events

COVID-19, RETURN MIGRATION AND THE FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY

The first annual conference on International Migration of the International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) will investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, on international migration and mobility. Starting with the first shutdown of public transportation and the closing of airports and railway stations in Wuhan on January 23, 2020, most national and provincial governments viewed the closing of borders and other travel restrictions as a necessary measure to curb the transmission of the virus. Although the science is tenuous on the effectiveness of restricting international mobility on the spread of the virus, over time, more restrictions were put in place such as vaccine passports, passes based on negative test results, and mandatory quarantining in neighbouring countries. On the other hand, efforts such as travel bubbles and repatriation missions were introduced to facilitate international mobility.  

The sometimes excessive and oftentimes haphazard political decision-making has led to complex, dynamic and unstable migration regimes. From large return migration populations in origin countries that need to be reintegrated or re-migrated to the lack of labour in destination countries, from student migrants paying hefty amounts (learning online) to be stuck in quarantine or learning remotely to the impact on remittances and asset transfers, and from COVID-19 related deaths of international migrants to the economic and social harm to members of migrant families, this conference will explore the status quo and the future of international migration through evidence-based and historical research. 

Conference themes include but are not limited to:

• Pandemics and restriction of international migration
• Return migration and reintegration of return migrants
• Remittances and its expenditure and saving
• International student migration
• International migration of health workers and health of the migrants 
• Barriers to international migration, migration governance and inequality
• Policies of origin and destination governments and the role of non-state actors
• Role of diaspora and embassies
• Deaths of international migrants, wage-theft, and oppressive and exclusionary policies
• Future of international migration and prospects of remigration
• Cost of international migration and social cost to left behind members
• Undocumented migrants
• Refugees and asylum seekers
• Gender and international migration
• Transnational networks

Venue: Online

Conference Organizers:

Dr. S. Irudaya Rajan, Chairman, IIMAD

Dr. K Ravi Raman, Member, Kerala State Planning Board/IIMAD

Guidelines for Submission:

We invite an extended abstract of less than 1500 words, or a full paper of less than 6000 words to be uploaded through the IIMAD website (www.iimad.org/events) by October 30, 2021. The abstract should reflect the full paper including the context, objectives, methodology and main findings. The submissions will be reviewed by a panel of expert reviewers for acceptance to the conference. The authors of accepted abstracts are expected to submit the full paper by December 5, 2021.

For any queries, contact info@iimad.org.

Important Dates:

Announcement of Conference: August 16, 2021
Submission of abstracts: October 30, 2021
Announcement of selection: November 7, 2021
Submission of full paper: December 5, 2021
Conference: December 20, 2021

Selected papers presented in the conference will be published as an edited volume or as a special issue in a journal.

About IIMAD

The International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD) is a think tank dedicated to training, research, policy and advocacy on all facets of migration. IIMAD aims to bolster formative theory and advance new multidisciplinary areas of migration research to tackle the challenges of a highly mobile 21^st century. IIMAD is an inclusive and diverse community of migration practitioners working towards safe, orderly, and productive migration both regionally and globally, and is committed to the wide dissemination of knowledge through publications, data banks and conferences.

List of selected participants for the conference

Conference Brochure