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Exploitation

The making of irregular migration: post-Brexit immigration policy and risk of labour exploitation

May 2022

In this article in the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, FLEX’s Lucila Granada and Meri Ahlberg highlight the role states have in creating the conditions under which labour exploitation can occur. Specifically, it identifies several immigration policy decisions related to the UK’s exit from the European Union that will likely result in an increase in the number of irregular migrants in the United Kingdom and how this increase, when combined with measures that have progressively restricted the rights and entitlements of various immigration categories, creates an environment conducive to labour exploitation. It presents measures that could help address this problem, including changes to immigration policies and the strengthening of the labour market enforcement system.

Journal article: The making of irregular migration: post-Brexit immigration policy and risk of labour exploitation