Main Area
Main
Irregular migration
Migrants sometimes try to enter or stay in the European Union (EU) without valid documents. This is referred to as irregular migration.
Irregular migrants are individuals who do not possess the valid documents required to enter or remain in an EU Member State. For example, they may lack a valid passport or travel document, or they may use fraudulent documents. EU Member States avoid using the terms illegal migration and illegal migrants, as these imply criminality. The term irregular migration is preferred, as the absence of valid documentation constitutes an administrative infringement rather than a criminal offence.
Please note: the publications on this page are from July 2024 onwards. For earlier publications, please switch to Dutch (the EMN PDFs of the publications on the Dutch pages are in English). The filter below is in Dutch and will be available in English towards the end of 2026.
EMN study | Labour migration, illegal employment
EMN study on illegal employment and labour exploitation of migrants from non-EU/EFTA countries (third countries) in EU Member States in the period 2017–2022. In the additional benchmark, EMN Netherlands compares Dutch policy with the policy of other EU Member States.
EMN study: ‘Illegal Employment of third-country nationals: 2017–2022 situation analysis’
20 February 2025EMN study on illegal employment and labour exploitation of migrants from non-EU/EFTA countries (third countries) in EU Member States in the period 2017–2022. In the additional benchmark, EMN Netherlands compares Dutch policy with the policy of other EU Member States.
