Facilitating Access to Legal Identity for Migrants: Sharing Good Practices and Developing a Global Guidance

Elements of Innovation

• Data, Research and Technology
• Regular Pathways
• Diversity, Gender and Inclusion

What is the project about?

Legal identity is a core enabler of sustainable development and safe, regular migration. It is a crucial element in the context of various migration procedures, including visa and residence permit applications and regularization measures. Yet, there is limited international guidance for establishing identity when proof thereof is lacking.

Championing the international community’s increasing programmatic efforts in this area, this project aims to improve access to legal identity for migrants. It does so through participatory field research in six pilot countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Moldova, Niger, Peru, and Thailand. The research identifies effective practices, and develops a gender- sensitive global compendium aimed at guiding states in safeguarding migrant rights and ensuring secure legal identity processes. The project also establishes an online knowledge platform, serving as a comprehensive global resource and interactive forum to facilitate discussions among states on improving migrants' access to legal identity.

How is the project innovative?

The project's innovation is grounded in its comprehensive approach. Unlike previous efforts which focused solely on legal frameworks, this project integrates legal, human rights, and practical considerations, offering a rounded paradigm for legal identity establishment.

The initiative acknowledges the link between legal identity and human rights, ensuring dignified and inclusive legal identity- related processes. Localized engagement through participatory field research captures diverse challenges and best practices, ensuring that context-specific guidelines are effective and contextually relevant. In adopting a gender-sensitive perspective, the project recognizes the unique vulnerabilities faced by different groups and minorities, and empowers governments to create identity processes that cater to all migrants equitably. Together, these innovative elements promise a transformative shift in how legal identity is established, ensuring migrants' rights, dignity, and integration.