International Migration and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition
Please note: There will be no edition of the International Migration and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition in 2027.
The International Migration and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition introduces students to the complex legal questions surrounding migration and asylum.
Through a fictitious case, participants explore the intersection of human rights and state sovereignty and gain in-depth knowledge of international migration and refugee law.
Ghent teams have consistently performed strongly in the editions hosted by another university.
They won the inaugural edition in 2019, reached the semi-finals in both 2024 and 2026, and have repeatedly achieved top scores in both the written and oral rounds.
Further, the Migration Law Research Group (MigrLaw) hosted the second edition in Ghent in 2022.
Competition format
The competition consists of a written round and an oral round. Each team pleads a fictitious case before a judicial body, with the case developing throughout the proceedings as new elements are introduced.
Written pleadings
Each team submits written pleadings on behalf of both parties to the case. An international evaluation panel assesses the submissions, and the highest-scoring teams advance to the oral rounds.
Oral pleadings
During the oral rounds, each team pleads twice: once for the state and once for the migrant. The initial case serves as the basis for the first rounds. The best teams progress to the (semi-)finals, where they must prepare and plead either a new element of the case or an entirely new migration law issue.
In previous editions, judges have included leading experts in asylum and migration law, thanks to a collaboration with the International Association of Refugee and Migration Judges.
Application process
- Attend the introductory information session.
- Send your CV and a motivation statement (maximum half a page) to ellen.desmet@ugent.be, analuz.manzanoortiz@ugent.be and birte.schorpion@ugent.be. In your motivation statement, indicate any previous or planned coursework in migration law and human rights law.
- After the interviews, selected students will be informed by email.
Students are strongly encouraged to combine the moot court with the courses Migratierecht and/or European and International Migration Law and Policy to acquire a solid understanding of the issues at stake.
Contact
For additional questions, consult the relevant Ufora page (course B001911) or contact analuz.manzanoortiz@ugent.be or birte.schorpion@ugent.be.