Call for Participation

International Migration and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition

Fourth Edition: Amsterdam 2025/2026

We are pleased to announce the fourth edition of the International Migration and Refugee Law Moot Court Competition, organized by the Migration Law Clinic of the Amsterdam Centre for Migration and Refugee Law, in collaboration with Everaert Immigration Lawyers and Hijra Legal Clinic Morocco. This competition offers law students the opportunity to engage with cutting-edge issues in international migration and refugee law through written and oral pleadings before expert judges.

The first edition (2018-2019) of the Moot Court Competition was organized by the Amsterdam Centre for Migration and Refugee Law at VU University Amsterdam to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Migration Law Clinic which has become an important component of the Master International Migration and Refugee Law. The second edition (2022-2023) was organized by the Migration Law Research Group (MigrLaw) at Ghent University, bringing the competition to Belgium for the first time. The third edition (2023-2024) was hosted by the Government and Law Research Group at the University of Antwerp.

The fourth edition of the Moot Court Competition continues the tradition of engaging students in high-level legal advocacy on migration and refugee law. The competition consists of three stages:

1. Written pleadings: Teams submit extended written pleadings on the first case (for both the Applicant and the Respondent). The four best teams advance to the next round.
2. Online oral pleadings: The four best teams present their oral pleadings (based on extended written pleadings) before expert judges. This round will take place online (Zoom). The two best teams advance to the final round.
3. Final pleadings (written & oral in person): The best two teams compete in the final round addressing a second case. Teams submit brief written pleadings (for either the Applicant or the Respondent) and present their arguments (in person) before expert judges at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

• 17 December 2025, 23:59 CET: Registration deadline
• 20 Januari 2026: Release of the first case, case material and full competition rules
• 20 Marsh 2026, 23:59 CET: Deadline for submitting extended written pleadings
• 20 April 2026: Announcement of semi-finalists (four best teams)
• 30 April 2026: Online oral pleadings, announcement of finalist-teams, and release of second case
• 29 May 2026, 23:59 CET: Deadline for submitting brief written pleadings (second case)
• 17 June 2026: Final oral rounds in Amsterdam

• The Moot Court Competition is open to all universities.
• Each university is allowed to register one team for the Competition.

• Teams should submit the registration form (available below) via email revue.hijra@gmail.com by 17 December 2025, 23:59 CET.
• There is no registration fee to participate in the moot court.

– All team members should be actively enrolled during the entire duration of the Competition in a Bachelor’s or Master programme of law (PhD students are not allowed to participate). Non-law students may participate, if they have sufficient level of knowledge of international migration and refugee law. Students may not have professional pleading experience.
– A team shall be composed of (not more or less than) 4 students, whom must be registered jointly in the registration form (available below).
– Each team shall have one coach, who must be registered jointly with the team in the registration form.
– As part of the registration, each team shall designate one person to act as team representative (contact person). This person may be the coach or a member of the team.
– Each team is required to nominate, as required in the registration form, at least one qualified person, who consented to be a member of the evaluating panel.

Depending on where the teams’ university is located, accommodation for none, one or two nights (in June 2026) will be provided to the two finalist teams (8 students, not coaches). All students from universities located more than two hours away by public transport from Amsterdam will be provided with at least one night of accommodation. Teams have to bear their own travel costs to VU University Amsterdam.

Teams from low income and lower middle-income countries (see the World Bank list of economies) can apply for a travel and accommodation grant for the team and one coach in the registration form. The grant will be announced together with the announcement of the 2 teams which will go through to the finals in Amsterdam.

Full competition rules and more details will be sent to the participants along with the release of the first case (20 January 2026).