Asylum Migrants Research Articles

From collective centres to private accommodation: housing trajectories of asylum migrants in Switzerland

This paper examines the housing trajectories of complete cohorts of asylum migrants in Switzerland. It emphasizes the logistics of housing allocation by local authorities and how it shapes individual opportunity structure. We use full-population register data and analyse one key transition: the transition out of collective centre assigned upon arrival to the private and subsidized housing sectors. Event history models show the association between individual and contextual factors and the speed of access to private housing. Despite the quasi-autonomous management of refugee housing by region, priority rules regarding access to private housing were found to apply across the country. When choosing between different profiles, women, older asylum migrants, married individuals, and members of larger national groups are favoured in obtaining access to private housing. Nevertheless, the time spent in collective centres largely depends on the region to which a claimant is assigned, pointing to the minimal agency asylum migrants have during their first years of residence.

Other ‘lenses’: a training programme for social workers and others working with asylum seekers and migrants in Italy

ABSTRACT The article describes the approach adopted in VeSTA, a training project in Piedmont (north-west Italy), funded by the EU's Fund for Asylum, Migration and Integration (FAMI 2014–2020). The aim of the project was to provide training for social workers and others professionals working with refugees and other migrants, and strengthen the network linking up these various actors. Our theoretical approach stresses the importance of asylum seekers’ social networks, and the legal, institutional and discursive constraints structuring their lives, in order to provide a framework for understanding choices and attitudes of residents of reception centres, as well as those of other migrants. Drawing on research on migration and on media production, we encouraged participants in the training sessions to analyse migrants as ‘social actors’, rather than interpreting their behaviour and needs in terms of ‘their culture’. A particularly innovative part of the project was the involvement of 16 migrants as ‘experts in the relationship with the social services’, who participated with lecturers in certain sessions, in a participatory action approach.

Asylum Migration to the Developed World: Persecution, Incentives, and Policy

The European migration crisis of 2015–2016 and the migrants from Central America gathering on the US border since 2017 have created headlines and presented challenges for Western governments. In this paper, I examine the trends in, and determinants of, the number of asylum seekers applying for refugee status in the developed world. This must be understood against the background of an international policy regime that evolved in response to refugee crises and geopolitical imperatives. While policy has drawn a sharp distinction between refugees and other immigrants, that difference has become increasingly blurred among asylum migrants. In this light, I examine the interplay between migration pressures, public opinion, and asylum policies in recent decades.

Citizens of Nowhere: Cosmopolitanisation and Cultures of Securitisation in Dionne Brand’s Inventory

ABSTRACTThis paper considers the philosophical concept of cosmopolitanism within the global context of increasing securitisation and the racial surveillance of asylum seekers and migrants. It explores how a literary text, such as Dionne Brand’s long-form poem Inventory (2006), offers a way to assess critically the hidden architectures of migrant detention centres and illuminate what has been called the ‘banopticon’ apparatus and its disciplinary management of the immigrant other (Bigo, D., 2008. Globalized (in)Security: the Field and the Ban-opticon [sic]. In: D. Bigo and A. Tsoukala, eds. Terror, Insecurity, and Liberty: Illiberal Practices of Liberal Regimes After 9/11. London: Routledge, 10–48). In contrast to literary writers who seek to humanise the plight of individuals caught up in the so-called migrant crisis, Brand instead represents flows of data that tally the overwhelming effects of the nation-state’s entanglement with globalisation, as well as the material realities of the state’s response. Drawing on developments in surveillance studies including Steve Mann’s notion of ‘sousveillance’ – a form of counter-surveillance initiated from below – this paper analyses Inventory and proposes that it generates a cynical cosmopolitan vision, a cosmopolitanism of detachment that bears witness to the structural forms of state oppression and disenfranchisement. The paper concludes by aligning Brand’s negative cosmopolitanism with the politics of refusal, as first articulated in cosmopolitanism’s origins by Diogenes the Cynic.

