Refugee Sponsorship and Family Reunification

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéfanie Morris ◽  
Patti Tamara Lenard ◽  
Stacey Haugen
Keyword(s):  
Family Reunification ◽  
Refugee Resettlement ◽  
Family Separation ◽  
Host State ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Private Sponsorship ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
Family Unity

Abstract This article examines the choice made by resettled refugees and their sponsors to use the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program (PSRP) in Canada to reunite families and the benefits and challenges of doing so. The timing of our study is deliberate. Global efforts are underway to encourage other states to adopt private or community sponsorship schemes, and this spread renders examination of the benefits and burdens of this form of refugee resettlement urgent. Using data we have collected via interviews of resettled refugees and sponsors in Canada, we show that family separation has a marked impact on the ability of refugees to integrate into their new home. This conclusion highlights the possibility that there are host-state imperatives that can be better served by facilitating family reunification. Furthermore, we suggest that the successful deployment of the PSRP as a tool of family reunification depends too much on the preferences and perspectives of sponsors, who may not agree that reunification is valuable, or who may not have the capacity to facilitate such reunifications. They also may struggle with the thought that they are being forced to choose among which refugees are most in need of highly scarce resettlement spots. Together, these results generate additional support for the view, which we endorse, that states should be focused on doing more to protect family unity, especially for refugee families, outside of a private sponsorship scheme.

Part VI Refugee Rights and Realities, Ch.55 The Right to Family Reunification

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholson Frances
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Family Reunification ◽  
Human Rights Law ◽  
Armed Groups ◽  
International Protection ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Unaccompanied Children ◽  
The Right ◽  
Family Unity

This chapter investigates the right to family reunification. Refugees fleeing persecution and armed conflict often become separated from their families or have to leave family members behind. Border guards, armed groups, smugglers, or simply force of circumstance may separate refugee families in the chaos of flight. For refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection, family reunification in the country of asylum is generally the only way to ensure respect for their right to family life and family unity. The chapter examines the extent of the rights to family life and family unity under human rights law both globally and regionally, with the right to family reunification itself also receiving widespread recognition. In practice, however, in order to realize these rights, refugee families must surmount numerous legal and practical obstacles that can render reunification a tortuous or even impossible undertaking. The chapter then takes a children’s rights perspective, focusing notably on the situation of adopted, fostered, and unaccompanied children.

scholarly journals Family strategies in refugee journeys to Europe

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talitha Dubow ◽  
Katie Kuschminder
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Family Reunification ◽  
Policy Changes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Family Separation ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Dynamic Policy ◽  
Family Strategies

Abstract This article contributes to the literature on refugee journeys and decision-making by providing an exploratory study of the strategies adopted by refugee families in order to overcome controls on their movement and access to asylum. Refugee family strategies are analysed in the context of dynamic policy changes along the Eastern Mediterranean route, drawing on semi-structured interviews with Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian family members who were on this route between 2015 and 2018. The results demonstrate, first, how refugee families negotiate the physical and financial barriers to their movement—often by separating, which emerges as a key adaptive strategy. Second, concomitant with the decision to separate, family reunification policies become important in shaping—and determining the outcomes—of these asylum-seeking trajectories. Third, the article reflects on the consequences of family separation on the families themselves, particularly in an environment of limited family reunification possibilities.

Causes of family separation and barriers to reunification: Syrian refugees in Jordan

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-389
Author(s):  
Hannah Chandler ◽  
Neil Boothby ◽  
Zahirah McNatt ◽  
Margaret Berrigan ◽  
Laura Zebib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Reunification ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Family Separation ◽  
Internally Displaced ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
International Borders ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Since 2011, the war in Syria has resulted in the displacement of 12.2 million people. Over 5.6 million have fled Syria to seek asylum in neighbouring countries, while 6.6 million have been internally displaced. Family separation, with significant psychological, social and economic implications, is a key concern for those who flee violence and cross international borders. This qualitative study sought to understand the causes of separation among Syrian families in Jordan and the obstacles to family reunification. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 85 Syrian refugee families identified as having separated family members. We present critical moments during migration when family separation occurs: (1) while fleeing Syria, (2) while residing in Jordan and (3) pre-existing separation due to work or travel that was exacerbated by the conflict. We also highlight the factors that perpetuate separation among families, preventing or delaying them from reuniting. These findings may help to inform more humane family reunification practices as well as identify future research and learning needs.

scholarly journals US Immigration Policy and the Case for Family Unity

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 417-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoya Gubernskaya ◽  
Joanna Dreby
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Immigration Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Family Separation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Family Based ◽  
Mixed Status Families ◽  
Mixed Status ◽  
Family Unity

