More than one million refugees from eight countries with high asylum recognition rates received legal entry permits to 38 destination countries between 2019 and 2023, according to a new international report.
The report, Safe Pathways for Refugees, jointly released by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), revealed that these permits were issued through existing channels for employment, education, or family reunification without the need for new legal frameworks.
“Refugees are using the same legal channels that millions rely on every day. We don’t need new systems just safer access to the ones already in place,” said Ruven Menikdiwela, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
The findings come amid intensifying global displacement crises and strained asylum systems across several continents. The data highlights a 14 per cent increase in the number of entry permits issued to refugees in 2023 alone nearly 255,000 individuals making it the highest recorded figure since such tracking began in 2010.
Countries leading these efforts include Germany, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, all of which have significantly expanded access to existing migration systems for refugees.
The UN refugee agency is urging more states to ease legal and bureaucratic barriers for refugees and incorporate them into standard migration frameworks that already support millions worldwide.
In light of ongoing conflicts and humanitarian emergencies, UNHCR is calling for stronger international partnerships to widen the availability and use of legal pathways for those fleeing danger and persecution.
According to the report, this model of integrating refugees through pre-existing legal channels offers a practical and humane alternative to irregular migration, and a way to reduce the pressure on overstretched asylum procedures.
