Dar es Salaam, 4 July – A three-day workshop that validated a revised landmark migrant registration strategy document, which will be used to guide the path towards the status determination of an estimated 500,000 long-term irregular migrants residing in the United Republic of Tanzania, ended today in Dar es Salaam with robust appeals for its achievement.

The strategy review workshop, facilitated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – the UN Migration Agency – in close collaboration with the Tanzania Immigration Service Department (TISD) and with the financial support of the UK Government through the Department for International Development (DFID), brought together 28 government officers from TISD, the Refugee Service Department, the National Identification Authority, the Registration Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency and the President’s Office.

The workshop aimed at reviewing and updating the Comprehensive Migration Management Strategy for Tanzania (COMMIST), first developed in 2014, for the purposes of agreeing on a comprehensive, consultative and binding standard operating procedures that outlines the steps to be taken by TISD as it carries out its goal of achieving the e-registration of long-term irregular migrants in the United Republic of Tanzania. The ultimate goal is that through the e-registration of these migrants, the government of the United Republic of Tanzania will be able to assess their entitlement to regularization.

Speaking at the workshop, the representative of the Tanzanian Commissioner General of Immigration, Erasmo Frances, thanked the project donor and IOM for supporting this process. He assured the audience of the government’s commitment to ensuring that all migrants without status in the country are registered and their status determined in a fair and transparent manner and in accordance with the prevailing law of the land.

Mr Neil Abbott, the UK Government representative expressed his optimism that effort by the government in rolling out of the e-registration would be successful. “The UK Government stands ready to continue working with the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, UN system and international organizations such as IOM in ensuring that the challenges of irregular migration are addressed in a humane and orderly manner”, said Abbott.

IOM Chief of Mission, Dr. Qasim Sufi, emphasised IOM’s continued support – with the support of development partners – to the government of the United Republic of Tanzania in working together to meet the challenges of irregular migration in the country. “I know for a fact the migrants themselves are yearning to know their immigration status. This illustrates how proper documentation benefits not only the government but the migrants themselves. In this regard I thank the Immigration Services Department for leading the endeavour towards status determination and regularization”, Sufi added.

The workshop as part of a multi-year UK Government funded project titled Migrant Registration Support for Tanzania which aims to enhance the United Republic of capacities with regards to irregular migration and the promotion of humane and orderly migration by contributing to ongoing government efforts in national immigration status determination processes. The project is a continuation of a similar 2014-2015 UK Government-funded project.

For more information, please contact:

David HOFMEIJER  IOM Tanzania Email: dhofmeijer@iom.int Tel: +255 699 674 975

Gracia ANTHONY  IOM Tanzania Email: ganthony@iom.int Tel: +255 716 204 156