Offprint and the introductory chapter of a monograph to appear under the title : Migration and international legal norms, edited by T. Alexander Aleinikoff and Vincent Chetail, published by T.M.C. Asser Press in early 2003.

This volume provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the source and scope of international law on migration. It explores international norms on state authority to regulate migration, freedom of movement, forced migration, human rights, family unification, trafficking and smuggling of migrants, national security, rescue at sea, health, development, integration, and nationality. Migration and International Legal Norms shows that, despite the absence of a comprehensive legal instrument governing international migration, there is a wide range of legal norms relevant to migration embodied in multilateral treaties and conventions, regional agreements, and customary international law. It also identifies some significant gaps in international law, recommending areas for further cooperative efforts. This volume will be of interest to scholars and policy-makers, and to all those interested in how the community of nations is responding to the increasingly significant phenomenon of international migration.

International Migration Law provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of the international legal framework applicable to the movement of persons across borders. The role of international law in this field is complex, and often ambiguous: there is no single source for the international law governing migration. The current framework is scattered throughout a wide array of rules belonging to numerous fields of international law, including refugee law, human rights law, humanitarian law, labour law, trade law, maritime law, criminal law, and consular law. This textbook therefore cuts through this complexity by clearly demonstrating what the current international law is, and assessing how it operates. The book offers a unique and comprehensive mapping of this growing field of international law. It brings together and critically analyses the disparate conventional, customary, and soft law on a broad variety of issues, such as irregular migration, human trafficking, refugee protection, labour migration, non-discrimination, regional free movement schemes, and global migration governance. It also offers a particular focus on important groups of migrants, namely migrant workers, refugees, and smuggled migrants. It maps the current status of the law governing their movement, providing a thorough critical analysis of the various stands of international law which apply to them, suggesting how the law may continue to develop in the future. This book provides the perfect introduction to all aspects of migration and international law.

International migration law is an important field of international law, which has attracted exceptional interest in recent years. This book has been written from a wide variety of perspectives for those wanting to understand the legal framework that regulates migration. It is intended for students new to this field of study who seek an overview of its many components. It will also appeal to those who have focussed on a particular branch of international migration law but require an understanding of how their specialisation fits with other branches of the discipline. Written by migration law specialists and led by respected international experts, this volume draws upon the combined knowledge of international migration law and policy from academia; international, intergovernmental, regional and non-governmental organisations; and national governments. Additional features include case studies, maps, break-out boxes and references to resources which allow for a full understanding of the law in context.

This report reviews international law relating to migration management with chapters on state authority and responsibility, the freedom of persons to leave and return, forced migration, human rights of migrants, labour migration, and development issues.