Integration? The perceptions and experiences of refugees in Yorkshire and the Humber

Abstract

Using data generated in three focus groups with refugees resident in the Yorkshire and Humber region this report explores refugees’ perceptions and experiences of integration. Initially, refugees’ understandings of integration are explored. Discussions then consider three potentially important areas of integration, that is, refugees’ interactions with their neighbours, activity in the paid labour market and contact with formal welfare agencies. In spite of the barriers that many of them routinely face, the refugees’ interviewed clearly value the opportunity to rebuild their lives in a new location free from persecution