terminologie pour les types de structures d’hébergement. Pour faciliter la participation des ressortissants étrangers aux élections communales, la loi du 22 juillet 2022 portant modification de la loi électorale abolit la clause de résidence de cinq ans pour les ressortissants étrangers désireux de s'inscrire sur les listes électorales pour les élections communales et prolonge le délai pour s'inscrire sur lesdites listes. Début 2021, le nouveau « Pakt vum Zesummeliewen » a remplacé le « Plan communal intégration » afin de stimuler un processus d'intégration plus dynamique et pluriannuel au niveau communal. Dans le contexte de la révision de la loi sur l'intégration actuellement en cours, de multiples consultations d’acteurs sociétaux ont été réalisées. D’ailleurs, le Département de l’intégration, en collaboration avec des experts de l'OCDE, ont présenté une étude de l'OCDE sur le fonctionnement du système d’intégration au Luxembourg. [less ▲]

Research note: Ukrainian Refugee Crisis Tests Luxembourg’s Humanitarian and Integration Policy

Diverse speeches and writings (2022)

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions have contributed to accelerating the rise in commodity prices (including energy), triggering inflation, and exacerbating instability in an already ... [more ▼]

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions have contributed to accelerating the rise in commodity prices (including energy), triggering inflation, and exacerbating instability in an already convalescent Europe. The war has also sparked a massive refugee crisis, the most impressive in speed and size since World War II, whose economic impact is likely to be significant. As of mid-May, the stock of Ukrainian refugees who have fled their country due to the Russian invasion slightly exceeded 6 million, and some 8 million more were displaced internally.1 This refugee crisis imposes huge stress on the humanitarian protection regime and reception capacity of most European countries. This is not only the case in frontline countries such as Poland (3.3 million), Romania (0.9 million), Hungary (0.6 million) or Moldova (0.5 million), but also in other EU member states where the numbers of arrivals has almost reached (and sometimes exceeds) the levels of the 2015-16 refugee crisis in two months only. As of early May, the stocks have risen to 610 thousand in Germany, 70 thousand in France, 40 thousand in Belgium and 5 thousand in Luxembourg. These numbers are likely to grow in the coming weeks, as the war is far from over. [less ▲]

Annual Report on Migration and Asylum 2021 – Luxembourg

Report (2022)

The Annual Report on Migration and Asylum presents the statistical trends and developments in migration, asylum and integration, changes in legislation or policies, and it traces significant national ... [more ▼]

