Do migrants/ refugees have employment rights?

Yes, migrants/refugees have rights according to theory as illustrated in the international human rights law (IHRL). However the rights vary depending on host country’s domestic laws and how these laws are applied.  

Refugees

Refugees are persons who are outside their country of origin for reasons of feared persecution, conflict, generalized violence, or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and, as a result, require international protection.[1] 

Migrants

While there is no formal legal definition of an international migrant, most experts agree that an international migrant is someone who changes his or her country of usual residence, irrespective of the reason for migration or legal status.[2] Generally, a distinction is made between short-term or temporary migration, covering movements with a duration between three and 12 months, and long-term or permanent migration, referring to a change of country of residence for a duration of one year or more.[3]

No recognition of foreign qualifications

It is noted that academic qualifications gained outside the EU are often not recognize, resulting in migrant workers having to take low paid jobs. This also forces them to share substandard accommodation with friends to reduce living expenses.Migrants may not be in position to afford paying for education which often costs three times in the case of non-EU.

Right to work

Migrants with no right to work in the host will not be employed because it is the law. It is therefore important to note that exploitation of migrant workers is a persistent problem with evidence of workers being trafficked to work long hours in exploitative conditions and earning low wages below minimum wages. 

Work permit

For instance, one to qualify for a work permit in Ireland, they should be in possession to earn not less Euros 30,000.  However most entry jobs that may be accessible for migrants pay not more than Euros 22000 making it harder for immigrants to get work permits. The workers often cannot leave exploitative employers as their immigration status will mean they are at risk of becoming undocumented. Allowing migrant workers to have control over work permits instead of employers would give workers more autonomy in securing legal entitlements and more confidence to report illegal work practices.

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[1] The 1951 Refugee Convention,

[2] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

[3] UN Refugees and Migrants, https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/definitions

The European Union is working with Libyan coastguards to reduce the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. But many of those intercepted end up in detention centres in Libya, where some migrants say they are used as slaves, as the BBC’s Stephanie Hegarty found when she spoke to some Nigerians who have just returned home.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/20-us-sold-1000-dinars-735-uwumarogie-libya-returnee/

The European Union is working with Libyan coastguards to reduce the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. But many of those intercepted end up in detention centres in Libya, where some migrants say they are used as slaves, as the BBC’s Stephanie Hegarty found when she spoke to some Nigerians who have just returned home.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/20-us-sold-1000-dinars-735-uwumarogie-libya-returnee/

The European Union is working with Libyan coastguards to reduce the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea. But many of those intercepted end up in detention centres in Libya, where some migrants say they are used as slaves, as the BBC’s Stephanie Hegarty found when she spoke to some Nigerians who have just returned home.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/01/20-us-sold-1000-dinars-735-uwumarogie-libya-returnee/