A Flow within the Flow: Dynamics of 2015 and Post-2015 Migration from the Western Balkans to EU Countries

This article focuses on the recent flow of asylum seekers from the Western Balkans to EU countries. It contends that the comparison with statistics of other extra-EU28 asylum seekers and migrants reveals specific features that justify the description of mobility from the Western Balkans as a distinct “flow within the flow”. In fact, such a flow was not rooted in humanitarian issues, but was rather part of the established labor mobility dynamics in the region. In this sense, mobility from the area is not understood as a new trend but in terms of continuity stemming from the economic system interconnecting the EU and its neighborhood, of which the Balkans are a part. The pivotal year for the analysis is identified as 2015, when mass migration flows transited along the “Balkan Route” in their quest to reach the central and northern countries of the continent. The author concludes that, although on a larger scale, the 2015 flows that originated from the Western Balkan countries are the outgrowth of ongoing relations, especially for what concerns labor market dynamics between the two neighboring regions. This article features some data and maps elaborated in the framework of activities for the targeted analysis “MIGRATUP – Territorial and Urban Potentials Connected to Migration and Refugee Flows”, financed by ESPON, which ran from July 2017 to July 2018.

Elites and emulators: The evolution of Iraqi Kurdish asylum migration to Europe

AbstractResearch on migration’s internal dynamics has focused on labour migration and drawn heavily on cumulative causation theory. It is often believed that pioneer labour migrants of middling socioeconomic selectivity facilitate the migration of others in their networks by reducing the costs and risks of migration through practical assistance. Expanding migrant networks can allow for labour migration to grow although macrostructural conditions change. For asylum migration in the context of armed conflict, the mechanisms whereby migration grows may very well differ. For one thing, pioneer asylum migrants in such contexts are often social elites. What is the relationship between the movement of these elites and that of subsequent asylum migrants? This article traces the evolution of Iraqi Kurdish asylum migration to Europe from its inception by elite pioneer migrants to its continuation by non-elites, during four decades of altered contextual conditions. The analysis is based on 106 semi-structured interviews with Iraqi Kurdish migrants. An evolving interplay between exogenous and endogenous dynamics is observed, and so are commonalities with the social processes that underpin labour migration. The basic principles of cumulative causation seem to be operating, yet there is little to indicate that established migrants functioned as ‘bridgeheads’ for newcomers. The empirical analysis feeds into a concluding conceptual discussion in which I argue that, compared to labour migration, asylum migration from conflict-affected areas may be relatively less driven by the interpersonal networks that reduce costs and risks, and relatively more driven by what the article coins ‘emulation’, the observational learning of migration.

Refugees and the Voluntary Person Resettlement scheme

A comprehensive approach that covers issues related to the settlement and integration of new and emerging communities has contributed to an improvement in the quality of life of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, as Dionne Frazer explains

Supporting refugees under the Voluntary Person Resettlement Programme

A recent UN High Commissioner For Refugees report found that 8000 people have been settled in the UK under the voluntary persons resettlement scheme and that it is working ‘relatively well’. Under the scheme, Walsall accommodated eight families from Syria with the support of Walsall local authority and Refugee Migrant Centre. This provides a seamless, comprehensive approach that covers many issues related to the settlement and integration of new and emerging communities. It has contributed to an improvement in the quality of life of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants living in this area.

6.1-O6Improving access to appropriate health care for asylum seekers, migrants and refugees in Greece

6.1-O6Improving access to appropriate health care for asylum seekers, migrants and refugees in Greece

Smart Refugees: How Syrian Asylum Migrants Use Social Media Information in Migration Decision-Making

Social media are increasingly popular channels of information on which migrants base their decisions on whether to migrate and the destinations where to settle. While social media offer a relatively cheap, easily accessible, and media-rich means of communication, their use is not without challenges for asylum migrants. Various studies describe issues with access and evaluation of the truthfulness of available information for this specific group of migrants. This article discusses social media use by asylum migrants prior to and during migration. This study is based on in-depth interviews with 54 Syrian asylum migrants who recently obtained refugee status in the Netherlands. Syrians were the largest group of migrants applying for asylum in European Union (EU) member states in 2015 and 2016. The findings show that the majority of Syrian asylum migrants have access to social media information before and during migration, often through the use of smartphones. Besides uneven access to technologies, fear of government surveillance restricts the smartphone use of asylum migrants. The results of this study indicate that Syrian asylum migrants prefer social media information that originates from existing social ties and information that is based on personal experiences. Generally, this information is considered more trustworthy. Asylum migrants use various strategies to validate rumors that are present on social media and come from unknown sources. These strategies include checking the source of information, validating information with trusted social ties, triangulation of online sources, and comparing information with their own experience.

