Millions of immigrants are reaching Europe, making the existence of immigration services at the EU points of entry a necessity. Namely, 1.9 million immigrants entered the EU from non-EU countries in 2020. This number was 30% lower than in 2019, but it is high enough not to be left unchecked.

However, the processes that migrants and refugees have to go through for their applications are not always clear-cut. As a result, many are confused about what they need to do or have. That’s why, apart from the government and EU agencies dealing with all the paperwork, the operation of civil society or other initiatives is also critical.

Let’s learn about the easyRights project and its important results in helping migrants and asylum seekers integrate into their new social contexts.

The importance of immigration services

Immigration services are extremely important for successfully integrating migrants and refugees into society. This is especially true when there are no acquaintances in their host country who can help and guide them through the processes they must follow.

Imagine an immigrant entering a new country without knowing the local language or being unable to communicate properly in English. Their ability to communicate is limited, thus leading to frustration and severe delays. In these types of cases, the authorities need to have translators by their side who can speak with the applicants in their language.

Another point for the existence of such immigration services is that there is too much legal jargon in all these documents. The legal language is difficult to understand even for native speakers, let alone for migrants.

The various immigration services can simplify the whole process by making the whole process faster and easier for migrants to follow.

The Mediation Grammar Wants to Create a New Standard

The Mediation Grammar is a product of the EasyRights project from the Horizon 2020 programme. It’s a collection of minimum requirements for enforcing the informational rights of foreign (non-EU) immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees legally entitled to stay in the territory of a Member State of the European Union.

The easyRights Agent

The Agent is a text-based bot meant to help (im)migrants gain easier access to services by cutting through public service bureaucracy and only extract the information and forms they require.

How to use it:

1. Scan the above QR code to access the easyRights Agent bot on Telegram – note you will be prompted to download the Telegram app on your phone.
2. Follow the three following steps to use the Agent:
   1. Step 1: Choose the country you wish to find immigration, the services and the laws where it is needed.
   1. Step 2: Select the type of services you are looking for; for example, residency permit, family reunification etc.
   1. Step 3: Automated AI processes the input and extracts the information required from the country services portals with info on the how, where, when, and what is needed to access a specific service for migrants.

Conclusion

With the movement of people continuing unabated from one place to the other, Europe remains at the crucible of migration and the refugee crisis. As these people are coming to Europe to stay while looking for a better and safer life, EU member states need to make accessing migration services as easy as possible.

The easyRights results mentioned above, the Mediation Grammar, and the easyRights Agent can immensely boost the provided migration services of the authorities and help in policymaking.