The Annual Report on Migration and Asylum presents the statistical trends and developments in migration, asylum and integration, changes in legislation or policies, and it traces significant national debates, which occurred in Luxembourg during the year 2021. Several of the most notable changes and debates in Luxembourg during the year of 2021 were of legislative nature: The Law of 16 June 2021 amending the Immigration Law entered into force on 5 July 2021. This law changes the legislation on immigration, by lightening the administrative burden for third-country nationals, and by altering certain provisions relating to intra-corporate transferees, trainees and family reunification. The Law of 16 June 2021 amending the Asylum Law entered into force on 5 July 2021. This law modifies the remedies available to applicants for international protection (AIPs). It increases their effectiveness and guarantees maximum legal certainty in the context of transfers under the Dublin Regulation, as well as in the case of final decisions to close proceedings on an application for international protection and of decisions to withdraw international protection. Bill 7844 was introduced to Parliament on 15 June 2021 to amend the amended Law of 8 March 2017 on Luxembourgish Nationality (hereinafter Nationality Law) and entered into force on 22 August as the Law of 30 July 2021. According to the Nationality Law, a candidate (a direct line descendant of a Luxembourg ancestor) for the recovery of Luxembourgish nationality must start to (re)claim her/his Luxembourg nationality before the registrar before 31 December 2022. In 2021, three noteworthy bills were introduced to parliament with their legislative procedure still ongoing at the time of writing.On 2 September 2021, the government introduced to Parliament Bill 7877, intending to amend the amended Electoral Law of 18 February 2003, hereinafter the Electoral Law. This bill intends to support political participation of the steadily growing number of non-Luxembourgish residents and it foresees the abolishment of the 5-year residency clause on active and passive voting rights for EU- and non-EU citizens residing in Luxembourg. Further, the date of closure for the registration on the electoral list before the elections for non-Luxembourg citizens to register on the municipal electoral rolls would be reduced from 87 days to 55 days. On 26 November 2021, the Government Council approved a bill proposing to amend the Immigration Law. This bill aims to ensure a more effective management of the removal of third-country nationals illegally residing on the territory by structuring the different categories of removal measures (mesures d’éloignement) in a clear and coherent way. On 19 January 2022 this bill was introduced to Parliament as Bill 7954. Bill 7881 on the exchange of information relating to nationals of countries outside the European Union as well as the European Criminal Records Information System (ECRIS) was introduced to Parliament on 10 September 2021. This system will make it possible to search for entries in the criminal records of third-country nationals against which court decisions have been issued by the criminal courts of other EU Member States. Several developments occurred with respect to integration in 2021. As already noted in the 2020 Annual Report on Migration and Asylum of the EMN Luxembourg, the Government plans to reform the amended Law of 16 December 2008 on the reception and integration of foreigners. Initial accompanying consultations have already been solicited in 2020 and this process continued in 2021. Multiple consultations with stakeholders from civil society, social partners and the municipalities took place and, in this context, the OECD-study “Towards a successful integration process: The functioning of the integration system and its actors in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg” was published on 25 November 2021. At the beginning of 2021, the Pact of Living Together (Pakt vum Zesummeliewen – PvZ) replaced the Communal Integration Plan (PCI) to create a more dynamic and multi-year integration process for a stronger inclusion of Luxembourg’s municipalities. Continuing education for Luxembourg residents has been made more accessible and additional courses, which are tailored to AIPs and beneficiaries of international protection (BIPs), have been included into the training portfolio of the Adult Education Service (SFA). Luxembourg has initiated the planning process of extending its current public health care system. It is foreseen to offer vulnerable population groups, who have not been covered to date, low-threshold easy access to health care. Further, Luxembourg has been reacting on the changing situation in Afghanistan since the takeover of power by the Taliban in August 2021. Luxembourg has halted decisions on applications for international protection by Afghans until sufficient reliable information will be available. Between the takeover of power through the Taliban in August until the end of 2021, 71 Afghan nationals have been granted international protection. This includes 45 Afghan nationals evacuated from Afghanistan. Luxembourg has further committed to resettle additional people. While the year 2021 continued to be marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, several important developments, such as the availability of vaccines and rapid tests, did redirect pandemic activity on to different paths than in 2020. The focus lay on testing as well as on getting everyone in Luxembourg, including AIPs and persons in a situation of irregular stay, vaccinated. Yet, Luxembourg’s only external border, that is Luxembourg’s international airport, remained closed for third-country nationals. Luxembourg’s entry regulations, which were adjusted multiple times and in a dynamic fashion in line with the evolution of the pandemic, however, created several exemptions that allowed for the entry of certain third-country nationals. As of 22 December 2021, this border closure was extended from 31 December 2021 to 31 March 2022 by means of Grand Ducal Regulation. For more information, please consult the attached report. [less ▲]

Interpretation and distinction between labour exploitation in the context of trafficking in human beings and particularly exploitative working conditions under the Employers Sanctions Directive

Report (2022)

The aim of this EMN Luxembourg inform is to map the Member States’ legislative and procedural frameworks with regards to the interpretation and distinction between “labour exploitation” which can be ... [more ▼]

The aim of this EMN Luxembourg inform is to map the Member States’ legislative and procedural frameworks with regards to the interpretation and distinction between “labour exploitation” which can be considered as trafficking in human beings covered by the Anti-trafficking Directive (Directive 2011/36/EU) and “particularly exploitative working conditions” under the Employers Sanctions Directive (Directive 2009/52/EC). [less ▲]

Locational Choice and Secondary Movements from the Perspective of Forced Migrants: A Comparison of the Destinations Luxembourg and Germany

in Comparative Population Studies (2022), 47

In 2015 and 2016, the enormous increase in asylum seekers travelling along the Balkan Route confronted the Member States of the European Union with an exceptional pressure on national asylum systems ... [more ▼]

In 2015 and 2016, the enormous increase in asylum seekers travelling along the Balkan Route confronted the Member States of the European Union with an exceptional pressure on national asylum systems. Since then academic literature has revealed a reappraisal of the Common European Asylum System at regulative and policy implementation level, notably regarding the fair distribution of asylum seekers across Member States and regions. Yet we know very little about the locational choices of forced migrants or how those choices evolved and transformed during their journey. In this paper, we aim to shed light on those decision-making processes and (individual, subjective) locational choices based on the aspiration-ability model, drawing from a series of qualitative interviews with migrants held in Luxembourg and Germany in the context of the H2020 project CEASEVAL. We focus on the migrants’ journeys to their actual recipient countries, highlighting mobility trajectories from the moment of fi rst departure and on the process of decision-making regarding their choice of location. Then, we examine further mobility aspirations, which may lead to secondary mobility within or out of the country of residence. In the concluding section, we discuss the consequences of our fi ndings for migration and asylum politics against the background of the “autonomy of migration” framework. [less ▲]