One durable solution to resolve displacement situations is through resettlement in a third country (see Solutions for displacement). As resettlement is limited to less than 1 per cent of the total number of recognized refugees globally, States may consider expanding safe and regulated complementary pathways for displaced populations. These pathways are not substitute for the protection afforded under international law, but rather form part of a progressive approach that allows greater enjoyment of rights while protection needs are being met.
Complementary pathways may take many forms. Migrants can be admitted into receiving countries under a number of different programmes, including humanitarian visas, family reunification, private sponsorship and education (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR], 2019). In addition to these schemes, labour mobility is increasingly being explored as an additional option for migrants who are compelled to leave their country of origin, require international protection or are in vulnerable situations.
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Source
IOM, 2014.
Enabling access to local labour markets can reduce migrants’ dependency on humanitarian aid, at the same time as it develops local economies and markets in the receiving countries or communities and third countries alike, by capitalizing on newly available labour resources and increased demand. As such, sponsorship schemes can help migrants avoid irregular entry and work, while enabling a safe regular passage and providing tangible opportunities, particularly for highly skilled refugees.
Such labour mobility schemes require proper monitoring with regards to their selectivity. As the use of these schemes for safe and legal passages are increasing, monitoring mechanism needs to be in place to make sure that those with skills, kindship or other networks are not being privileged at the expense of the most vulnerable. On the one hand, the terms of access to labour market for refugees and other forcibly displaced persons are determined by countries of destinations and consequently are not subject to binding international norms. On the other hand, however, multilateral policy standards have been under development recently, such as the Global Compact on Refugees and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Guiding principles, calling for equitable sharing of responsibility and recommending that high-income countries take in more refugees as migrant workers.
Good Practice
Refugee sponsorship schemes
In recent years there has been a proliferation of private or community sponsorship schemes for refugees, including in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. While the scale of each scheme varies – from a few hundred to a few thousand beneficiaries – the overarching idea is similar: to recognize and offer business sponsorships for skilled refugees. As well as organizations, the sponsors are often private citizens and permanent residents, often representing employers, faith-based groups or cultural groups, and they provide financial and settlement support for eligible refugees they sponsor, on top of assisted government programmes. Refugees who meet relevant criteria and are sponsored by an approved community may be granted permanent residence.
Source
Triandafyllidou et al., 2019.