Een staalkaart van statushouders

Abstract Integration of permit holders: looking back and moving forward: An overview of research on the integration of permit-holding asylum migrantsWhile the influx of asylum seekers is decreasing, the question emerges how to facilitate the integration of recently arrived permit-holding asylum migrants into the Dutch society. In this article we give an overview of existing research on the integration trajectories of earlier cohorts of permit-holders. We focus on their resources (education, language proficiency, health), their integration into the labour market, and on their socio-cultural integration: social contacts, cultural values and identification with host country. As integration is a two-way process, we also shed light on the receiving society: do permit holders feel accepted into the Dutch society and what is the public opinion on accommodating asylum seekers? We use these insights to discuss expectations on the integration of the current stream of asylum seekers.

Statistics on asylum seekers and migrants

Statistics on asylum seekers and migrants

Civic stratification and crime. A comparison of asylum migrants with different legal statuses

Contrary to natural born citizens, migrants can have a variety of legal statuses depending on how they are classified by immigration law. Together, such legal or ‘civic’ statuses constitute a system of civic stratification, from high (privileged) to low (restricted). Recent scholarship highlights the relevance of immigration law for understanding crime patterns. We analytically synthesize this literature and extend it empirically by examining its usefulness in explaining the relationship between asylum migrants’ civic statuses in The Netherlands and their chances of being registered as a crime suspect. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using a unique dataset in which comprehensive administrative data from various governmental sources were combined. Four civic status groups were compared: naturalized citizens, residence permit holders, asylum seekers in the procedure, and former asylum seekers whose stay in the country had become unauthorized. The results suggest that strain theory and more constructionist stances are required in order to understand the complex relationship between civic stratification and crime. We discuss implications for other countries.

Refugees in Cyprus: Local Acceptance in the Past and Present

This paper seeks to report how Greek-Cypriots view migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in Cyprus, compared with their views on the first migratory wave in the late 1940s, taking into account the influence of the media. More specifically, the paper investigates the lack of integration and local acceptance of asylum seekers and migrants in the host countries both in Europe and in Cyprus, giving special emphasis on the role of the media and the language used and how this affects the perception of civil society on refugees. The paper led us to the conclusion that this group of people faced in Cyprus, both previously in the 1940s as well as today, racism, exploitation, and marginalization from Greek-Cypriots due to the language used by the media and the lack of policies towards integration of refugees and asylum seekers.

The Negative Impact of an Uncertain Residence Status: Analysis of Migration-Related Stressors in Outpatients with Turkish Migration Background and Psychiatric Disorders in Germany Over a 10-Year Period (2005–2014)

Several studies indicate that immigration is associated with a higher risk for mental disorders, particularly in refugees and asylum seekers. We investigated migration-related distress in outpatients with Turkish migration background and a psychiatric disorder. Asylum applicants (ASA) and migrants with a permanent residency status (PRS) from a specialized German psychiatric outpatient service were compared with respect to clinical variables and stressors related to migration and acculturation. Of n = 620 migrant outpatients (main diagnosis: 3.9% ICD-10 F2, 58.2% F3, 36.5% F4, 1.5% F60), n = 78 (12.6%) were ASA with larger proportions of illiteracy and language difficulties. Communication problems, stress related to migration, shame feelings, homesickness and perceived discrimination occurred more often in ASA whereas family conflicts were more frequent in PRS (P < 0.05). According to our results, adaptation to the new environment of asylum applicants implies more difficulties, especially language problems, feelings of shame, and experience of discrimination. Asylum seeking seems to denote an additional severe psychological stressor.

Frames and fragments of European migration

Using the recent documentary essay film Evaporating Borders as a platform, we discuss how the figure of the migrant is construed within the popular imagination as a ‘threat’ to the prosperity of the European Union, and the unique way in which Radivojevic seeks to critique both conservative and liberal discourses around migration through her film. Evaporating Borders examines the present-day experiences of asylum seekers and migrants in Cyprus, the majority of who are Palestinians, as they face increasing hostility and violence from Cypriot nationalists on the island. By framing the film through Radivojevic’s personal voice-over, disrupting linear narrativity, and juxtaposing visual imagery of life on the island with aural testimonials offered by refugees and Cypriots alike, Radivojevic subtly connects worsening economic conditions to the growth of nationalism and xenophobia in Cyprus and Europe more broadly. The film’s exploration of three national traumas – the occupation of northern Cyprus by Turkey, the denial of Palestinian statehood, and Radivojevic’s personal narrative of escaping to Cyprus from Yugoslavia during its collapse – makes visible the multiple temporalities migrants experience and the time politics used by nation states to limit migrants’ mobility. Through our examination of the film’s narrative structure and aesthetics, we show how Radivojevic renders more complicated the simplistic liberal approaches to the figure of the ‘migrant’ to reveal the fragmented and contradictory nature of national identities, and to compel an examination of the idea of the nation state.

