If you believe that States have complete discretion in handling migration matters and that migrants are not protected under international law, read this book. You will be amazed by the wealth of international instruments, treaties, standards and principles existing in international law. Rights and obligations of States, as well as rights and duties of migrants, are defined in a great number of legal instruments - some of them hard to find - stemming from various branches of law and constituting what is known as "international migration law". This publication assists readers - be they academics, students, practitioners, experts or migrants themselves - to better orientate themselves in this web of norms and principles existing at the international level. The focus of the Compendium is a comprehensive compilation of universal instruments with varying degrees of legal force - from authoritative international treaties, through customary international law, to the sets of principles and guidelines which, although non-binding, are nonetheless of clear contemporary relevance and can contribute to the progressive development of law in areas not yet covered by "hard" norms. To further this end, this book is being released as a companion to International Migration Law - Developing Paradigms and Key Challenges (edited by R. Cholewinski, R. Perruchoud and E. MacDonald and published by T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague 2007), which shows how these norms have been applied and are developing in various concrete contexts. Richard Perruchoud is Director of the International migration Law and Legal Affairs Department of the International Organization for Migration in Geneva. Katarina Toemoelova is an Associate Legal Officer in the same Department of IOM.

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.

With a Foreword by Brunson McKinley, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) This book encapsulates the law of international migration by examining developments first addressed in the volume on Migration and International Legal Norms (edited by T.A. Aleinikoff and V. Chetail; T.M.C. Asser Press 2003) and by discussing wholly new themes. In this regard, the book considers emerging issues, such as the challenges posed by migration to State sovereignty and the protection of human rights as a result of the increasing tensions between anti-terrorism or security legislation and immigration measures, the impact of the use of biometrics technology (e.g. fingerprinting) to identify and better monitor international movements of persons, and enhanced cooperation on the European Union external border. The human rights of vulnerable groups of migrants, such as migrant workers, women, victims of trafficking, and stateless persons are also examined. The issue of forced migration warrants a consideration of the international migration law relating to groups such as internally displaced persons, as well as the international community's response to secondary movements of asylum-seekers. Questions of state responsibility concerning, for example, stranded migrants and provision of consular protection and assistance to migrants are also discussed. Moreover, the expansion of regional legal frameworks concerned with migration, such as EU immigration and asylum law and policy and the growing case law on European citizenship, as well as developments in free movement regimes in Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean, are added to the analysis of the growing body of international migration law. A range of persons from international organizations, legal practice and academia with expertise in International Migration Law have contributed to this volume, which is aimed at a broad audience, including policy makers, academics, researchers, postgraduate students, legal practitioners, civil society representatives and journalists. Ryszard Cholewinski is Labour Migration Specialist in the Migration Policy, Research and Communications Department of IOM, the International Organization for Migration, in Geneva. In the same organization, Richard Perruchoud is Director of the International Migration Law and Legal Affairs Department. Euan MacDonald holds a PhD in public international law from the European University Institute in Florence.

This publication assists readers (be they academics, students, practitioners, experts or migrants themselves) to better orientate themselves in the web of norms and principles existing at the international level. The focus of the compendium is on bringing together a comprehensive compilation of universal instruments with varying degrees of legal force from authoritative international treaties, through customary international law, to the sets of principles and guidelines, which, although non-binding, are nonetheless of clear contemporary relevance and can contribute to the progressive development of law in areas not covered by 'hard' norms.

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.