Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Americas (requested by Mexico)
Juridical Condition and Rights of Undocumented Migrants (Advisory Opinion OC-18/03)
Inter-American Court of Human Rights · Americas (requested by Mexico) · 2003-09-17 · Regional court or body
Citation: OC-18/03, requested by Mexico
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: advisory
Question
May a state deny migrant workers labour rights because they lack immigration status?
What the court decided
No. Equality and non-discrimination are peremptory norms; once employed, a migrant holds the labour rights of a worker whatever their status.
In plain language
Mexico asked the Inter-American Court whether countries may deny labour rights to migrants without papers. The Court said no: once someone works, they have the same labour rights as other workers.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Meksiko bertanya kepada Pengadilan HAM Antar-Amerika apakah negara boleh menolak hak pekerja bagi migran tanpa dokumen. Pengadilan menjawab tidak: begitu seseorang bekerja, ia punya hak pekerja yang sama dengan pekerja lain.
Pertanyaan: Bolehkah negara menolak hak-hak pekerja bagi pekerja migran karena mereka tidak punya status imigrasi?
What happened afterwards
- 2003-09-17: Advisory opinion delivered.
Sources
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Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/oc-18-2003/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.