Seeking Safety beyond Refuge: The Impact of Immigration and Citizenship Policy upon Refugees in the UK

Abstract

Western states are concerned about maintaining and securing national borders. Across Europe, one response has been to implement restrictive asylum regimes that prevent 'bogus' applicants and grant refuge only to the 'deserving'. Alongside these concerns, states are eager to encourage socially cohesive communities. One recent tool adopted by the UK government has been citizenship policy, including English language/life in the UK tests and citizenship ceremonies. By drawing upon in-depth interviews with refugees in Scotland (UK), this paper explores the impact of the current asylum regime and citizenship policies from the perspective of individual voices that are often absent from wider debates. It explores how temporary refugee status impacts upon individuals' everyday lives including employment and education, and impacts upon children. The data also question the reasons for refugees deciding to become British citizens (or not) and highlight instrumental reasons alongside less tangible factors such as gaining a sense of security. Taking the discussion forward, the study explores some unintended consequences of immigration and citizenship policies in the UK. The research suggests that not only do restrictive asylum policies negatively impact upon refugees and their integration but also serve to elevate fear and uncertainty, which can unintentionally spur individuals to seek naturalisation.

Social Citizenship, Social Policy and Refugee Integration: a Case of Policy Divergence in Scotland?

“…The distinction has had the obvious impact of treating those in the asylum system differently from recognised refugees, a rights stratification and move away from any form of universalism. The British Government effectively takes the position that the integration of refugees is desirable but that asylum seekers should not be integrated until they have been recognised as refugees and, even then, the temporary status available to refugees can undermine integration (Stewart and Mulvey, 2014). Thus policy interventions where they have existed have been aimed solely at those who have had their claims for refugee status recognised.…”

Mobility and security: the perceived benefits of citizenship for resettled young people from refugee backgrounds

“…While citizenship (in its broad sense) is identified by Strang and Ager (2010) as foundational for refugee integration (see also Stewart and Mulvey 2014;Bloch 2000), the nature of the relationship between formal state citizenship and integration remains unclear (Ersanilli and Koopmans 2010). Formal citizenship can coincide with day-to-day exclusion from power and resources among marginalised refugee-background populations (Barnes 2001), and processes of integration can occur long after formal state citizenship has been accorded to former refugees (Koska 2015).…”

“…Juba, a Sudanese-background young man, is yet to take up citizenship due to a criminal record he fears could adversely affect his application. For young people from refugee backgrounds, citizenship can be a source of comfort and confidence, fostering a sense of security that transcends physical safety (Stewart and Mulvey 2014). It functions both practically and symbolically to facilitate safe travel abroad and safe return to Australia, supporting the maintenance of transnational relationships and identities.…”

“…In conferring a secure status within the nation state and a concomitant ability to freely and safely move beyond it, citizenship signifies the end of forced migration and provides a secure basis for pursuing national and transnational futures. In light of the underrepresentation of refugee and migrant perspectives in discussions of citizenship (Stewart and Mulvey 2014;Fozdar and Spittles 2010;Leitner and Ehrkamp 2006), and the paucity of empirical studies of formal state citizenship more generally (Ho 2008;Nordberg 2006), this article also addresses a significant research gap.…”

“…The extension of the concept of citizenship beyond the traditional scope of 'a legal status attributed to individuals by states and the legal rights and obligations attached to this status' (Bauböck 2010, 847), along with an increasing focus on the erosion and devaluation of state citizenship, risks obscuring the ongoing importance of formal state citizenship as a mechanism for including and positioning people within global political structures (Castles 2005). This is critical when considering the differential access to and implications of citizenship for different groups (Stewart and Mulvey 2014;Bauböck 2010). It is particularly salient for refugees, who by definition are unable to avail themselves of the rights and protections conventionally provided by the state.…”