What role will refugee labour mobility play in the future of safe and legal pathways?: a case study of the Spanish experience

Abstract

The 2018 Global Compact on Refugees acknowledged the restricted nature of resettlement and the need “to expand its base” by diversifying labour migration opportunities for refugees. Spain’s recent labour mobility project under its National Resettlement Plan offers a case study in this approach, making a shift in legal pathways for refugees. However, the relevance of refugee labour pathways and their normative implications has mainly been ignored. To address the research gap, this article aims to articulate the need for complementary pathways, contribute to theories of refugee labour mobility, and assess whether refugee labour mobility can and should be used as a tool to access territory, with a focus on the Spanish context. To this end, the analysis involves analysing multi-sited policy documents and conducting semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in the field of safe and legal pathways. The analysis demonstrated that, while refugee labour pathways have some potential to expand admission for displaced talent, the line between addition and substitution risks diluting long-term refugee protection. Conditioning admission on labour market utility excludes many in need of international protection and introducing the logic of cost-effectiveness undermines the solidarity inherent in the right to seek asylum, risking the commodification of the international protection system.