Webinar recording: What can Britain learn about refugee integration from high-income countries?
As the secretariat for the APPG on Migration, we were delighted to host - Supported to succeed: what can Britain learn about refugee integration from high-income countries? - a virtual event on Monday 1st February 2021, 4-5 pm.
Based on the findings of their new report on refugee integration, Isabel Ruiz and Carlos Vargas-Silva from the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society at the University of Oxford shared examples of best practice from a number of high-income countries with policy insights for the UK. Their presentation cited evidence of successful employment outcomes for refugees based on a number of practical interventions, which include reducing the waiting time for an asylum decision, strategic placement in different areas of the country, language training and bespoke job search assistance.
The panel discussion, overseen by David Simmonds MP (chair of the APPG), provided space for a number of different perspectives on effective refugee integration. Richard Fuller MP expressed support for targeting dispersal where employment opportunities exist, as part of an effective, efficient immigration system that focuses on removing psychological, social and legal barriers to refugee participation in the labour market. Hannah Gregory, head of the Home Office’s Integration Unit, outlined the Government’s commitment to empower refugees to rebuild their lives, emphasising that partnerships and bespoke individualised support will be at the heart of future reforms of the system. Fuad Mahamed, CEO of Ashley Community Housing, detailed his experience of helping refugees into work, emphasising the importance of making information available to them in their own language, and recognising the ways in which refugees contribute to society and the economy when given the necessary support and opportunities.
Chair:
David Simmonds MP
Panel:
Dr Carlos Vargas-Silva and Dr Isabel Ruiz – authors of ‘What Works for Refugee Outcomes in High-Income Countries? Policy Insights for the UK'
Richard Fuller - MP for North East Bedfordshire
Hannah Gregory - Deputy Director, Integration & Community Sponsorship: Resettlement, Asylum Support & Integration Directorate, Home Office
Fuad Mahamed - CEO of Ashley Community Housing
This report was produced by COMPAS and the Good Faith Partnership, with funding from Unbound Philanthropy and the Migration Foundation.
