The COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and undocumented migrants
As countries are starting to roll out their COVID-19 vaccination strategies, PICUM has been monitoring European national policies concerning undocumented migrants. Based on media reports, official sources and information we received from our members and social media followers, we have started to compile a map displaying the countries that explicitly include undocumented people in their COVID-19 vaccination strategy and those who explicitly exclude them.
Undocumented migrants are explicitly mentioned as a target group for vaccination in the Dutch and Spanish vaccination strategies. The UK government has published guidance according to which no fees and no immigration checks would apply to people accessing the COVID-19 vaccines. In France, a December 2020 decree made the vaccines available for free for every person living in the country, without the need of presenting a health insurance card. The Italian Medication Agency published an FAQ where it states that the vaccines will be available for anyone living in Italy, regardless of their residence status. The Belgian and Irish Health Ministers also reported to their national parliaments that the vaccination strategy would include undocumented migrants.
While these are all welcome developments, practical challenges remain. The UN Migration Network calls on States to guarantee effective access to the COVID-19 vaccines to all migrants, and reports that only 25 percents of national vaccination plans submitted to the COVAX Facility include migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @PICUM_post to know more as we keep updating the map and sharing more information about the national contexts.
The COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and undocumented migrants
As countries are starting to roll out their COVID-19 vaccination strategies, PICUM has been monitoring European national policies concerning undocumented migrants. Based on media reports, official sources and information we received from our members and social media followers, we have started to compile a map displaying the countries that explicitly include undocumented people in their COVID-19 vaccination strategy and those who explicitly exclude them.
Undocumented migrants are explicitly mentioned as a target group for vaccination in the Dutch and Spanish vaccination strategies. The UK government has published guidance according to which no fees and no immigration checks would apply to people accessing the COVID-19 vaccines. In France, a December 2020 decree made the vaccines available for free for every person living in the country, without the need of presenting a health insurance card. The Italian Medication Agency published an FAQ where it states that the vaccines will be available for anyone living in Italy, regardless of their residence status. The Belgian and Irish Health Ministers also reported to their national parliaments that the vaccination strategy would include undocumented migrants.
While these are all welcome developments, practical challenges remain. The UN Migration Network calls on States to guarantee effective access to the COVID-19 vaccines to all migrants, and reports that only 25 percents of national vaccination plans submitted to the COVAX Facility include migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @PICUM_post to know more as we keep updating the map and sharing more information about the national contexts.