As the Trump administration contemplates immigration reform, it is important to better understand what works and what does not in the current system. This paper reviews and critically evaluates the principle of family unity, a hallmark of US immigration policy over the past 50 years and the most important mechanism for immigration to the United States. Since 1965, the United States has been admitting a relatively high proportion of family-based migrants and allowing for the immigration of a broader range of family members. However, restrictive annual quotas have resulted in a long line of prospective immigrants waiting outside of the United States or within the United States, but without status. Further policy changes have led to an increasing number of undocumented migrants and mixed-status families in the United States. Several policies and practices contribute to prolonged periods of family separation by restricting travel and effectively locking in a large number of people either inside or outside of the United States. On top of that, increasingly aggressive enforcement practices undermine family unity of a large number of undocumented and mixed-status families. Deportations — and even a fear of deportation —cause severe psychological distress and often leave US-born children of undocumented parents without economic and social support. A recent comprehensive report concluded that immigration has overall positive impact on the US economy, suggesting that a predominantly family-based migration system carries net economic benefits. Immigrants rely on family networks for employment, housing, transportation, informal financial services, schooling, childcare, and old age care. In the US context where there is nearly no federal support for immigrants' integration and limited welfare policies, family unity is critical for promoting immigrant integration, social and economic well-being, and intergenerational mobility. Given the benefits of family unity in the US immigrant context and the significant negative consequences of family separation, the United States would do well to make a number of changes to current policy and practice that reaffirm its commitment to family unity. Reducing wait times for family reunification with spouses and children of lawful permanent residents, allowing prospective family-based migrants to visit their relatives in the United States while their applications are being processed, and providing relief from deportation and a path to legalization to parents and spouses of US citizens should be prioritized. The cost to implement these measures would likely be minor compared to current and projected spending on immigration enforcement and it would be more than offset by the improved health and well-being of American families.

scholarly journals Family Matters: Claiming Rights across the US-Mexico Migratory System

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Maria Hagan ◽  
Ricardo Martinez-Schuldt ◽  
Alyssa Peavey ◽  
Deborah M. Weissman
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Child Support ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
The United States ◽  
Family Separation ◽  
Return Migrants ◽  
The Us ◽  
Binational Families ◽  
Us Immigration ◽  
Family Unity

The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (INA) created an immigration system favoring the immigration of spouses, children, and parents of US citizens, thereby establishing family unity as the cornerstone of US immigration policy. Despite this historical emphasis on family unity, backlogs and limited visas for non-immediate relatives of US citizens and legal permanent residents, the militarization of the US-Mexico border, punitive measures for those who enter without inspection, such as the forced separation of children from their parents at the US border, and an aggressive policy of deportation have made it more difficult for members of Mexican binational families to unify. How do members of Mexican binational families manage the hardships that result from US immigration policies that prolong and force family separation? Immigrants and return migrants alike may not be aware of their rights and the legal remedies that exist to enforce them. Structural barriers such as poverty, legal status, fear of deportation, lack of proficiency in English, and lack of familiarity with government bureaucracies no doubt prevent many migrants in the United States and return migrants in Mexico from coming forward to request legal assistance and relief in the courts. Despite these barriers, when it comes to family matters, members of some Mexican binational families can and do assert their rights. In this article, we analyze an administrative database of the Department of Legal Protection of the Mexican consular network that documents migrant legal claims resulting from family separation, along with findings from 21 interviews with consular staff and community organizations in three consular jurisdictions — El Paso, Raleigh, and San Francisco — to investigate the sociolegal processes of claims. Our investigation centers on the mediating role the Mexican state — via its consular network — has developed to assist binational families as they attempt to assert their rights and resolve child support and child custody problems resulting from prolonged and forced family separation. We find that the resolution of binational family claims in part depends on the institutional infrastructure that has developed at local, state, and federal levels, along with the commitment and capacity of the receiving and sending states and the binational structures they establish. These binational structures transcend the limitations of national legal systems to achieve and implement family rights and obligations across borders.

