This article examines the disjuncture between the theory of international refugee
protection, human rights and citizenship rights and their practice. Drawing on data
from a sub-sample of 500 Zimbabwean migrants taken from a larger survey of
1000 Zimbabweans in South Africa and the UK, it explores the labour market and
transnational lives of undocumented migrants and compares them with migrants
with other immigration statuses. The article demonstrates that while the protection
and rights frameworks exist, in reality undocumented migrants cannot access
protection and/or rights