Abstract

The world has changed dramatically over the past few years, and the conflicts, climate changes ‎and ‎health crises like COVID-19 have become a major challenges of our time, and it is impossible to ignore ‎their ‎effects. As migrants and refugees are among the social groups most affected in these ‎crises, where remittances play a vital socioeconomic role in economies around the world, especially in ‎developing countries where they are the sole source of income for many households, and according to ‎the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “Egypt is the fifth-largest ‎recipient of remittances in the world.

This paper aims to shed light on the repercussions of Covid-19 on International Migration, ‎Remittances, based on some international studies and reports, and then identifies the ‎characteristics of migration and remittances of Egyptians abroad, and which revealed the fragility of ‎Labour markets and the difficulty of sustaining remittances due to health crisis.‎

This study uses the descriptive analytical and quantitative statistical approach, ‎to analyze data and statistics related to immigration and cash transfers in Egypt, and then to identify the determinants of the impact of the Covid-19 on migrants, Using some statistical tests, for example: the multiple regression model and the coefficient of determination and correlation to identify the direction of the relationship under study. Moreover, the study uses (SWOT Analysis) to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges facing Egyptian immigrants in light of the COVID-19 crisis. It based on the World Bank Reports, World Migration Reports, IOM Reports, Migration Data Portal, International Labour Organization, and Central Bank of Egypt indicators.

The results of this study show that due to the higher incidence of poverty, housing conditions, and high concentration in jobs where physical distancing is difficult, immigrants are at a much higher risk of COVID‑19 infection than the native-born, Immigrants are potentially in a more vulnerable position in the labour market due to their generally less stable employment conditions and lower seniority on the job, which there is a negative impact on the labor market for immigrants and is increasing more on the sectors most ‎affected by the pandemic, and the school closures and distance learning measures put in place to slow the spread of COVID‑19 put children of immigrants at a disadvantage in several ways.

The study recommends that the need to assess the situation of migrants and their children in relation to health, employment and education to better identify issues and appropriate policy, with the need to ensure that migrants have access to testing and treatment for COVID-19, and to ensure that housing and employment conditions for migrants respect health standards in order to avoid the spread of the virus, the data should be fit for purpose. This can challenges when working at this pace.