Who Gets a Say, and Who Gets a Seat? 

Reflections from IMRF 2026 

by Patricia Low

Family Frontiers

The Second International Migration Review Forum 2026 has taken place at a time when perceptions, narratives, and policies surrounding migration have become increasingly contentious. From migrant workers and seafarers in the Gulf Arab states caught in the crossfire of the US attacks on Iran, to the dying, displaced, and dispossessed in Myanmar, Gaza, and Sudan, to communities uprooted by climate disasters and rising sea levels, migration is hardly a matter of choice. Just last week in Malaysia, a boat carrying 39 undocumented migrants capsized off the coast of Pangkor Island. Sixteen were found dead.

Against this backdrop, governments gathered in New York from 5th to the 8th of May to review the progress and their commitments to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM). Periods of crisis are not new—the first IMRF in 2022 took place in the shadow of a global pandemic that deepened existing inequalities faced by migrants worldwide.

For grassroots migrant organisations, our journey to participate in the Second IMRF also came during a time of tightened visa regimes, scarcity of funds, and surging fuel prices. The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of freedom and welcome to migrants, watches over New York, yet for many migrants the doors to the United States (and thus, the IMRF) remain closed, and many face heightened risks if they choose to travel. In addition, the travel support offered by the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MMPTF) was provided to only a handful of participants from the Asia Pacific region.

[In the photo: Patricia Low (middle), alongside migrants, feminists and activists in one of the events at the IMRF in New York. Photo by APWLD]

“Nothing About Migrants, Without Migrants”

The thrust of Family Frontiers’ engagement with the GCM, which began with the Second Regional Review in Bangkok in 2025, is to highlight the issues and challenges faced by marriage migrants and to bring their voices into broader migration discourse and the implementation of the GCM objectives. Marriage migration is a growing phenomenon not only in the Asia Pacific region but also globally, yet marriage migrants are often overlooked and excluded from migration frameworks and governance, even though many of the challenges they face parallel those experienced in labour migration. Unequal nationality laws and restrictive immigration systems also place many marriage migrants and their families at risk of becoming undocumented or stateless, with dire consequences for children and family unity. 

The Informal Interactive Multi-stakeholder Hearing (a designation itself open to question) was the only opportunity for open interventions from the floor, and despite assurances that participants who indicated their intention to speak would eventually be given the floor, this did not occur. We pressed the button, raised our hands, and waited expectantly for hours. Those given the microphone reflected a striking imbalance in representation: local authorities, funders, INGOs, the private sector, academics, and even Interpol. The voices of migrants were few, and the voices of women migrants and those from the Asia Pacific region were even fewer. But those who spoke did so powerfully, drawing from the depths of their lived experiences. This raises questions about the selection process and the criteria used to allocate speaking opportunities. In spaces where migrants are so often spoken about rather than listened to, there can be no tolerance for tokenism. Meaningful participation also cannot be assumed; it requires deliberate and sustained efforts. 

The very next day at the opening of the IMRF, the hall could not accommodate everyone, despite organisers already knowing the expected number of participants through the rigorous registration process. Many participants were left without seats and were asked by security to leave the hall and to follow the proceedings online. The security personnel were dismissive and treated us as though we posed a threat. As we poured out of the hall with nowhere to go, a few of us made our way to the garden for some fresh air. Sitting in the morning sun with a breakfast pastry in hand, I found myself wondering whether we had traveled all this way only to do what I could just as easily have done from my desk in Kuala Lumpur.

Resisting and moving in from the margins

Migration experiences do not always appear on large scales. Migration governance must also look beyond what is visible, toward the overlooked and underrepresented: women migrants, children, marriage migrants, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, undocumented migrants, and stateless persons.

At the side event, “With Migrants, For Migrants: Spotlighting Issues, Gaps and Opportunities in the GCM and GCM Processes – Actualising Meaningful Participation of Grassroots Migrants”, grassroots migrant organisations from the Asia Pacific spoke candidly on the topic. Throughout the week, we focused on attending various side events, engaging in discussions when possible, and showing solidarity. Occupying these spaces is important, but migrants and grassroots organisations are not content to be confined to parallel spaces at the margins of the IMRF. These are precisely the voices that must be centred in the main plenaries, where agendas are shaped and decisions are made.

Across many regions, migration has been framed through political narratives and public anxieties. Migrants are viewed as national security threats, despite many receiving countries being structurally dependent on migrant labour for economic and social development. We have yet to move beyond the dissonance captured in that line by Max Frisch, “we wanted workers, but we got people instead.” Migrants are seen as both essential and expendable—central to economies yet peripheral to decision-making. Migrants are those most profoundly impacted by migration policies, yet they remain largely absent from the room. The language of inclusion and participation is increasingly present in migration governance, but its translation into practice remains limited.

Migration governance must move beyond treating migrants as mere subjects of policy. To be truly rights-based and people-centred, it must recognise migrants, particularly those experiencing intersecting and multiple marginalities, as actors with knowledge, agency, and lived expertise essential to shaping migration governance itself.

About the author

Patricia Low works with Family Frontiers as Research and Policy Coordinator. Family Frontiers is a self-led feminist organisation in Malaysia that strongly advocates for gender equality through a multi-faceted approach, including serving 30,000 marriage migrants via online platforms and support groups, empowering individuals and raising public awareness and lobbying with policymakers and engaging with UN mechanisms. Family Frontiers was part of APWLD’s multi-country research on women marriage migrants in 2024.