Throughout the workshop, experts and practitioners convened to deliberate on innovative approaches and strategies for case resolution concerning migrants who have received a return decision and those who remain unknown to national authorities.

Participants highlighted the need to build trust, broaden durable solutions concerning both voluntary return and legal stay and acknowledge the unique contributions of each stakeholder towards achieving sustainable outcomes.

Participants' experience demonstrated that collaboration with CSOs, and local and national authorities is achievable when stakeholders think innovatively and prioritise the needs of undocumented migrants.

Key takeaways from this comprehensive workshop, drawing from diverse perspectives and experiences, highlighted pivotal points:

Beyond Voluntary Return: The workshop emphasised that relying solely on the option of voluntary return for undocumented migrants is counterproductive. Insights from CSOs and Fedasil stressed the importance of a broader strategy in case management resolution, aiming to build trust with migrants by providing detailed information and empowering them to make informed decisions about their future.  Participants emphasised the urgency to transcend conventional dichotomies such as international protection versus return, exploring alternative tracks like humanitarian, medical, and family reunification grounds for regularisation.

Multi-level Collaborations: Recognising the evolving landscape of migration management, there is a growing tendency to involve civil society engagement in case resolution. Achieving success in these efforts relies on strong partnerships involving multiple levels and various stakeholders. These collaborations necessitate clearly defined goals, mutual understanding, creative thinking, and recognition of the distinct value each stakeholder offers. Multiple pilot projects' experiences demonstrated that despite varying frameworks and mandates, collaboration is achievable when all stakeholders aim for a common goal: reducing the number of undocumented migrants.

While acknowledging the benefits of multistakeholder governance collaboration, the workshop also discussed challenges in establishing and sustaining multistakeholder partnerships. Conflicting priorities, trust deficits, organisational diversity, funding and power imbalances were identified as obstacles.

Local Innovations and Collaboration: Diverse grassroots initiatives showcased innovative approaches across municipalities to support undocumented migrants. Collaborative efforts between local administrations, CSOs, and national authorities demonstrated a strong resolve to seek durable solutions. There is, however, a need to upscale pilot projects or small-scaled initiatives, supporting them with ample resources and recognition to help them achieve their full potential.

Advocacy for Holistic Approaches in AMIF Funding: CSOs and Fedasil advocated for embedding a comprehensive case resolution approach within funding frameworks like the Asylum, Migration, and Integration Fund (AMIF), extending beyond the scope of voluntary return. This comprehensive approach encompasses project proposals, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.

The workshop concluded with a commitment among stakeholders to continue fostering collaborations, harnessing the strengths of each stakeholder, and persistently working toward sustainable solutions for undocumented migrants.

For further information on this topic, you can read the ad hoc query on multistakeholder governance towards case resolution or holistic orientation of undocumented migrants to which 22 EMN Member Countries answered in preparation for this workshop.