As detailed in Analycal Snapshot #23, nearly all countries worldwide have enforced travel/movement re-
stricons in an eort to contain the spread of COVID-19. Measures such as border closures, curfews and
internal lockdowns have had wide-ranging implicaons for both internal and internaonal migrants, leaving
many unable to return to their countries/areas of origin or to reach their intended desnaons.
COVID-19 Analycal Snapshot #26 : Stranded migrants
Understanding the migraon & mobility implicaons of COVID-19
Unable to return home
Many migrant workers in dierent parts of the world are unable to return home, stuck in their coun-
tries/areas of work without employment. With lile or no assistance from their countries of origin or
desnaon, thousands are stranded in crowded, squalid living environments, pung them at a higher
risk of contracng COVID-19.
Migrants in Gulf States, who make up signicant proporons of several countries’ populaons, are
already disproporonately aected by the pandemic. Nepal put a stop to all cizens returning
home, leaving the many Nepalese workers in Gulf States trapped. India also recently halted the
repatriaon of its cizens from the Gulf. But some desnaon countries, such as Kuwait and Bah-
rain, are conducng repatriaon ights in coordinaon with some countries of origin.
For aspiring labour migrants and those who had gone back to their countries of origin to process
their documents, border closures mean they are stuck in their countries of origin without work
and at risk of becoming indebted.
Internaonal migrant workers are not the only ones aected by travel restricons and lockdowns;
internal labour migrants in countries such as India have been stuck in cies and industrial areas
without work or income since the country’s lockdown came into force. Millions of people in India
migrate from rural areas in search of work, with many ending up in a range of sectors, such as do-
mesc work, construcon, transportaon, among others. Some Indian states, such as Uar Pra-
desh, have recently sent buses to return stranded migrant workers.
These COVID-19 Analycal Snapshots are designed to capture the latest informaon and analysis in a
fast-moving environment. Topics will be repeated from me to me as analysis develops.
If you have an item to include, please email us at rese[email protected].
29 April 2020
Visa extensions for stranded migrants
To help migrants cope with the current travel restricons, including lockdown measures and border clo-
sures, several countries have granted visa/permit renewals, extensions or temporary amnesty. For exam-
ple, Thailand has implemented a 3-month extension unl end of July to foreigners holding all types of non
-immigrant visas. New Zealand has also extended visas for migrant workers that were expiring at the be-
ginning of April. The Russian Federaon’s Presidenal Decree “to regulate the legal status of foreign na-
onals for an interim period of three months” was welcomed by IOM, as it allows migrants to retain their
legal status, nd work more quickly and not have to pay for permits.
This COVID-19 Analycal Snapshot has been produced by IOM Research (research@iom.int).
Important disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not neces-
sarily reect the views of IOM. The inclusion or presentaon of material does not imply the expression of
any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM, or of any of its members or partners.
Asylum seekers refused entry
Asylum seekers have been heavily im-
pacted by the current pandemic, as
many countries have closed their doors
to all foreigners, including those seeking
protecon.
Hundreds of Rohingya, for example, re-
main stranded in the Bay of Bengal and
the Andaman sea, aer being denied
entry into Malaysia. Various organiza-
ons, including the UNHCR, have ex-
pressed concern and called for responsi-
bility sharing by States to avoid a repeat
of the 2015 crisis when thousands of
Rohingya were abandoned by smugglers
and le stranded at sea.
In Lan America, the closure of borders
has le many migrants stuck in transit
countries; thousands of migrants are
remain in Panama aer Costa Rica
closed its borders, while many are
stranded between the Honduras/El Sal-
vador border. Border areas in Mexico
also connue to host stranded asylum
seekers who are no longer able to cross
into the United States.
IOM assisng stranded migrants
In various parts of the world IOM is assisng thou-
sands of migrants who have been aected by move-
ment restricons and unable to work or return home.
In Niger, border closures have resulted in a surge
of stranded migrants; a joint iniave between
IOM and the EU is oering support to more than
2,300 of these migrants, hosted in IOM’s six transit
centres.
In Panama IOM, in collaboraon with the govern-
ment and UNHCR, is providing humanitarian assis-
tance to migrants stranded in three immigraon
recepon staons at Panamá’s borders with Co-
lombia and Costa Rica.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a key transit
country for migrants traveling from Greece to oth-
er countries in the EU, has around 8000 migrants
stranded in the country because of COVID-19-
related movement restricons. With IOM support,
a 1000-bed camp for homeless migrants is now
operang.
In countries such as Thailand, IOM has also been
tracking the number of stranded migrants. Be-
tween March 26 and 23 April 2020, IOM recorded
660 stranded migrants across ve locaons in the
country.
— NEW ISSUE BRIEF —
In a new IOM Issue Brief by the Immigraon and Border Management Division, recommendaons cover
immigraon, consular and visa procedures, including the need to adapt regulaons to uphold legal frame-
works, while incorporang necessary adjustments for migrants to stay in compliance with immigraon
rules. This entails, for example, governments to, when possible, allow ‘for regular stay aer expiry of a
specic visa or residence permit’, and to ‘facilitate regular stay of general visa holders’ among other rec-
ommendaons. Read more here.
