Ahmad Wali Ahmad-Yar

Ahmad Wali Ahmad Yar is a postdoctoral researcher at the Brussels Institute for Social and Population Studies (BRISPO) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). His research focuses on international migration statistics, the use of big data for migration, EU migration policies, migrant participation, and access to higher education for migrants. Currently, he conducts research as part of the Horizon 2020 projects Enhanced Migration Measures from a Multidimensional Perspective (HumMingBird) and Measuring Irregular Migration (MIrreM), and the SBO project From Camp to Campus. He is also researching the meaningful refugee participation and family reunification of refugees in Belgium. Additionally, Ahmad Wali serves as the president of the Umbrella Refugee Committee in Belgium, representing nine community-based, refugee-led organisations in the country. Ahmad Wali is also the secretary-general of the Network of Afghan Diaspora Organisations in Europe (NADOE). Ahmad Wali previously worked at the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) in Brussels. He holds a PhD in sociology, a master's degree in Political Science, and a bachelor's degree in International Relations. He has worked as an interpreter for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). As a native of Afghanistan, Ahmad Wali possesses a profound personal interest in the history and current affairs of South and Central Asia. 

Research keywords:

International migration, integration of migrants, migration data, theoretical and data gaps in migration research, EU policies on migration, integration policies at the local level, EU actorness & effectiveness