EMN News provides news from the EU and news from EMN Member and Observer Countries, including general developments, legal migration, international protection including asylum, unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable groups, integration and inclusion, border management and irregular migration, trafficking in human beings, return and readmission, migration and development, and EU legislation transposition.

In this edition of EMNews, the following news are inter alia highlighted:

• General developments: As of 14 March 2024, newly arriving beneficiaries of temporary protection (BoTP) who seek state accommodation in Ireland will now be provided accommodation in arrival centres for a maximum of 90 days, after which residents must source their own accommodation. During this period, they will also receive reduced income support in the form of a weekly allowance.
   
• Legal migration: In France, a new immigration law allows undocumented workers in high-demand sectors to get temporary work or residence permits without employer sponsorship, if they can show 12 months of work in the last 24 months, three years of residence in France, and proof of integration.
   
• International protection including asylum: Since 1 February applications from nationalities with a low chance of obtaining international protection, such as Congolese, Moldovans and Georgians, have been processed in a fast-track procedure in Belgium.
   
• Unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable groups: A new Regulation on unaccompanied foreign minors entered into force in Italy on 15 March 2024.
   
• Integration and inclusion: From 2025, municipalities in Finland will be required to offer multilingual civic orientation courses which provide immigrants with information on Finnish society, living and working in Finland, and the rights and obligations of an individual.
   
• Border management and irregular migration: The Finnish government decided that the border crossing points on the land border between Finland and Russia would remain closed until further notice. It will also not be possible to submit applications for international protection at any border crossing points on the land border between Finland and Russia.
   
• Trafficking in human beings: An inter-agency working group on awareness-raising activities on trafficking in human beings was established in Georgia.
   
• Return and readmission: In France, the new immigration law simplifies the expulsion process for foreign nationals who pose a serious threat to public order, permits the expulsion of long-term residents convicted of serious crimes, grants judges broader authority to impose re-entry bans, and eliminates protections for certain irregularly staying foreign nationals against expulsion decisions.
   
• Migration and development: The Czech Government approved two donations of € 1 million to IOM from the Ministry of Interior’s external dimension programme. The first supports safe areas for unaccompanied migrant children in Greece, the second assisted voluntary returns of migrants in Tunisia to countries of origin.

For detailed news, please read the EMNews attached above.