Conceptualizing semi-legality in migration research Kubal, Agnieszka Martin, James Migration semi-legality illegality migration European Union Morocco Ukraine Brazil <p>What is semi-legality, and why does it offer a viable alternative to the legality-illegality binary divide? The paper discusses theoretical limits to illegality with reference to migrants – especially those deemed to stand outside the state’s legal system – demonstrating that the division between legal/ illegal is never black or white but woven with different shades of grey: the ‘in-between’ statuses of semi-legality. I argue that semi-legality could be viewed as a multi-dimensional space where migrants’ formal relationship with the state interacts with their various forms of agency towards the law.</p><p>This paper utilizes data stemming from 360 qualitative interviews with international migrants in four European countries. Delineating the conditions of semi-legality I discuss its various empirical contexts: (1) ‘incomplete’ responses to regularisation programmes - de facto fulfilling the legalisation conditions, yet facing barriers to formally (de iure) corroborate this; (2) balancing between the temporality of residence in various EU countries: understaying in some and overstaying in others; and (3) the nexus with employment – where migrants’ residence in a country is lawful, but their work exceeds the restrictions permitted by their visas. I juxtapose those against the subjective experiences of semi-legality and migrants’ own interpretations of their position vis-à-vis state legal frameworks.</p> 2012 text Working/Discussion paper Published Reviewed (other) Publisher's version Published Oxford Research Archive internal ID: ora:6560 http://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/publications/index/working_papers ora:6560 en http://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/publications/index/working_papers http://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/publications/index/working_papers http://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/publications/index/working_papers urn:uuid:21bf4ad4-bfa0-4ca4-b62b-8076993f08dd