We are pleased to invit e you to the first ACMRL Conference on Migration Law, hosted at the V rije Universiteit Amsterdam on 17–19 June 2026.
The confere nce will open on 17 June with the final of the International Moot Cou rt Competition and a subsequent social event at the Hortus Botanicus of the VU. The streams and panels will take place on 18-19 June, see the full program here. Participation to the conference is free (including social event and lunches). The con ference dinner will take place on 18 June, for those who have registe red (fee 30 euro).
Registrat ion and payment conference dinner
The Amsterdam Centre for Migration and Refugee Law (ACMRL) at VU Amsterdam is a leadin g hub for doctrinal, critical, and interdisciplinary research on migr ation and refugee law.
ACMRL scholars work across asylum, family and labour migration, mobility, human rights, and the rule of law, and the broader political, societal and historical forces shapi ng the field. Combining legal analysis with socio-legal and empirical approaches, the Centre is deeply engaged in public debate and policy advice, informing discussions at national, European, and global leve ls.
Keynotes
We are delighted to have tw o excellent keynotes at the conference:
Thursday 18 June, 9:30. Catherine Dauvergne ‘What if Refugees Mattered? The Challe nge to International Law’, NU Theater 3
Fri day 19 June, 9:30. Ayten Gündoğdu, Racial Bureaucracy: The Anatomy of a Cruel Machinery, NU Theater 5.
St
reams
The conference will explore six major themes that c
apture current directions in migration law research:
1.
Courts and treaty bodies are sites where migration governance is con tested through human rights claims. This stream invites papers examin ing how human rights–based litigation shapes, challenges, and refra mes migration policy. We welcome contributions analysing (strategic) litigation practices by migrants, NGOs, governments, and other actors . We particularly encourage legal-doctrinal and empirical work that e xplores how different actors develop and deploy litigation practices and strategies, how courts or treaty bodies respond to them, and case studies that illuminate these dynamics in specific jurisdictions, in stitutions, or areas of migration law.
2. Asylum an d the New Pact
At the time of the conference, the EU-Pact on Asylum and Migration will have just entered into force, i ntroducing ten new instruments to the Common European Asylum System ( CEAS). We invite submissions addressing any asylum-related aspect of the new Pact. For example, we welcome papers examining the overarchin g goals and guiding principles of the Pact, in-dept analyses of any o f the instruments, thematic studies on areas of asylum undergoing ref orm, fundamental rights implications of the Pact, including how human rights safeguards are integrated into its mechanisms, or national pe rspectives and challenges related to the implementation in specific M ember States.
3. Rule of Law and Migration
The rule of law—however contested in meaning—serves a s a core constraint on state power, and is therefore of particular re levance to migrants, who depend heavily on state decisions, while gen eral constitutional law doctrines are often considered not to apply ( ‘exceptionalism’). This stream invites papers that theorise the r elevance of the rule of law in migration contexts; interrogate except ionalism in specific jurisdictions or legal fields; evaluate state pr actices in light of rule-of-law principles; or relate migration law t o concepts such as autocratic legalism, domination, or arbitrariness.
4. From Migration Law to the Law of Mobility
This stream draws on mobilities studies to broad en legal analysis beyond the traditional figure of the migrant. We in vite papers examining how law regulates a diverse range of mobile sub jects—tourists, business travellers, ‘expats’, digital nomads, athletes, seasonal workers, diplomats, military personnel, and others —and the rationales underpinning their legal differentiation. We en courage contributions analysing how time, categorisation, and state l ogics shape which mobilities become visible or invisible within legal frameworks. We welcome work that explores the value of the ‘mobili ties turn’ for rethinking migration law.
5. Famil y and Migration law
This stream invites papers ex amining how family relationships shape, constrain, and are reshaped b y migration law and governance. We welcome contributions analysing th e regulation of family reunification, marriage migration, children’ s rights, and transnational family life, as well as the evolving lega l standards that govern these areas at national, regional, and intern ational levels. Submissions may explore doctrinal developments, empir ical studies of administrative and judicial decision-making, or the p olitical and social forces influencing family-related migration polic ies. We particularly encourage work that highlights how legal norms, bureaucratic practices, and lived experiences intersect in the produc tion of family migration law.
6. Labour Migration L aw and the Global Compact for Migration
Labour mi gration is a central dimension of the Global Compact for Migration, w hich will undergo its second review at the International Migration Re view Forum in May 2026. This stream invites submissions examining nat ional or regional approaches to labour-related aspects of the Compact . Contributions may analyse the Compact’s influence on labour migra tion legislation, jurisprudence, and policy; evaluate the implementat ion of its objectives on migration pathways, ethical recruitment, and decent work; or explore the role of key stakeholders—including int ernational organisations, civil society, trade unions, the private se ctor, and national human rights institutions—in the implementation of these objectives.
DESCRIPTION: The conference will open on 17 June with the final of the International Moot Court Competition and a subsequent social event a t the Hortus Botanicus of the VU. The streams and panels will take pl ace on 18-19 June, see the full program her e. Participation to the conference is free (including social even t and lunches). The conference dinner will take place on 18 June, for those who have registered (fee 30 euro). Registration and payment conference dinner The Amster dam Centre for Migration and Refugee Law (ACMRL) at VU Amsterdam is a leading hub for doctrinal, critical, and interdisciplinary resea rch on migration and refugee law. ACMRL scholars work across as ylum, family and labour migration, mobility, human rights, and the ru le of law, and the broader political, societal and historical forces shaping the field. Combining legal analysis with socio-legal and empi rical approaches, the Centre is deeply engaged in public debate and p olicy advice, informing discussions at national, European, and global levels. Keynotes We are delighted to have two excel lent keynotes at the conference: Thursday 18 June, 9:30. Cath erine Dauvergne ‘What if Refugees Mattered? The Challenge to Intern ational Law’, NU Theater 3 Friday 19 June, 9:30. Ayten Gündoğdu, Racial Bureaucracy: The Anatomy of a Cruel Machinery, NU Theater 5. Streams