Refugee Resettlement Research Articles

Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases in Refugees, Asylum Seekers, and Subsidiary Protection Beneficiaries Resettled or Relocated in Portugal Between 2015 and 2020

Non-communicable diseases, previously thought of as a problem of high-income countries, now coexist in low- and middle-income countries, including the countries of origin for many refugees traveling to Europe. We aimed to describe the prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases among refugees, asylum seekers, and subsidiary protection beneficiaries resettled or relocated in Portugal between 2015 and 2020 and compare these to the prevalence of risk factors in the 12 months before they left their country of origin. A cross-sectional study was conducted between 2019 and 2020 of all refugees, asylum seekers, and subsidiary protection beneficiaries attending a Lisbon, Portugal refugee center. Behavioral and biological risk factors were assessed using the WHO STEPwise modified questionnaire. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted, which included 80 respondents, mainly men, with an average age of of 30.3 ± 9.8 years. The prevalence of several behavioral risk factors for non-communicable diseases among refugees, asylum seekers, and subsidiary protection beneficiaries was higher at the time of the study than in the 12 months before leaving the country of origin. Differences between men and women were noted in tobacco (49.1% vs. 25.9%) and alcohol use (43.4% vs. 18.5%) in the receiving country. Overweight and obesity also showed differences by gender (7.5% vs. 11.1% and 39.6% vs. 48.1%). The prevalence of suicidal ideation and suicidalplanning was high, and varied from 6.3% and 20% in the country of origin to 16.3% and 38.5% respectively in the receiving country, however the prevalence of suicide attempts was lower in the receiving country (66.7%) compared to the country of origin (100.0%). Information on health and social determinants is critical to identify priorities and increase access to access to gender-specific health and community level interventions, including mental health, to reduce risk factors associated with refugee relocation and resettlement.

A principles-based community health center for addressing refugee health: the New Canadians Health Centre

The provision of timely and comprehensive healthcare is a fundamental aspect of resettlement for refugees, who often experience critical unmet health needs. In Canada, this includes connecting refugees with primary care providers to treat acute health conditions, as well as to provide longitudinal and preventative care. However, refugee access to healthcare is often complicated by numerous barriers, such as difficulty navigating health services, financial constraints, language barriers, discrimination, and limited access to physicians. Due to these unmet health needs and barriers to access, there has been a need for dedicated primary healthcare models for refugees that provide integrated and culturally safe care. In response, a refugee community health center, the New Canadians Health Centre (NCHC), was established in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 2021. The NCHC operates through an innovative, principles-based model that delivers interdisciplinary primary healthcare services to refugees that are culturally safe, include clients as partners in their care, and are grounded in principles of social justice, equity, and inclusion. Early and effective healthcare services are needed to address the health of refugees; however, there is a lack of research on the development and implementation of dedicated refugee health service models. This paper addresses this gap by providing an in-depth account of the opening of the NCHC as a principles-based community health center for refugees, including the process by which it was established in response to local needs and the development of its principles-based model for supporting refugee health. This community case description will support the development and implementation of other dedicated models for refugee health, and comes at a critical time in which there are rapidly growing refugee populations in Canada and internationally.

Refugee Resettlement and Preferences

Aid organizations spend considerable time lobbying for aid to be sent to refugees in poorer states, rather than campaigning for more refugees to be resettled to wealthy states. Lawmakers in wealthy countries similarly tend to focus on aiding refugees abroad, rather than resettling more refugees into their countries. One justification raised for focusing on aid rather than resettlement is that refugees prefer to remain in poorer neighboring countries so that they can quickly repatriate when the time is safe. Yet, few have established what refugees’ preferences are. Drawing upon an original data set of a representative sample of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, we find that most prefer remaining to resettling when the details of resettlement are not clarified, but roughly half prefer to resettle if offered certain types of resettlement. We further argue that organizations and states have reason to account for whether preferences are “adaptive.” Such preferences arise when refugees prefer remaining in neighboring countries to resettling only when resettling to other countries is not an option, but would prefer resettling if this option were available. We present a novel philosophical reason for not appealing to adaptive preferences as a justification for not resettling refugees. We further apply a novel experimental method for evaluating whether preferences are adaptive.

