The outbreak of COVID-19 and the substantial measures taken by EU and OECD countries to stem the spread of the virus are having direct and indirect impacts on the migration field. While the long-term consequences are difficult to predict, the immediate impacts are already visible, for example, where the processing of applications for visas and residence permits has in many cases been hindered or suspended, with consequences for those migrants already in the country. In addition, the abrupt downturn in economic activity has had a significant impact across many sectors, with workers facing unemployment or reduced or lost incomes, and for third-country national workers, this could have an impact on the renewal and/or maintenance of their work and residence permits.
This joint EMN – OECD Inform reports on measures implemented due to the COVID-19 crisis in the fields of residence permits and unemployment in EU and OECD countries, between March and June 2020. For EU countries, it reports on measures that were applied to third-country nationals with a regular status, already residing in the country. Irregularly staying migrants were not included in the scope of this Inform, except for the issue of access to COVID-19 related emergency
healthcare services.
This Inform is part of a series of Informs addressing further topics exploring the impact of COVID-19 in the migration area. These include other topics such as:
- impact on international students;
- maintaining key legal migration flows in times of pandemic;
- reduction or loss of remittances;
- and impact on return procedures.
See also; –
