ABSTRACT
Debates about migration and asylum in Europe that had been dominated by the ‘migration crisis’ of 2015–16 were overshadowed from early 2020 by the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The most immediate consequences of the pandemic for migration were in effect to end free movement within the Schengen Area of the European Union (EU) and migration from non-EU states to the EU. Strikingly, asylum applications to EU member states in 2020 fell to their lowest level for 12 years, as a result of border closures and travel restrictions. A cautious reopening of the Schengen Area of free movement, interspersed with subsequent lockdowns and restrictions, largely took place from June 2020 onwards for EU citizens and, more cautiously, for citizens of non-EU states. One effect of border controls and restrictions was for some migrants and refugees to be stranded in countries such as Libya, with the risk of severe human rights abuses. The pandemic also ignited a debate about ‘essential work’, given that many migrant workers in EU member states were in occupations such as health and social care or agriculture and food production, where they held frontline roles countering the effects of the virus.