Historical duty, palimpsestic time and migration in the Decade of Centenaries

This article analyses Sonya Kelly’s How to Keep an Alien (Dublin Tiger Fringe, 2014) and ANU Production’s Vardo (Dublin Theatre Festival, 2014) in relationship to the performative backdrop of the Irish Decade of Centenaries (2012–22) and a series of key extra-theatrical political events have that featured asylum seekers and migrants prominently in Ireland and to a limited extent in Europe at large from 2012 to 2015. Both theatrical productions centrally engage tropes of Irish national memory vis-à-vis engagement with migration through a primary focus on women’s stories and premiered against the backdrop of the Decade of Centenaries. How to Keep an Alien and Vardo’s embrace of what M. Jacqui Alexander terms “palimpsestic time” and their critical focus on gender during this moment of the Decade of Centenaries models a theatrical dramaturgy that aids in reading key theatrical and extra-theatrical events featuring asylum seekers and migrants against one another. These works reveal the relationship between these events and the ongoing redefinition of Irish national memory and political community, a process thrown into sharp relief by the present commemorative mode. They insist that a turn to the past is inseparable from querying the lived political structures of the present, structures that have repeatedly displaced as well as instrumentalised the bodies of migrant women from the post-inward migration of the mid-1990s onwards.

Spatial Dependence in Asylum Migration

Existing refugees in a destination country from the same source country reduce the uncertainty faced by subsequent asylum migrants since existing refugees can provide information and assistance. We argue that such network effects extend beyond the borders of specific source countries. Potential asylum migrants might also be able to draw on networks from geographically proximate as well as linguistically similar countries and from countries having previously been colonised by the same destination country, thus creating spatial dependence in asylum migration among source countries. Many destination countries meanwhile aspire to reduce the inflow of migrants by tightening their asylum policies. Target countries which restrict their policies relatively more than other destinations deflect some asylum migrants to geographically proximate destination countries, thus creating spatial dependence among target countries. We find evidence for both types of spatial dependence in our global analysis of asylum migration. However, while statistically significant, the degree of spatial dependence among target countries is modest. On the source side, there is evidence for modest spatial dependence among linguistically similar countries and no evidence for spatial dependence among countries which were previously colonised by the same destination country. By contrast, we find substantial spatial dependence among geographically proximate source countries.

Spatial Dependence in Asylum Migration

Existing refugees in a destination country from the same source country reduce the uncertainty faced by subsequent asylum migrants since existing refugees can provide information and assistance. We argue that such network effects extend beyond the borders of specific source countries. Potential asylum migrants might also be able to draw on networks from geographically proximate as well as linguistically similar countries and from countries having previously been colonized by the same destination country, thus creating spatial dependence in asylum migration among source countries. Many destination countries meanwhile aspire to reduce the inflow of migrants by tightening their asylum policies. Target countries which restrict their policies relatively more than other destinations deflect some asylum migrants to geographically proximate destination countries, thus creating spatial dependence among target countries. We find evidence for both types of spatial dependence in our global analysis of asylum migration. However, while statistically significant, the degree of spatial dependence among target countries is modest. On the source side, there is evidence for modest spatial dependence among linguistically similar countries and no evidence for spatial dependence among countries which were previously colonized by the same destination country. By contrast, we find substantial spatial dependence among geographically proximate source countries.

Terug of niet? - Determinanten van terugkeerintenties en –attitudes onder (bijna) uitgeprocedeerde asielmigranten

Going back, or not? Determinants of return intentions and return attitudes among asylum migrants who have exhausted all legal remedies .Asylum migrants who have exhausted all legal remedies are expected to return to their country of origin. This study, in which 108 respondents participated, attempts to explain why some migrants intend to return, while others opt for illegal residence or onward migration. The relatively low degree of voluntary return among asylum migrants is primarily attributable to concerns about their safety in the country of origin, and to health problems. These findings confirm qualitative studies, and suggest furthermore that insights about return among labour migrants are of limited use to understand return among asylum migrants.