Climate, Conflict, and Context: Reevaluating Americans’ Support for Refugees

ABSTRACT As more people are displaced by climate change, public acceptance of migrants is an increasingly relevant geographical and political issue. How willing are Americans to accept climate migrants and how does this support compare to others who are fleeing conflict? We conducted a nationally representative survey experiment (N=1,027) with prompts that varied the context of refugee resettlement, including a control condition without context, those displaced by global warming, refugees from Ukraine, and refugees from Afghanistan. Respondents expressed marginally lower willingness to admit climate migrants and significantly higher willingness to admit Ukrainian refugees. These differences were amplified by partisanship, religion, and race. These results suggest that some migrants experience a more welcoming public than others and highlight a challenge for those who are made vulnerable by climate change.

The Politics of Refugee Resettlement in the Asia Pacific: Belonging and ICT-enabled Transnational Settlement

Abstract This conceptual article examines the interplay of forced displacement and resettlement across the Asia Pacific, situated against the backdrop of unprecedented global displacement, rapid uptake of information communication technologies, and strong border governance regimes. Emphasising the centrality of the politics of belonging, this article distinguishes between refugee resettlement, focused on protection, and the broader concept of refugee settlement as part of a larger project of belonging. Recognising that less than 1 per cent of refugees globally are able to access resettlement pathways every year, we present the implications of ICT-enabled transnational settlement, using New Zealand and Australia’s refugee resettlement programmes to anchor this analysis. By examining ongoing transnational connections, particularly through social media, this article illuminates how refugees can negotiate relationships with nearby and distant places. It outlines a spectrum of opportunities and challenges within resettlement and settlement contexts, transcending traditional territorial boundaries defined by the state and local jurisdictions. This article concludes by considering durable and enduring solutions to forward the possibilities of ICT-enabled transnational settlement as it influences the articulation of safety and belonging in an increasingly interconnected yet unevenly mobile world.

The Association of Migration-Related Stress with Poor Mental Health Among Recently Resettled Afghan Refugees

BackgroundThe resettlement of Afghan refugees in Oklahoma City, OK, provides a critical context for examining the mental health challenges faced by this population due to post-migration stressors. MethodsThis study utilized online surveys to recently resettled Afghan refugees in Oklahoma City, with support provided by bilingual research assistants to accommodate low literacy rates. Surveys, initially in English, were professionally translated into Dari and Pashto and validated through back-translation. ResultsParticipants (N= 348) were majority of Pashtun ethnicity. High rates of mental health issues were evident, with 62.1% of participants screening positive for depression and 20.1% for probable GAD. Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower pre-migration socioeconomic status (SES) and high post-migration stressors such as discrimination and loss of homeland were significantly associated with increased mental health problems. Stress related to the worry for and loss of their homeland was a substantial predictor of high distress (AOR= 2.71, p <.001), anxiety (AOR= 1.99, p =.001) and depression (AOR= 2.65, p<.001). Experiences of discrimination post-resettlement was also associated with anxiety (AOR 4.92, p <.001). DiscussionThe findings highlight the profound impact of post-migration stressors on the mental health of Afghan refugees. This study underscores the need for targeted interventions to address the specific challenges faced by refugees, such as language barriers, employment, legal support, and anti-discrimination measures, to facilitate better integration and improve mental health outcomes. ConclusionEnhanced community integration programs and comprehensive support services are essential to mitigate the mental health challenges faced by Afghan refugees, suggesting a broader application for such approaches in similar resettlement contexts globally.

