Third country resettlement
Among those refugees the UNHCR or other organisations (e.g. RefugePoint or HIAS) make referrals for resettlement if they identify a high level of risk and vulnerability whilst being in the first country of asylum.
It is also possible for multiple refugees to be submitted for resettlement if they share specific circumstances, such as similar reasons for their flight and no prospects of return.
Examples for group resettlement were the Lost Boys of Sudan from Kenya, Liberians from Guinea and Sierra Leone, Burundians from Tanzania and Eritreans from Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia.
They may even exaggerate their level of vulnerability as has been noticed in Kakuma: men staged violent attacks on themselves or their dwellings and women pretended rapes; they may be hiding their military or rebel past, or change their ethnicity, in order to belong to a certain persecuted group.
[21] In addition to helping refugees begin to prepare for life in a new country, cultural orientation can also contribute to the uncertainty and stress associated with resettlement.
[22] Refugees who are resettled in the US have to pay back a loan for their flight tickets which is provided by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
[23] In certain circumstances, where refugees have to be evacuated immediately from life-threatening situations in the first country of asylum, they can be brought to Emergency Transit Centres (ETC).
[31] The result of this approach is an increase in employment rates as refugees are provided with resources—language lessons, resume building, interview skills, etc.—that prepare them for obtaining their first job.
[31] The limits of this approach have been ignoring other factors that present as barriers to employment rates including mental and physical health problems, unfamiliarity with work and social culture in their new environment, and "brain waste" which is a term used to describe those who have professional qualifications but their English language proficiency is limited and prevents them from obtaining jobs matching their skills.
[32] This job-first focus does not take into account that refugees have limited time to adjust to their new environment and enter low-skilled jobs.
Efforts can be made by academics and researchers to publicize the benefits that refugees provide to their local communities, and highlight the negative consequences of their exclusion.
[35] Such scholars can testify in front of congress as non-government experts to influence policy decisions that could ultimately benefit refugees.
[35] By involving refugees in decision making and advocacy work, NGOs can teach them how to complete processes themselves starting from their arrival in the new country.
[36] This can help staff of such organizations as they would not be overwhelmed since refugees learn to fill out forms and other tasks as their language proficiency increases.
[45] The ORR has also identified a number of areas of improvement in these programs, such as the need to understand the employment structure of a local community by refugee service agencies, more focus on refugees who are difficult to employ, increased creativity in identifying job opportunities and overcoming barriers, creating more appropriate levels of subsidy and training for each position, more understanding of cultural issues that influence program design.
The number of refugees resettled in the United States is statutorily limited by an annual ceiling that the U.S. president determines each fiscal year (FY).
One study showed that instead of requiring resettlement staff to work nights, weekends, and overtime to meet the demands of the large cultural transition of new refugees, the use of volunteers can reduce the overall cost down to roughly a quarter.
[54] Refugee resettlement in the U.S. emerged as a response to the violence brought on by World War II that displaced millions of people in Europe.
Non-governmental groups partnered with the U.S. government to respond to this humanitarian crisis in the 1930s, playing vital roles in the future resettlement of refugees.
[33] During the next 40 years, the U.S. was committed to expanding its focus to continents other than Europe, coordinating with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help those most in need.
After the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reauthorization Act under President Clinton, poor families could receive support for five years provided they maintained a job search.
These key events intertwined the relationship between federal and state governments and non-governmental organizations as they partnered to provide resources to refugees.
[31] Without acknowledging people’s concerns from a bottom-up perspective, one that allows refugees themselves to make informed decisions and create change for themselves, the job-first focus approach cannot be as effective.
[56] The job-first approach may be effective in helping refugees find low-skilled jobs immediately, but it ignores their underemployment rate and their other essential needs.
[57] some experts have suggested that any new approaches must strengthen the workforce, allowing refugees to build essential skills toward further advancement in employment or education, which can be achieved by addressing other needs such as mental health, affordable housing, and beyond policies that merely determine the lowest wage needed for mere survival.
Although the U.S. Department of State has provided funding over the years, empowerment programs have struggled as the number of refugees increased and unemployment rose within the country.
Street-level studies have found that refugee workers routinely target resources toward those clients who are most likely to gain from the desired outcomes of intervention.
[56] In practice, neutral legislation in the case of refugee resettlement varies across the United States, as local offices have discretion over the distribution of resources.
[62] The research identifies three main forms of empowerment: economic, community, and technological, and explores the intricate web of tensions and dynamics embedded within each.
These include the strategic recruitment of former refugees as caseworkers and the use of technology-based approaches to bridge communication gaps and enhance resource accessibility.
