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Resettlement: Reception and integration experience of particularly vulnerable refugees ,
Working Paper 70 presents the first results of the qualitative study carried out by the Federal Office's Research Centre on resettled refugees' reception and integration experience.
The Federal Office's Research Centre has been observing the resettlement of refugees within the German resettlement programme in its research since 2012. The Working Paper presents initial explorative results based on data obtained from qualitative semi-structured interviews with resettled refugees. They arrived in 2012 from Turkey and Tunisia, where they had initially sought refuge, and were interviewed one-and-a-half years after their arrival about their experiences with resettlement in Germany. In addition, expert discussions were held with local integration promoters (e.g. with representatives of local authorities and migration counselling agencies) regarding local integration programmes and any further support that might be needed. The core question addressed in the Working Paper is how refugees achieve social participation in the various areas of life despite their strenuous past experience with war and displacement, and in a social and cultural environment which is initially unfamiliar to them.
A summary of the results:
The first results show that resettled refugees are satisfied with the way in which this process functions in Germany.
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Against the background of several years spent living in the states of initial refuge, marked by major insecurities, inactivity and a lack of prospects, the respondents in the accompanying study describe the German reception procedure as reliable, organised, comprehensible and comparatively fast. What is more, the respondents appreciate the fact that families are received together wherever possible, and that family units are preserved.
The respondents have understood the need to acquire the language that is spoken in Germany, and can be seen to be highly motivated when it comes to learning German. Almost all of them have attended one of the Federal Office’s integration courses, and would like to settle in Germany permanently and become part of the local community. They are also very motivated with regard to finding work. Despite the considerable obstacles posed by for instance learning the language or having their formal qualifications recognised, the respondents would nonetheless like to actively participate in the job market.
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The local advice and support that is available make it easier for resettled refugees to “arrive” in Germany. Those who have a contact in their local areas from the outset remain in regular contact with them, frequently consulting them on the widest variety of issues, and also learn faster how to find their way through the new structures. The commitment shown by the advisors from the migration counselling agencies for adult immigrants and youth migration counselling agencies is very much appreciated by the refugees who have taken part in the study.
Background information on the study
The ongoing research project of the BAMF's Research Centre addresses the still relatively small number of refugees who have come to Germany via the resettlement programme.
The study is not representative, and is orientated towards the principles employed in qualitative empirical social research.
The Working Paper presents the first explorative results, and these are based on the data obtained from qualitative semi-structured interviews with refugees who came to Germany in 2012 from the countries of refuge Turkey and Tunisia and were interviewed one-and-a-half years after their arrival. To supplement this, expert interviews were held with local integration promotion stakeholders (for instance with representatives from local authorities, the migration counselling agencies and other civil society players) with regard to the local integration services that are available and to the further need for support.
Resettled refugees are also currently being surveyed who were received in Germany in 2014. The Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees will be publishing the overall evaluations of the 2012 and 2014 cohorts in 2017.
The study was drawn up by: Tatjana Baraulina, Maria Bitterwolf
The study is only available in German.