Lacking Accountability and Effectiveness Measures: Exploring the Implementation of Mentoring Programs for Refugee Youth

A high proportion of refugees coming into the U.S. are under the age of 18, and many continue to struggle to attain basic educational qualifications which may lead to viable economic opportunity. Recently, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) began issuing youth mentoring (YM) grants to support the integration of refugee youth. This paper explores the decision-making processes of resettlement organizations in a vertically complex network of organizations which implemented the YM programs for refugee youth in one large city of Texas. Through a series of semi-structured interviews with program implementers, findings suggest that resettlement agencies remain powerless in making key programmatic decisions, including implementation of the programs and designing accountability and effectiveness measures, which can truly evaluate the program quality. Other findings suggest that across the network of organizations involved in implementation of the YM programs, compliance with federal regulation is prioritized over accountability. The lack of program effectiveness and accountability measures have implications for one of the most vulnerable population, refugee youth. The main recommendation for policy and practice argues for the lead public agency’s increased involvement in defining key outcomes for the program recipients in a vertically complex network.

“Give and take is the key”: Reciprocity leads to psychological well-being of North Korean refugees in South Korea

Social support may facilitate North Korean refugee (NKR) resettlement in South Korea. However, little is known about how NKRs perceive support. We aim to understand how support exchange and reciprocity evolve throughout NKR migration trajectories and how they are related to psychological well-being. From September to December 2019, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 NKRs and 20 of their South Korean (SK) acquaintances. We analyzed data using a grounded theory approach. Prior to arrival in South Korea, NKRs resided in mutually interdependent communities where reciprocation of support was a moral norm. However, support exchange became predominantly unidirectional in South Korea, with NKRs becoming recipients and SKs being givers. Several NKRs expressed discomfort with being dependent on others, preventing them from requesting support when it was needed. SKs also described distress from not receiving minimum levels of reciprocity or gratitude. Some NKRs managed this unease through reciprocating either to the giver or to others in need. Acts of reciprocity were described as sources of happiness, satisfaction, and pleasure, increasing self-esteem. Overall, exchange of support and reciprocity within one’s social network may be important and yet overlooked features of relationships that contribute to psychological well-being of NKRs.

Comparing Refugee Resettlement Services: A New Global Dataset and Typology

Abstract The number of countries participating in resettlement has increased substantially in recent years: since 2010, one-third of resettlement countries officially began offering permanent homes to refugees. The services provided to refugees upon resettlement are surprisingly distinct, even among countries with similar political and economic contexts. Despite the importance of these services, existing scholarship offers surprisingly little comparison of resettlement policies globally. To address this gap, this multi-method project analyses refugee resettlement services in 26 countries that are responsible for 99.9 per cent of all resettled refugees, from 1951 to present. The study introduces an original Global Resettlement Services dataset with 42 indicators that provide a current, reliable, and easily accessible overview of resettlement services in each country. Cluster analysis of these data helped to construct a typology that captures four distinct “types” of refugee resettlement: Limited Provision, Cultural Transition, Core Services, and Flexible Support. The typology provides a framework to help policy-makers, academics, and practitioners increase collaboration, design innovative programmes, and improve existing resettlement services. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the different approaches to resettling refugees worldwide, with significant implications for advancing theory and improving global refugee resettlement policies.

Navigating Vulnerability and Integration: Refugee Resettlement from Rwanda to Third Countries under the Medical Needs Category

Abstract Resettlement is a limited resource available to only a fraction of refugees. Selection criteria, set by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and receiving States, may impose conflicting demands on refugees to exhibit both vulnerability and integration potential to be chosen, a phenomenon termed “promising victimhood”. Drawing on empirical data from interviews with 21 personnel from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and Save the Children International in Rwanda, this article explores how medical needs criteria impact the inclusion or exclusion of refugees for resettlement. It finds that the selection criteria favour refugees with treatable conditions and favourable prognoses, thereby excluding those with chronic or fatal illnesses or patients with poor life expectancy. The article argues that such criteria potentially undermine the humanitarian objectives of the resettlement programme by marginalising some of the most vulnerable individuals. It discusses the implications of these findings for global burden-sharing strategies and calls for strengthening the medical infrastructure in asylum countries. The article concludes by questioning whether resettlement, in its current form, can truly serve as one of the three durable solutions for refugees with medical needs, given that it remains an option for only a select few.

