This analysis roots itself in the socio-legal examination of individuals’ experiences purchasing migration-related services from service providers in the opportunistic economy while navigating migration policy instruments. The findings of this analysis hold relevance for all types of digital pre-border processing systems, ranging from asylum to labour migration instruments. This research culminates in the development of clear criteria by which policymakers can counteract the emergence of illicit economies based on their migration systems, with benefits both for users navigating these systems and for states seeking to achieve the uniform and non-discriminatory implementation of their migration policies.

For newly implemented digital migration management tools to serve as part of a growing Digital Public Infrastructure and provide transferable benefits for digital governance in other contexts, government actors would be wise to consider how the timeliness of digital systems influences the propensity for their intended users to participate in these systems.

Here are a few policy recommendations from the Policy Analysis Report:

• The selection mechanisms that underpin digital migration management systems must be transparent and easily viewable to a non-expert audience.
• Digital migration management systems must be robustly tested prior to public implementation to detect and remove potential errors and glitches.
• Digital migration management systems must be accessible to all potential users and remove barriers to access.Data collected for digital migration management systems must include concrete safeguards that prevent its interoperability and function creep, such as firewalls and proactive deletion policies.
• Fraud prevention cannot come at the price of reducing access to humanitarian protection.
• All data from individuals using digital migration management systems must be deleted within a reasonable timeframe after their participation in the system has ended.

For a deeper understanding and detailed policy recommendations, delve into the full publication:

-> here in English and

-> here in Russian.

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