Intensive public debates have erupted about integration of immigrants in Europe. The influx of refugees from the middle east during the summer and autumn of 2015, the increasing visibility of immigrants throughout European societies, but also the widely publicized occurrences on New Year’s eve in Cologne…

On Friday 6 October 2023, Peter Rodrigues delivered his farewell lecture ‘Ongelijkheidscompensatie in het vreemdelingenrecht’ (inequality compensation in immigration law).

On Friday 23 November 2018 the Institute of Immigration Law and the Department of Child Law (both Leiden University) will organize an international conference on ‘Safeguarding children’s rights in immigration law’ at Leiden Law School.

The Scientific Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) has commissioned the Institute of Immigration Law to evaluate the Modern Migration Policy Act. The purpose of this law was to develop a modern, selective and innovative admission policy for legal migration, which is welcoming for economically desirable…

On behalf of the Dutch Research and Documentation Centre (WODC), Mark Klaassen and Peter Rodrigues, both from the Europa Institute, conducted research on the procedure of imposing immigration detention on foreign nationals who have to return to their country of origin.

The new Dutch cabinet aims to reduce the number of asylum seeks coming to the Netherlands by introducing a number of asylum policy measures. Dr Mark Klaassen, Assistant Professor of Immigration Law, discusses this in Dutch daily newspaper 'de Telegraaf'.

This month the first edition of the new periodical Crimmigratie & Recht (Crimmigration & Law) has appeared. Peter Rodrigues is a member of the board of editors of this journal.

Mark Klaassen, assistant professor at the Institute of Immigration Law, has been appointed as a committee member in the Advisory Committee on Migration Affairs.

We are seeking papers to be presented at the DAMR Fall Conference on the topic of unaccompanied minors in the European Union. The conference will take place on Wednesday 23 November 2022 at Leiden University.

Since August 2020, Vasco has been living in a shelter for the homeless in Leiden, because he has no job and receives no social security benefits. He has no idea how long this will go on for. ‘I’m stuck in a vacuum. Because I don’t have a passport, I can’t register in Leiden, so I can’t get health insurance…

Mariana Gkliati recently published a paper on the accountability of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, co-authored with Herbert Rosenfeldt.

Moritz Jesse, Associate Professor at the Europa Institute Leiden, was a speaker at the International Conference European Constitutionalism And the Virus of Distrust Conference, which took place on 27 and 28 April in Prague. The Conference brought together academics from all over the European Union to…

Dutch coalition parties VVD and CDA want to tighten asylum policy and have launched a plan to grant two types of statuses to refugees. They also intend to partially restrict the right to family reunification. However, this plan is facing strong opposition. With the proposal, the government can expect…

Europa Institute staff members Jorrit Rijpma, Melanie Fink and Kristof Gombeer participated last week in the Odysseus Network’s Summer School on EU Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy (Brussels, 2-13 July).

The Dublin claim determines which country of the European Union is responsible for processing the asylum application of a particular asylum seeker. In general, the first country in Europe where the asylum seeker arrives or transits is responsible for processing the asylum application. It is also possible…

VVD party members last week voted in favour of the new distribution law, which could oblige municipalities to accommodate asylum seekers. This happened after Prime Minister Rutte pledged to work on curbing the influx of asylum seekers. To what extent can he deliver on that promise?

Yvonne ten Cate (supervisor: Peter Rodrigues, and Marije Meijer (supervisor: Mark Klaassen) were both nominated for the Jaap Doek Scriptieprijs – an award for the best master thesis in the field of children’s rights – and the Hanneke Steenbergen Scriptieprijs – an award for the best master thesis in…

The asylum seekers’ centres in Hengelo, Almelo and Schalkhaar caused little or no nuisance in recent years. There have been hardly any incidents, according to information received by Dutch regional TV channel RTV Oost. However, Maarten Offinga, Mayor of Hardenberg, sounded the alarm with the state secretary…

The way age is determined by the IND is being questioned as a result of several court rulings. The problem is that it is difficult to determine whether a young asylum seeker is just over or under the age of 18. So far there is no suitable way to determine exactly how old someone is, Mark Klaassen, associate…

A controversial comment made by Mona Keijzer of the Dutch BBB party (Farmer-Citizen Movement) calling for the return of Ukrainian refugees and Ukrainian conscription-age men to safe areas of Ukraine has sparked fierce criticism. Mark Klaassen, Associate Professor of Immigration Law and a member of the…

Mariana Gkliati co-organised and chaired on 14 September a PhD Masterclass with the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Agnès Callamard.

Mariana was recently interviewed by the New Humanitarian about data protection issues regarding the involvement of Frontex in Niger.

Italy recently struck a deal with Albania to accommodate thousands of boat migrants in two reception centres in Albania. Is this not contrary to asylum law? Mark Klaassen, Assistant Professor in immigration law comments in a Dutch RTL news article.

As a lawyer, how can you contribute to ensuring that the best interests of the child play a greater role in immigration law? That question was the topic of asylum lawyer Bart Toemen's guest lecture in the course ‘Kind en migratie’ (child and migration), given in the master’s programme ‘Jeugdrecht’ (Child…

Dr. Moritz Jesse, Associate Professor at the Europa Institute, presented his paper ‘Building Bridges or Erecting Walls? – The Application of Equal Treatment and Non-Discrimination in Europe ‘ at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association.

During the four-day meeting (25-28 February) organised by AEGEE-Leiden Peter Rodrigues - Professor of Immigration Law -was invited to speak about the refugee crisis for 300 international students.

From 11 to 21 June 2019 eleven students took part on the Honours summer course Dilemma’s in het migratierecht (Dilemmas in migration law).

Municipalities are becoming more and more selective when it comes to the nationality, age and sex of the asylum seekers they are willing to take in. This is the outcome of an investigation by Dutch newspaper NRC. And the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) agrees with the results.…

Rodrigues was asked to comment on the intention of certain Dutch political parties to examine whether the Netherlands, together with Denmark, could accommodate asylum seekers outside the EU, possibly in Rwanda.