Regularisation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.6209Keywords:
regularisation, migration governance, legal status, migration agency, Latin America, Venezuela, irregular migration, social inclusionAbstract
REGULARISATION: A non-linear, complex, and contested process through which a state authorises non-nationals to reside lawfully within its territory, either temporarily or permanently. Encompassing migration policies, refugee status determination (RSD), and naturalisation, regularisation generates sequences of legal statuses that alternate between regularity and irregularity across countries of origin, transit, and destination. As a socio-political process, it produces migrant categories that carry specific social meanings and hierarchies that determine access to rights. Shaped by an asymmetric tension between state control and migrant agency, regularisation constitutes a necessary but insufficient condition for social inclusion.
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