Visa, Residence and Legal Status
Monitoring, evaluation and sustainability are central to ensuring that legal status frameworks remain effective, protection-sensitive and responsive to students’ needs. Programmes should monitor both individual student situations and the wider legal and policy environment.
Example: Monitoring and Evaluation of Legal Status in Ireland
In Ireland, monitoring and evaluation of legal status is supported through coordination between Nasc, UNHCR Ireland, students, graduates, community supporters, university hosts and the Irish government.
Key coordination actors include:
Nasc, a local refugee and migrant NGO;
UNHCR Ireland;
refugee education pathway students and graduates;
community supporters;
university hosts; and
the Irish government.
This coordination supports monitoring and evaluation through:
direct personal support and information provided by Nasc to students;
liaison and advocacy by Nasc and UNHCR Ireland with the Irish government to support good understanding and fair conditions;
documentation and training provided by Nasc and UNHCR so that students can explain their special status to potential employers when applying for jobs as graduates;
professional coordination capacity to monitor the situation of individual students and graduates; and
the knowledge, contacts and experience of Nasc and UNHCR in lobbying the Irish government on refugee issues.
This support is important because employers may have limited understanding of immigration regulations, and the status of education pathway students differs from that of other international student graduates.
The positive context created between refugee students and graduates, specialist NGOs, community supporters, university hosts and the Irish government is sustainable while funding for specialist NGOs is maintained. These NGOs are key connectors between stakeholders.
Example: Monitoring and Evaluation of Legal Status in Belgium
In Belgium, multi-stakeholder coordination has been implemented through:
A steering committee on legal pathways, which brings together government agencies responsible for immigration, reception and asylum, the political cabinet, relevant UN agencies and civil society organisations.
A national community of practice, composed of educational institutions, students, welcoming communities, civil society organisations and UNHCR.
These coordination structures support:
Coordination and mutual reinforcement of activities, so that different actors can align their work and avoid duplication.
Sharing and strengthening expertise, so that partners can learn from each other and improve their understanding of legal, administrative and practical issues.
Strategic alignment and planning, so that partners can agree on priorities, anticipate challenges and plan jointly.
Resilience and flexibility when partnerships break down, so that the programme can continue adapting if one actor can no longer provide support.
Monitoring, evaluation and adjustment, so that partners can follow students’ situations, identify problems and adjust the programme where needed.
Close cooperation with UNHCR offices and stakeholders in countries of first reception, so that identification, preparation and support before departure are better coordinated.
Local relationships with administrations, student services, employers and other relevant actors, so that students can be supported in accessing services, completing administrative steps and exploring opportunities during and after their studies.
Engaging with students through the Community Sponsorship model also allows continued monitoring of their progress and of the impact of legal frameworks after they have completed their studies.
Best Practices in Monitoring
Use coordination capacity to follow the situations of individual students and graduates.
Maintain regular communication between NGOs, UNHCR, higher education institutions, local communities, employers and government actors.
Track how legal status affects students’ access to work, healthcare, social support, documentation, mobility and renewal procedures.
Collect examples from partners to identify recurring barriers, good practices and areas where policy or operational changes may be needed.
Engage with students through the Community Sponsorship model to continue monitoring their progress after they complete their studies and to understand how legal frameworks affect them over time.
Use monitoring findings to adjust programme design and advocacy strategies.