This moot court provides law students with the opportunity to engage with advanced issues in international migration and refugee law by preparing written and oral pleadings and presenting their arguments before expert judges.
The full Call for Participation is available here.
The first edition (2018–2019) was organised at VU Amsterdam to mark the fifth anniversary of the Migration Law Clinic. The second edition (2022–2023) was hosted by the Migration Law Research Group (MigrLaw) at Ghent University, bringing the competition to Belgium for the first time. The third edition (2023–2024) followed at the Government and Law Research Group at the University of Antwerp.
The fourth edition continues this tradition of fostering high-level legal advocacy and academic engagement among students interested in migration and refugee law.
The competition consists of three stages:
1. Written Pleadings (First Case)
Teams submit extended written pleadings on the first case for both the Applicant and the Respondent. The four best teams will advance to the next round.
2. Online Oral Pleadings
The four selected teams present their oral pleadings (based on the extended written submissions) before expert judges via Zoom. Two finalist teams will proceed to the in-person final round.
3. Final Round (Written and Oral Pleadings, Second Case)
The two finalist teams will address a second case. They will submit brief written pleadings (for either the Applicant or Respondent) and present their oral arguments in person at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Timeline:
- 17 December 2025, 23:59 CET: Registration deadline
- 20 January 2026: Release of the first case, case materials, and full competition rules
- 20 March 2026, 23:59 CET: Deadline for extended written pleadings
- 20 April 2026: Announcement of the four semi-finalist teams
- 30 April 2026: Online oral pleadings; announcement of the two finalist teams and release of the second case
- 29 May 2026, 23:59 CET: Deadline for brief written pleadings (second case)
- 17 June 2026: Final oral rounds at VU Amsterdam
Teams must submit the registration form to revue.hijra@gmail.com by 17 December 2025, 23:59 CET
There is no registration fee to participate. Participation in the competition is open to all universities, and each university may register one team. Teams must consist of four students who are enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme in law for the entire duration of the competition. Students from other disciplines may also participate, provided they can demonstrate sufficient knowledge of international migration and refugee law. Participants may not have any professional pleading experience.
Each team must have one coach, who must be registered together with the team, and must designate one person to act as the team representative and main contact point. As part of the registration process, every team is furthermore required to nominate at least one qualified person who has agreed to serve as a member of the evaluating panel.
Depending on the location of the university, accommodation may be provided for the eight students of the two finalist teams (coaches excluded). Students who must travel more than two hours to Amsterdam by public transport will receive at least one night of accommodation.
Teams are responsible for covering their own travel expenses.
Teams from low-income or lower-middle-income countries (as classified by the World Bank) may apply for a travel and accommodation grant for the team and one coach. Grants will be announced together with the announcement of the two finalist teams.
Full competition rules and detailed information will be sent to all registered participants upon the release of the first case on 20 January 2026.
For inquiries, please write to: revue.hijra@gmail.com