Refugee Integration in Europe The definition of integration There is no consensus on the definition of immigrant integration in the context of developed countries and there is no formal definition in international refugee law (Crisp 2004). Broad understanding of integration as processual, individual and two-way underpins many government and academic attempts to define what integration or an integrated society looks like. In a developing country context, the term is frequently used when speaking of local integration of refugees as an alternative to voluntary repatriation and resettlement: the three durable solutions of UNHCR. In Canada, the term “settlement” is used for the immediate period after arrival when a newcomer orientates, and “integration” is used for the longer-term process of becoming a member of Canadian society. The lack of a firm definition may reflect the subjective character of integration as a process and the way in which an individual can be integrated in one area of the receiving society but not in others. It may also reflect the way in which an immigrant can simultaneously create and maintain strong links with his or her country of origin, the receiving country and countries of transit. In the increasingly connected 21st century, migration no longer means leaving behind one set of connections and replacing them with another; each may be maintained alongside the other via a large range of instant communication technologies. The means of, and reasons for, maintaining identity and belonging in multiple non-exclusive ways are not the core focus of this report, but do form the backdrop to integration in the 21st century world where one can be integrated simultaneously in multiple locations, to a range of degrees, and for a variety of personally identified outcomes. Defining integration is made more complex because it is not only something that happens to a passive individual over time, but is a process in which an individual may actively and selectively control certain aspects. Nonetheless, governments require newcomers to engage with certain aspects of integration in order to ensure a functioning cohesive society in which all members contribute and benefit. The range of ways in which governments do this varies from facilitation and enablement, to encouragement, to coercion. Put simplistically, the goal of integration is equality, inclusion and achievement, however disparity may intervene as governments may view integration one way, while newcomers live it another way. For the purposes of this study on refugees, integration is understood as the end product of a dynamic and multifaceted two-way process with three interrelated dimensions: a legal, an economic and a social-cultural dimension. Integration requires efforts by all parties concerned, including preparedness on the part of refugees to adapt to the host society without having to forego their own cultural identity, and a corresponding readiness on the part of host communities and public institutions to welcome refugees and to meet the needs of a diverse population (UNHCR 2005). At the core of UNHCR’s definition is the concept of integration as a two-way process and this is premised on “adaptation” of one party and “welcome” by the other. It does not however require the refugee to relinquish their cultural identity and integration therefore differs from assimilation. Further to this, the two-way process underlies the three specific dimensions that UNHCR emphasizes as being part of the process of refugee integration: *As a legal process: refugees are granted a range of entitlements and rights which are broadly commensurate with those enjoyed by citizens. These include freedom of movement, access to education and the labour market, access to social assistance, including health facilities, and the capacity to travel with valid travel and identity documents. Realization of family unity is another important aspect of integration. Over time the process should lead to permanent residence rights and in some cases the acquisition of citizenship in the country of asylum. *As an economic process: refugees attain a growing degree of self-reliance and become capable of pursuing sustainable livelihoods, thus contributing to the economic life of the host country. *As a social and cultural process: refugees acclimatize and local communities accommodate refugees to enable them to live amongst or alongside the receiving population without discrimination or exploitation, and contribute actively to the social life of their country of asylum. Integration is, in this sense, an interactive process involving both refugees and nationals of the receiving state, as well as its institutions. The result is ideally a society that is both diverse and open, where people can form a community, regardless of differences (UNHCR 2002). A diverse and open society has been observed within current integration policy to be often “based on a vision of a society where individuals with different cultural and ethnic backgrounds can co-exist” (Bijl and Verweij 2012:34). These authors observe further that the approach to integration has narrowed in recent years to one which includes not encroaching on the fundamental values of the receiving society (Bijl and Verweij 2012:34) and this has increasingly been reflected at policy level and emphasizes the responsibility of the newcomer in the integration process. The full Research can be read link below. refworld.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/rwmain?page=search&docid=522980604&skip=0&query=Refugees%202013
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 23:06:30 +0000
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