Ahead of the emergency meeting of EU interior ministers, we recommend this analysis on the Ceuta's border crisis by Nando Sigona. The meeting is being framed primarily as a discussion about migration management, external-border controls and Spain’s responsibilities. But this framing risks obscuring the central question raised by the extraordinary speed and scale of the... Continue Reading →
Paris, not nations: What the 2026 World Cup tells us about migration and global cities
Nando Sigona As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, one statistic stands out: 289 of the tournament's 1,248 players were born in a country different from the one they represent. Nearly one in four players embodies a story of migration, diaspora, or multiple forms of belonging. This is no longer about success stories of... Continue Reading →
Creolization as Lived Experience: New IRIS Working Paper by Robin Cohen
We are delighted to launch a new IRIS Working Paper by Robin Cohen: Creolization: an autobiographical journey around a concept. In this rich and reflective piece, Cohen traces the concept of creolization through the arc of his own intellectual and personal journey. The result is both a contribution to migration studies and a compelling intellectual... Continue Reading →
How migrant networks are reshaping labour recruitment after Brexit
Guest blog by Isaac Brewer, postgraduate student at LSE studying International Migration and Public Policy, exploring the shifting role of migrant social networks in addressing labour shortages in post-Brexit Britain Immigrant social networks (particularly of EU-origin) have long helped employers in low-paying labour markets to fill vacancies. Since the post-Brexit immigration system was introduced in... Continue Reading →
Labour’s plan for migrants to ‘earn’ permanent residency turns belonging into an endless exam
Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham In her address to the Labour party conference, the new home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, confirmed plans to overhaul the rules for indefinite leave to remain (ILR). These include increasing the time someone must live in the UK to be eligible for ILR from five years to ten. ILR is the... Continue Reading →
What a Trump presidency means for millions of migrants and their families in the US
Nando Sigona, University of Birmingham The immigration debate has long shaped political agendas in the US and Europe, often escalating in times of social or economic uncertainty. In the US election, a tough-on-immigration stance from president-elect Donald Trump, including promises of mass deportations, appears to have resonated with voters. History shows that these policies may... Continue Reading →
What migrants think about the monarchy and Eurovision: new MIGZEN podcast out soon
Researchers from the University of Birmingham and Lancaster University discuss the often-unheard views of migrants in the UK and British citizens living abroad on the coronation of King Charles III, Eurovision and much more. Such views are featured in a new season of the popular podcast Who do we think we are? Dedicated to ‘Global... Continue Reading →
Is a new international convention to protect refugees needed? Nando Sigona speaks to Aljazeera’s Inside Story
Belarus-EU refugee standoff is the latest example of the UN refugee convention under strain. Belarus and the European Union are raising their stakes in a standoff over refugees and migrants at the Belarusian-Polish border. The EU is imposing more sanctions on entities in Belarus, while Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is threatening to cut gas supplies to Europe.... Continue Reading →
The many voices of Iris: now a polyphonic podcast
After a year and almost thirty episodes of Conversations with Iris as zoomcast, Stefano Piemontese and Nando Sigona explain why it was time to launch also a podcast version. The podcast is available on Google, Apple Podcast, and Spotify. Before the pandemic, IRiS hosted monthly seminars on campus, inviting scholars, writers, and activists to present their work and discuss it with... Continue Reading →
The Age of Superdiversity 