Precarious immigration status and citizenship rights : a human rights framework for international social work

Abstract

The argument presented in this paper is that the precarious nature of immigration status experienced by various categories of migrants in different parts of the world (AI-Qdah & Lacroix, 2010; Brigham & Lacroix, 2006; Lacroix & Sabbah, 2007; Oxman-Martinez, Lacroix & Hanley, 2005) is defined by universal processes of social exclusion that are a direct result of immigration and social policies and, at an individual leveI, characterized by anxiety and uncertainty. ln the first part of this paper we briefly contextualise the global migration context and focus on exclusionary processes that have a particular impact on those categories of migrants said to be in an "irregular migration" situation. We then tum to citizenship rights, how these rights are defined in intemational instruments, and how the latter constitutes a framework for practice in social work.