Intentions, Strategies, and Actions: How Refugees Exert Agency in the Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Process from Jordan and Turkey to Germany

Although refugee resettlement is characterized by opaque decision-making of United Nations and government agencies, refugees may exert agency throughout the resettlement process. Tracing the journeys of several refugees through the resettlement and humanitarian admission processes from Jordan and Turkey to Germany, this article highlights refugees’ intentions, strategies, and actions to access and navigate the process in Jordan and Turkey. Defining agency as a combination of intention and action, without reference to a specific outcome, the article argues for a nuanced conceptualization of agency that can be employed in situations where people’s agency is very limited.

The role of the European Union’s securitisation policies in exacerbating the intersectional vulnerability of refugees and asylum seekers

ABSTRACT This article compares the European Union's (EU) reception and resettlement of European and non-European refugees and asylum seekers from an intersectional viewpoint. It does so using data collected during fieldwork in Greece focusing on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). The goal is to examine, through an empirical and theoretical study, the gendered, racialised, national and religious nature of the EU's approach to its external policies, border security approaches and its constitutive nature based on contingent, relational and non-additive vulnerabilities and inequalities that have been inherited from the EU's colonial past. The study asks how the influx of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine exemplifies the gendered, racialised, national and religious dimension of the EU's approach to border security. It examines how the EU's approach showcases the paternalistic approach to refugees' vulnerability through essentialisation, which leads to their vulnerabilisation. It looks at the intersectional impact of the gendered, racialised, national and religious constitutive nature of non-European refugees, as well as the gendered, racialised, national and religious notion of ‘others'. Based on the comparison, the article contends that, theoretically, State or EU security and human security policies should not be mutually exclusive. However, as the empirical data illustrate, there are multiple competing ‘insecurities’ which are prioritised over others.

Religious influences on integration within U.S. refugee resettlement

ABSTRACT This study examines how religion influences integration among refugees resettling to Utah, in the western United States (U.S.). In-depth interviews were conducted with 88 refugees an average of 11 years post-resettlement. Qualitative analyses led to identification of key themes, including: 1) belief in a higher power guided integration and 2) religion influences services and relationships in Utah. Additional themes emerged regarding how religion informs integration over time, including: 3) religious conversion, 4) coping with racial exclusion, and 5) embracing religious pluralism. Findings have implications for incorporating attention to religious coping and religious freedom among displaced populations adapting to new environments.

Bridge Builders: Bridging Resettlement Gaps Through a Relationship-Based Volunteer Program

The Bridge Builders (BB) program is an initiative implemented by Refugee Community Partnership (RCP), an organization that centers refugees. This program matches volunteers with refugee families in reciprocal relationships, facilitating integration and social support. Sixteen volunteers participated in semi-structured interviews that elicited their views on the BB program. Volunteers valued the relationship-based model and its interrogation of power structures. They highlighted challenges in accountability and navigating boundaries with their matched families. Volunteers expressed desire for increased opportunities to connect with other volunteers and the broader RCP community. Findings show strengths and challenges of relationship-based approaches in refugee resettlement and integration.

The potential of a rights-based approach to refugee-focused mental health policy in Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT In accordance with international human rights commitments, individuals with a refugee background have the right to mental health services that are available, accessible, acceptable, and of good quality. However, refugee-background individuals living in Aotearoa New Zealand experience a myriad of barriers at the individual, community, and policy level that impede access to appropriate mental health services. This commentary puts forward the argument that the incorporation of a human rights-based approach to mental healthcare service at a policy level is essential for reducing barriers to care and increasing the accessibility of mental health services. The article provides key recommendations for reforming the current New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy (NZRRS) to include rights-based indicators for children and youth, to monitor accessibility relative to geographic location, to disaggregate data, to extend the 12-month monitoring period and to extend monitoring beyond one mental health visit. Further research is needed to understand how best to implement these recommendations and develop insight into how Aotearoa New Zealand can more effectively uphold the rights of refugee-background individuals with the ultimate goal of developing a mental health system that is more inclusive and responsive to their needs.

