Refugee and Family Migration Law - Period 1+2

This course discusses family reunification and refugee law in the light of international and European (both Union and Council of Europe) legal regimes as well as selected national policies and case-law, and explains the multilayered structure of these areas. It maps the international, European and national actors involved and traces the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal relationships between them. Furthermore, the course analyses and critically discusses the tension between state sovereignty and individual interests and human rights. Finally, the interplay between migration flows, perceived effects on society, migration law and the dynamics of policy change in these areas are examined. The course focuses on refugee and family reunification law, as the complex multilayered structure comes to the fore in this area through the involvement of various actors, the tension with sovereignty, and the interplay between legal, political, and societal issues.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.