A research paper, by Julien BLANC*
Abstract
The capacity of refugees and asylum
seekers to integrate in the host country or to find a durable solution abroad
is enhanced when the receiving State hosting the asylum seekers recognize their
right to engage legally in self- employment, wage- earning employment or in liberal
profession at an early stage of the refugee status determination process. Many States
have nevertheless de-coupled granting automatically permission to work from the
introduction of individual application claims for international protection on
the basis of migration deterrent concerns and the right of States to regulate
employment of foreigners. Restrictive domestic interpretations of human rights
law and standards have lead this vulnerable category of migrants to suffer from
unduly prolonged period of deprivation and denial of their right to work by the
State, amounting to forced destitution, in breach of human dignity.
This paper may interest persons who examines the right to work of international claimants for protection from a legal perspective. It aims to
increase awareness and facilitate applicability of the right to work of
claimants for international protection at domestic or regional levels by
detailing the relevance of international and regional norms and standards for claimants in need of international protection.