Variation in primary health care services after implementation of quality improvement policy in Brazil

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anya P G F Vieira-Meyer ◽  
Maria de Fatima A S Machado ◽  
Fabiane A Gubert ◽  
Ana Patricia P Morais ◽  
Yana Paula Sampaio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Primary Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
City Size ◽  
Work Process ◽  
Process Improvements ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Additional Support

Abstract Background Brazil is the most populous country with a public, universal and free health care system. The National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care (PMAQ) was created to improve the quality of primary health care (PHC). Objective To evaluated whether progress generally has been made within Brazil’s PHC since PMAQ implementation, and if changes occurred uniformly in the country, while also identifying municipal characteristics that may have influenced the improvement. Methods This is an observational study using data from PMAQ external evaluation (2012 and 2014), a 1200-item survey used to evaluate Brazilian PHC quality. After confirming the groupings of items using factor analysis, we created 23 composed indexes (CIs) related to infrastructure and work process. Results On average, the large majority of CIs showed improvements between 2012 and 2014. Region and city size moderated changes in the PHC indices differently. Overall, there were better improvements in infrastructure in the Northeast compared with other country regions, and in smaller cities (10 000–20 000 people). Infrastructure indices appear to have improved equitably across the country. Work process improvements varied with city size and region. Conclusion Despite similar support of PMAQ across the country, improvements are not predictable nor homogeneous. Non-uniform improvements were seen in Brazil’s PHC. Though we do not directly evaluate the effectiveness of the PMAQ (financial reward) method, these initial findings suggest that it is a potentially useful tool to improve health systems, but additional support may be needed in regions that lag behind in quality improvements.

Rethinking resettlement and family reunion in Australia

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sahar Okhovat ◽  
Asher Hirsch ◽  
Khanh Hoang ◽  
Rebecca Dowd
Keyword(s):  
Family Members ◽  
Significant Issue ◽  
Family Separation ◽  
Family Reunion ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Law And Policy

Family reunion remains a significant issue for refugee communities in Australia. Family separation causes significant psychological, social and economic harm to displaced communities. Instead of supporting the reunion of refugee families, the current law and policies make it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for refugees to bring their family members to Australia. This article outlines the barriers to family reunion for refugees under Australian law and policy and addresses how such policies could be reformed to better facilitate reunification.

scholarly journals "A Stone In The Ocean": A Mixed Methods Investigation Into The Experiences Of Families Trying To Reunite In Canada

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth J. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Family Reunification ◽  
Family Separation ◽  
The Family ◽  
Permanent Residency ◽  
Critical Policy ◽  
Permanent Residents ◽  
Family Class

Every year many families are formed, or find themselves separated, across borders. To address the problem of family separation, the family class stream of immigration to Canada, which accounts for 20-30% of new immigrants annually, allows citizens or permanent residents to sponsor certain family members for permanent residency. Yet there has been very little research on experiences of this policy. Family reunification immigration, located at the intersection of the personal and the political, has been marginalized by masculinized policy disciplines that focus on macro-trends in immigration and render the family invisible, and by feminized disciplines that focus on the family and individual in immigration while rendering policy invisible. This dissertation fills that gap in the literature, using a critical policy studies approach informed by aspects of Critical Theory, intersectionality and Foucauldian interpretations of power. I explore the lived experiences of families as they apply to reunite through the family class stream, and of families who would like to apply to reunite but cannot. I used mixed methods—qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys—to collect data from 169 families, and 100 key informants who support applicant families, including lawyers, consultants, settlement workers and constituency office caseworkers. This approach and research design allowed me to expose and develop a deep knowledge of families’ experiences that have until now been marginalized. Findings show that, though the decision on an immigration application is important, a sole focus on that decision both excludes applicants’ vastly different experiences during the process and renders invisible those who cannot even apply. Diversity in experiences was closely related to interactions between different aspects of social location, and policy design and implementation. Applicants exercised many forms of initiative and agency, but were ultimately constrained by policy structures. The new Government has recently made promising changes, but we must ensure these changes are effective and continue to advocate for further improvements that would mitigate applicants’ negative experiences. Finally, more research needs to be done, most importantly on family reunification through immigration streams that were excluded from this study.

scholarly journals The impact of Home Languange and Home Resources on Reading Achievement in ten-years-olds in Norway, PIRLS 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Olaug Strand ◽  
Knut Schwippert
Keyword(s):  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
The Impact

The aim of the current study was to examine the associations between a child’s home language, home resources for learning to read and reading achievement. Whereas the role of a child’s first language in second language learning and literacy skills has shown contradictory results, there is an established body of empirical evidence documenting the relationship between home resources and academic achievement. The study was conducted to extend existing knowledge on the relative contribution of home language and home resources on reading achievement. Using data from the Norwegian participation in Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016, fifth grade, mean age 10.8 years (n = 4232), regression analysis reveals, overall, that home resources is more strongly related to reading achievement than a child’s home language. In the search for extended knowledge about the complex mechanisms behind achievement differences, we argue that several factors in addition to home language need to be considered, so that any initiative that is identified as effective to compensate for diversity will be beneficial for all students who need additional support in their reading development.

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