Resettlement by algorithm: Can artificial intelligence uphold human rights?

This article focuses on the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the resettlement of refugees and its implications for their fundamental rights. Resettlement is the process of selecting refugees and transferring them to a third country that agrees to admit them permanently. While AI has the potential to improve efficiency and effectiveness in resettlement processes, such as matching refugees with suitable resettlement countries and places, it also poses various risks and raises concerns about human rights violations. The article examines the current and potential uses of AI throughout the resettlement process, including the selection and referral of refugees for resettlement and the facilitation and improvement of integration. The article then analyses the potential impact of AI on fundamental rights. The article concludes by arguing for a cautious approach to using AI in resettlement processes. It emphasises that the use of AI in assessing refugee inclusion and exclusion for resettlement, as well as matching them with different resettlement states, could conflict with fundamental rights. This raises concerns about transparency, explainability, accountability, effective remedies, data protection, and the risk of bias and discrimination.

Predicting Mental Health Care Enrollment and Treatment Uptake among Newly Arrived Refugees in U.S. Resettlement Programs.

This article examines variables that predict mental health care enrollment and engagement among refugees. The authors explore a mental health care model designed to identify mental health needs early among refugee arrivals that may interfere with adjustment and overall health outcomes using data from a Midwest refugee resettlement program. Using ecological models of mental distress and theories on help-seeking behaviors, the authors used logistic and count regressions to predict enrollment in mental health care services and utilization rates. Gender, nationality, and presenting problems were significant predictors of enrollment and length of engagement in services. The findings provide guidance to practitioners and resettlement agencies on refugee mental health and opportunities to increasing access and engagement in mental health care.

Conflict-affected Karen Refugees from Myanmar: Reflections on their Resettlement in Hartford

Due to systemic violence and human rights violations in Myanmar, many ethnic minorities, including Karen, have fled the country. Many Karen refugees from camps in Thailand and Malaysia were resettled in the United States. Despite having access to multiple resources and opportunities, the Karen face challenges related to health, housing, education, employment, and culture. This paper aims to broaden our understanding of the needs and challenges of Karen refugees living in Hartford, Connecticut, through a qualitative, narrative-based research study. Lessons learned will help nongovernmental organizations, mental health professionals, and social workers to develop and implement programs and policies for refugee resettlement and integration in a culturally competent manner that is based on the values, strengths, and resilience of the refugee Karen community.

“Home Is the Mouth of a Shark”: Trauma and the Needs of Students from Refugee Backgrounds from the Perspective of Boundary Spanning Refugee Resettlement Workers

This research project examines the experiences of four individuals working in refugee resettlement and their perspectives on the educational needs of refugee students, given their role as boundary spanners. They also discuss the need for teachers to encourage students to use the Funds of Knowledge in the classroom. Participants discuss their varied experience as professionals in refugee resettlement, with two being refugees and one being an immigrant. This paper (1) explores the stress associated with relocation, (2) delves into the mental health issues faced by individuals from refugee backgrounds, emphasizing trauma, (3) analyzes how inefficiencies and lack of support within the public school system contribute to a stressful and ineffective experience for all parties involved, and (4) highlights the importance of human connection. The implications for future research are also discussed with particular attention paid to the need to actively work with other stakeholders.

Mapping Climate-Related Hazards along Migration Routes: A Mixed Methods Study of Hypertensive Syrian and Iraqi Refugees Resettled in San Diego, California.

Mapping Climate-Related Hazards along Migration Routes: A Mixed Methods Study of Hypertensive Syrian and Iraqi Refugees Resettled in San Diego, California.