An Exploratory Perspective on Morocco’s Migration Policies

Abstract

Without doubt Morocco has been transformed from a country of transit into a country of residence for sub-Saharan migrants. Their integration into Morocco’s social fabric has been a priority for different Moroccan governments presided over by King Mohammed VI as part of an assimilationist discourse that responds to the social, cultural and religious diversity of Morocco. In signing international agreements and treaties on the basic human rights and integration of migrants, since 2000 Morocco has been integrating migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East socially, economically and politically. This integration is intended to bridge migrants’ aspirations and Morocco’s culture, social welfare, market and politics. Indeed, continuous migration is altering contemporary Moroccan society as well as the very exemplary way in which the successive Moroccan governments presided by their King have legally confronted such an issue. This exploratory review article methodologically reviewed articles published by academic journals in English and French while foregrounding the main themes of the recent Moroccan experience and policies with regard to migration. It also explores how Morocco reformed its policies to deal with undocumented migrants and how Morocco has changed axiomatic and formulaic perceptions of sub-Saharan migration. The findings from this study pointed out that Morocco’s experience with the regularisation of undocumented migrants has been approached in an inclusive and humanitarian vein. With agility and flexibility, Morocco has managed to strike a balance between the demands of civil society organisations for the application of just migration approaches and the international agreements to that effect so as to move on with integrating illegal migrants into the Moroccan economic, social or political fabric. In this sense, Morocco exemplifies this new urge to step beyond conventional understandings of migration that engulfs the world into two camps of those who always send and those who always receive migrants. Based on the results of this study, implications for future research are discussed.