Immigration Portal

Summary

Building the EU Immigration Portal: The European Commision Web Portal on Immigration

The EU Immigration Portal serves as a first point of entry to reliable, practical and understandable information on immigration issues. It provides useful and practical basic information and gives rapid and direct access to relevant external websites for further details

Description

Immigration is receiving a lot of attention across Europe. The EU 2004 Hague Programme and many other policy papers call for sharing information on legal routes to migrate to Europe. To that end an EU Immigration Portal is being created.

The European Commission’s Directorate General for Justice, Freedom and Security commissioned Unisys and the Migration Policy Group to develop and manage the Immigration Portal during the next 2 years, with Bilbomática.

Beneficiaries

The EU Immigration Portal is addressed to prospective migrants and migrants’ intermediary organisations wishing to obtain information on migration to the European Union.

The Portal will help them to:

• Get direct and rapid access to practical information
  
• Find their way in the complex world of European admission rules and procedures
  
• Identify job and study opportunities
  
• Be informed on the risks of irregular migration
  
• Be rapidly informed on specific immigration issues
  
• Benefit from a vast stakeholder directory

The Immigration Portal will also be useful to:

• Immigration authorities
  
• Immigration law experts
  
• Employment services
  
• National authorities
  
• Civil society
  
• The public at large

Content of the Portal

The information will appear in two languages, English and French, and will cover the following areas:

1. EU and national immigration policies and law

The Portal will summarise the often complex European and national immigration rules and procedures. The EU and national approaches will be explained by showing who is responsible for what.

This section will also give information on EU migration policies: EC legislation, bilateral or multilateral agreements such as the European Economic Area agreement, migration and development, integration, visa requirements, with links to relevant third websites. Country information sheets will provide information on key institutional elements such as the responsible ministries and authorities, national legislation, policy programme and action for all Member states.

2. Admission of third-country nationals

The Portal will help users to identify immigration opportunities by providing direct links to:

• EURES, the European Job Mobility portal
  
• EURAXESS, the Researchers’ European portal
  
• Study-in-Europe, the Students portal
  
• The European Web Site on Integration
• The European Migration Network
  
• Others
  

On the Portal, users will also find basic information and direct links to national websites containing information on admission rules and procedures for:

• Workers (employed-workers, self-employed workers, highly-skilled workers, seasonal workers and other categories of workers)
  
• Students
  
• Researchers
  
• Family members

3. Risks of irregular migration

The Portal will give factual and non-sensational information on the risks of irregular immigration such as trafficking, smuggling and detention, readmission and return policies.

4. Stakeholder Directory

A stakeholder directory will be created to facilitate the search for further relevant information and to stimulate co‐operation among stakeholders. The Directory will refer to:

• EU institutions
  
• National ministries in Member States and third countries
  
• Implementing authorities
  
• Employment agencies
  
• Non‐Governmental Organisations
  
• Migrants’ organisations
  
• Diaspora organisations
  
• Training institutions
  
• International institutions
  

Wide Stakeholder Consultation

Consultations with key stakeholders will gather the input of key stakeholders on migrants’ needs, the content of the Portal, its functionalities and a promotion strategy.

Consultations will take place, involving:

• The European Commission and its networks of governmental experts
  
• Member States
  
• EESC as a joint platform for social partners, third sector and governments
  
• Brussels‐based Secretariats of country groupings such as ACP (Africa‐Caribbean Pacific)
  
• International organisations
  
• Stakeholders in countries of origin, transit and destination
  
• Associations of migrants and Diaspora organisations
  
• Migrants’ support organisations
  
• European academic network
  
• Immigration law practitioners
  
• Civil society