Moving on: relocation and re-grouping among former refugees in the European Union
Background
Many of the migrants who have arrived in the EU from countries outside Europe over the last two decades came as asylum seekers, particularly in the 1990s and early 2000s when there were several hundred thousand such arrivals. Of those who were able to establish a claim for asylum and to secure refugee status, some have subsequently become EU citizens and acquired the right to move freely within the EU. There are growing indications – largely anecdotal – that among some of these new citizens a significant trend is emerging towards relocation within the EU. This project will investigate the nature and implications of these new patterns of mobility.
Aims and objectives
The study will explore the latter part of refugees’ migration trajectories – a stage neglected in the literature hitherto. In a sense their acquisition of the right of mobility through EU citizenship marks the end of their status as refugees and their transition to ‘ordinary’ migrants. The possibility of mobility following the acquisition of EU citizenship contrasts with the earlier periods of constrained mobility while asylum cases are being decided.
Much of the recent relocation has been to the UK, but there are other patterns, and the destinations may change with shifts in economic, social and political environments. Preliminary studies on the relocation of new EU citizens of refugee background to the UK from continental Europe (Lindley and Van Hear 2007) suggest that the main determinants of relocation are greater perceived economic, employment and educational opportunities, and a better perceived social and cultural environment -- the latter because of a critical mass of co-nationals which can sustain a familiar way of life. This project will investigate the degree to which these factors are indeed in play and seek to uncover other dimensions. The research will attempt to anticipate shifts in relocation patterns: for example, if the UK economy continues its current contraction, will counter-flows of migrants be set in motion? With extended family members often spread across several European (and other) locations, these newly mobile EU citizens may be well placed to take advantage of such socio-economic change -- better placed in fact than members of the established population who typically have fewer transnational connections.
Empirically, the aim of the project is to document the scale, nature and characteristics of the new mobility, in order to systematise hitherto anecdotal and scattered reports of the phenomenon. This will entail exploring the factors which motivate, enable and constrain these new patterns of mobility within the EU. Conceptually, by tracking the onward movement of a significant section of Europe’s refugee population, the project will develop a more nuanced perspective on the notions of transnational living and diaspora formation and transformation. This will involve exploring how the new forms of mobility play out among individuals, households and communities, the strategies deployed, the relationships negotiated, and their implications for participation in local networks and communities.
Outputs
Lindley A. and Van Hear N. 2007. New Europeans on the move: a preliminary review of the onward migration of refugees within the European Union, COMPAS Working Paper 57, Oxford: COMPAS. Click here to open.