refugees

Guide to International Refugee Law Resources on the Web

Online guide to legal resources focusing on international refugee law. The guide was compiled by Elisa Mason, an information specialist undertaking research into refugee and forced migration studies, and published in 2017 on the forced migration current awareness site. The author outlines the role of international refugee bodies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and highlights key international instruments relating to refugee law as well as national legislation and case law.

European Commission: Migration and Home Affairs

Website of the Directorate-General of the European Commission dealing with migration and home affairs which includes EU migration, asylum policy and EU security. The site has information on EU policies covering issues such as migration, asylum, Schengen and borders, organised crime, trafficking and police cooperation. There is also information about the EU agencies concerned with these issues and links to their websites eg. FRONTEX: EU external borders agency and Europol: The European Police Office and networks such as the European Migration Network (EMN).

Internally Displaced Persons: Guide to Legal Information Resources on the Web

Online guide to resources focused on people who have had to flee their homes to avoid violence, disasters or human rights violations but remain within their country’s borders. The guide was written in 2025 by Elisa Mason who is an information specialist undertaking research into refugee and forced migration studies. The author highlights primary and secondary legal materials covering international, regional and national law with an emphasis on freely available resources.

Forced Migration Current Awareness

Blog providing current awareness and legal information concerning refugees and forced migration issues. The blog is compiled by Elisa Mason who is an information specialist undertaking research into refugee and forced migration studies. The blog was started in 2005 and posts can be searched or browsed by keyword. There are research guides to legal resources concerning internally displaced persons, statelessness and international refugee law along with details of recently published articles and a list of links to other forced migration resources

Rights in Exile Programme

This website brings together resources to assist lawyers who are representing refugees. The Rights in Exile Programme is run by lawyers and experts in human rights and immigration issues. The site provides access to a range of resources including the UNHCR Protection Manual, contact details of pro bono organisations arranged by country, country of origin information experts and online sources of international case law. There are also resources aimed at refugees including self-help kits to assist with writing Refugee Status Determination Interview statements.

European Database of Asylum Law

The European Database of Asylum Law (EDAL) is maintained by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and provides access to case law from 19 EU Member States interpreting refugee and asylum law as well as cases from the European Court of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights. The database can be searched by keyword and filtered by date, country of applicate, country of decision or case type. Cases are provided as summaries with full text where available.

Asylum Information Database

The Asylum Information Database (AIDA) is compiled by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and contains information on asylum issues in 20 countries (17 EU countries and 3 non-EU countries). There are country reports detailing asylum procedures, reception conditions and detention of asylum seekers in countries covered by the database. There are also comparative reports which analyse practice relating to the implementation of asylum standards in these countries and AIDA Legal Briefings which address key issues in EU asylum law and policy.

European Council on Refugees and Exiles

The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) is an alliance of European NGOs which help refugees. Its website describes the work of the ECRE, including training courses that it runs, and lists its member organisations. An overview of the situation for refugees in the EU is also provided. The Topics pages have ECRE policy papers, articles and news items regarding access to Europe, resettlement, protection in Europe and third countries, integration and returns. There is also a weekly news bulletin, available from the home page.

Australian Government: Department of Immigration and Citizenship

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship is the Australian government body which handles issues relating to immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Australia. Its website gives an overview of the work of the department as well as providing the full-text of its most recent press releases and annual report. Also available is information on Australian government policy towards immigrants, including transcripts of speeches relating to migration made by the Minister for Immigration and details of aid programmes offered to new immigrants/refugees.

Subscribe to refugees