This study is issued by the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies on behalf of EUROMED Migration IV, a programme committed to establishing a constructive framework for dialogue and technical exchange on migration policy in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
The outbreak of the first Covid-19 cases in the Gulf States in early February 2020, and subsequent economic downturn shed a new light on the MENA region’s dependency on, and vulnerability to migration to the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
This publication outlines and analyses the main consequences of mobility and travel control for migrants and migrant-sending countries of the region. Focusing on Middle Eastern SPCs (Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon) mobility corridor with the GCC as an example, the paper will discuss prominent mobility issues revealed by and arising from the crisis, from the migrants’ and origin countries’ perspectives. The paper then articulates a set of recommendations for national policymakers and the international community.