Complementary pathways to protection have been gaining increasing interest from policymakers and civil society as a way to enhance international responses to rising, and in many cases long-lasting, displacement. Complementary pathways to protection provide alternative routes for refugees to access protection, alongside the three traditional durable solutions (repatriation, local integration, and resettlement). Despite their considerable promise, complementary pathways remain small in scale.

In a new Migration Partnership Facility project, funded by DG HOME, ICMPD will examine how the potential of complementary pathways can be further tapped, for the benefit of refugees and EU labour markets alike. Under this project, ICMPD will support the EU and its Member States in understanding the intricacies of complementary pathways, map current initiatives, gauge interest in new and expanded programmes, and identify good practices.

This project builds on the past work of ICMPD on complementary pathways (including through the REF-VET and TRAFIG projects). The project team will engage with selected EU Member States to better understand local and national concerns and opportunities with regard to skills-based complementary pathways. In this way, the project will consolidate knowledge with regard to the potential for refugee talent mobility schemes in Europe.

Find out more at Making refugee talent visible and accessible to EU labour markets - tapping into the potential of skills-based complementary pathways