2.Critically assess the proposition that it is essential to Essay

2.Critically assess the proposition that it is essential to distinguish between refugees and other migrants - Essay Example It is for this reason that immigrants into a country cannot be treated as a homogenous group. An important distinction between these two immigrant groups is their ability to return to their native country. While refugees are either unable or unwilling to return for fear of persecution, economic immigrants are free to return at their will. Another distinction is that refugees do not enjoy much social contacts in their home country and economic immigrants maintain social contacts in their home country on a permanent basis by visiting their relatives and friends. Studies have shown that refugees over time make earnings more than economic migrants do in the host country (Cortes, 2004). Refugees deserve protection by virtue of Article 1 A (2) of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees which defines a refugee and prohibits their expulsion by Article 33 (1). A refugee is an asylum seeker initially and may or may not be taken in as a refugee. The obligation against expulsion s tems from international human rights law. For example, Articles 6 & 7 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prevents refugees from being returned in case of irreparable harm to them. Similarly, the 1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, prohibits return of asylum seekers in case of likelihood of torture being meted out to them in their home country (UNHCR, n.d.) . World Migration Report 2010 which lays down ten core areas for capacity-building to achieve migrant integration does not spell out special treatment for refugees vis-Ã  -vis other migrants. The report advocates a range of core area from strengthening economic participation by migrants to mainstreaming integration across government. It generalizes the status of migrants as being prone to poverty and social inclusion. Migrants are certainly better placed than refugees and