In recent years, the increasingly restrictive policies in the areas of asylum and
migration, particularly in the European region, have resulted in a blurring of
boundaries between these two traditionally distinct categories of movements.
As the number of legal pathways open to migrants decreases and asylum policy becomes
increasingly restrictive, those in need of international protection often resort to
irregular means of movement, while attempts are made to use the asylum procedure as
a means of regularizing non-forced migration. This cross-over, often referred to as the
asylum-migration nexus has caused concern amongst those in the field of refugee
protection, particularly that states may be failing to identify and assist those in need of
protection in the context of broader migration policy.