country of destination and transit2. The country has attempted to strike a balance between its European and International legal and humanitarian obligations and its desire to manage its land and sea borders. Additionally, like all member states at the external borders of the Union, Greece has to contend with the Dublin III Regulation (recast June 2013) that allocates responsibility to the member state where the applicant first arrived (and/or was apprehended), following a set of objective criteria. The aim behind the Dublin Convention was to limit the movement of asylum seekers in transit in Europe and inhibit them from lodging their application in their country of preference. Having to overcome obstacles and restrictive policies, the migrant is stigmatized already as “illegal” and asylum becomes a game of chance depending on the member state the person has arrived in3. Irregular migration to Greece Geography has been a critical factor in shaping Greece’s immigration features. Situated at the ‘soft underbelly’ of the EU, at the crossroads of Mediterranean migration routes from the South to the North , Greece has been a critical pathway of entry for migrants with two main entry points: the Greek-Albanian border to the North and the Greek-Turkish border to the East with migrants originating from Asia and Africa. Albanians constitute by far the largest migrant community, with migratory movements of Albanians to Greece throughout the 1990s being temporary, predominantly irregular and involving semi-skilled, low-skilled, or unskilled migrants4. However, gradually through the 2000s Albanian immigration to Greece became legal (mainly through repeated regularization programmes in 1998, 2001, 2005 and 2007) and people settled in the country5. Since the mid-2000s irregular migration and asylum seeking pressures shifted east, to the Greek Turkish sea and land borders, accompanied by a shift in nationalities but also type of immigrants. Mixed migrant flows, encompassing irregular economic migrants, forced migrants and refugees, unaccompanied minors and victims of trafficking, began arriving from Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and sub-Saharan Africa. This placed a critical burden in a country already ill-equipped in dealing with unauthorized arrivals. The sea border was the main point of entry until 2010. Standard practice of interception both at the maritime and land borders included disembarkation, first aid and health checks, transfer to police station for identity checks (for those without documents) and detention, usually 2 Dimitriadi, A. (2013) “Transit migration to Greece: the case of Afghan, Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants”, Nissos Publishing (in Greek). 3 Triandafyllidou, A& Dimitriadi, A. & (2013) “Migration management at the Outposts of the EU: the case of Italy and Greece’s Borders”, Griffith Law Review, 22:3 Symposium Issue. 4 Gemi, E. (2013), “Albanian Migration to Greece: a new typology of crisis”. Background Report, IRMA Project, Athens: ELIAMEP. 5 Triandafyllidou, A. and Maroukis, T.(2010) (eds) ‘Immigration in Greece in the 21st century’, Kritiki, (in Greek). Page 5