We are Filipinos, we do bayanihan, we help each other: undocumented migrants in the Netherlands during COVID

Bayanihan, the much-cherished Filipino spirit of solidarity, civic unity and cooperation, is not confined to the bayan (town or country). It transcends borders, hanggang sa ibang bayan (all the way to other towns or countries). Lalaine Siruno (United Nations University) explains how the Filipino migrant community in the Netherlands have done a great deal to help their undocumented compatriots, who are excluded from formal social protection mechanisms. But community solidarity alone cannot be enough

Concession, cooperation, and contestation : Filipino undocumented migrant domestic workers in the UK and the Netherlands navigating the COVID-19 pandemic

Drawing on 40 interviews, this article advances understanding of how Filipino undocumented migrant domestic workers (UMDWs) in the UK and the Netherlands navigated the pandemic by undertaking a comparative analysis of their resilience strategies. Using social navigation as analytic lens, it conceptualises a typology of three strategies—concession, cooperation, and contestation—that Filipino UMDWs engaged in at the micro-, meso-, and macro-levels to account for how they coped during the pandemic and are fighting to change their conditions. Finally, it reflects on how these strategies articulate the need for more effective migration governance for undocumented migrants post-COVID-19 and beyond

Tools for collecting information on irregular migration estimates and indicators

This paper discusses the tools used to collect quantitative data related to irregular migration stocks and flows of the Measuring Irregular Migration and Related Policies (MIrreM) project. The ultimate goal of this exercise was to construct two databases that provide an inventory and a critical appraisal of estimates and indicators related to irregular migration in the countries covered by MIrreM (12 EU member states, the UK, Canada, the USA and five transit countries). The databases contain estimates on the size and characteristics of the irregular migrant population in a given country and the changes in that population, with one database focussing on irregular migrant stocks and the other on flows. The flows database also contains an inventory of other indicators of irregular migration (e.g. border apprehensions). MirreM is a follow-up project to the Clandestino project which covered the period 2000-2007. MIrreM covers the period 2008 to 2023. MIrreM guidelines were adjusted from those developed by the Clandestino project to maintain some consistency across projects, but also to account for changes across the different periods and overall purposes of the projects. In addition, the approach to assessing the quality of estimates and indicators was refined, notably by explicitly distinguishing between statistical indicators, on the one hand, and estimates, on the other, developing different assessment criteria, and collecting information on the use of these data in policymaking. Beyond the immediate purpose of guiding data collection and analysis within the MIrreM project, these tools may also be useful for other researchers working on comparable topics characterised by a lack of robust research-driven data, hard-to-reach target groups and limited and imperfect administrative data

In God we trust: Religious beliefs and sensemaking of Filipino undocumented migrants in the Netherlands

Religious beliefs play an important role in the sensemaking of the Filipino migration experience – from migration decisions to everyday life and integration, and even plans for return and reintegration. As the accounts above illustrate, however, notions of fate and destiny and convictions about a compassionate and benevolent God do not only serve as coping strategies. Rather, these beliefs also shape individual identities and reinforce narratives of self-sacrifice and risk-taking for a better life. There is no intention to romanticise or idealise irregular migration, but the stories shared here show how formidable religious beliefs, together with a strong family orientation, give Filipino undocumented migrants the aspirations and the capability to rise against the invisibility and the vulnerabilities imposed by their irregular migration status

The Multilevel Governance of Irregular Migration in the Netherlands

In the past, the government treated undocumented migrants in the Netherlands with considerable leniency. Since the early 90s however, preventing irregular migration has been a priority. Consistent with the country’s general approach, the governance of undocumented migrants can be characterised as multi-level, with national and local governments playing divergent roles, and civil society and migrant-led organisations playing an important role in the arm’s length provision of services. This multi-level approach has been more apparent in the Dutch response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While upholding exclusionary policies, the government has instituted ad hoc protection measures and introduced inclusive practices carried out for the most part by organisations, including those initiated by migrants. This illustrates that some welfare provision does not necessarily contradict a restrictive migration policy. However, the temporariness and unpredictability of inclusive practices underscore the tension between the visible ‘sunshine’ and the hidden ‘shadow’ politics in the multi-level governance of undocumented migrants in the Netherlands. This calls attention to the vital importance of policy coherence and continuity as well as a more adaptive and reflexive governance strategy

‘We are Filipinos, we do bayanihan, we help each other’: undocumented migrants in the Netherlands during COVID

Bayanihan, the much-cherished Filipino spirit of solidarity, civic unity and cooperation, is not confined to the bayan (town or country). It transcends borders, hanggang sa ibang bayan (all the way to other towns or countries). Lalaine Siruno (United Nations University) explains how the Filipino migrant community in the Netherlands have done a great deal to help their undocumented compatriots, who are excluded from formal social protection mechanisms. But community solidarity alone cannot be enough