One of the more frustrating arguments used by opponents of refugees is that they have the temerity to live much like you and I.  While we would find it perfectly normal for natives to move around in the search for work or the life we aspire for, this behavior is viewed with suspicion or indignation when exhibited by migrants.

Yet new research from the Immigration Policy Lab highlights how refugees are very resourceful in finding the opportunities they strive for, even if that means moving around to do so.  The researchers tracked around 450,000 people who had settled in the United States between 2000 and 2014, and found that many refugees move to a different state shortly after their arrival in the search for better jobs or better social networks (but not more generous welfare!).

“These findings counter the stereotype that refugees are destined to become a drain on state resources over the long run,” the researchers say. “When choosing where to live in the United States, refugees do not move to states where welfare benefits are highest. Instead, they leave states with high unemployment rates and move to states with booming economies and employment opportunities.”

Raising our understanding

Historically, a lack of unified data set has made it difficult for researchers to gain a detailed, accurate, and representative insight into the lives of refugees in the United States.  For instance, the Department of State keeps records on any new arrivals, including their education and country of origin, but further details regarding their integration into society is often held by Citizenship and Immigration Services.  To make each piece of data requires a degree of inter-agency coordination that is not the norm.

This helped the researchers to understand where refugees were living in the United States.  They explain that each refugee is assigned to a particular place by the U.S. refugee resettlement agencies, with local offices then helping them to get settled.  Until now, it hadn’t been known how many of these people stay where they were assigned, and how many moved elsewhere, much less what might motivate them to move.

Refugees in the United States are required to apply for permanent resident status within a year of their arrival, which enabled the researchers to explore how many had changed address by the time they applied.  They were somewhat surprised by the numbers who had, and explain that of the 447,747 that they monitored, 47% had moved to a new address by the one-year mark.  This compares to a mobility rate among other non-US citizens of just over 3% within a year of their arrival into the country.

Finding support

The high levels of mobility among refugees appeared to have a pattern to it.  For instance, the analysis revealed that 30% of refugees who were settled in New Jersey, Connecticut or Louisiana were likely to relocate, whereas just 10% of those who settled in California were found to.  In terms of location, the Midwestern states appeared to gain most from this movement, with Minnesota the most popular destination.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the main driver for movement was the presence of people from the refugee’s home community.  This chimes with research from Stanford that shows how important such communities are.  The study suggests that refugees benefit when they reside in ethnic communities as these communities help the newcomers find work and navigate local bureaucracy.

The analysis, which explored the Swiss labor market, found that refugees were more likely to find work in their first five years if they lived in an area where a large community existed of people who shared their nationality, language or ethnicity.

“Our study shows that ethnic networks can be beneficial for the economic status of refugees at least within the first few years of their arrival in the host country,” the researchers explain.

Economic opportunities

Also unsurprisingly, economic opportunities were also a strong pull factor, with refugees more likely to leave states with high unemployment for states with low unemployment.  This mirrors research from Teeside University, which highlights that refugees don’t just want any work, but work that taps into their unique talent.

Such routes to meaningful employment are often riddled with barriers, with many asylum seekers waiting for extended periods of time for a decision, during which time they are forbidden from working.

Research from Stanford University attempted to use AI to better integrate refugees into their host communities.  The study found that economic self-sufficiency required a range of things, such as the education level of the individual, their knowledge of English, and the location they settled in their new home country.  This translated into some refugees having much higher chances of settling than others.

The researchers developed an algorithm that was able to assign placements for refugees based upon this data, with the assignments giving them the best chance of integrating.  Indeed, the researchers believe it increases their chances of finding a job by up to 70%.

“As one looks at the refugee crisis globally, it’s clear that it’s not going away any time soon and that we need research-based policies to navigate through it,” they say. “Our hope is to generate a policy conversation about the processes governing the resettlement of refugees, not just on the national level in the United States but internationally as well.”

The Immigration Policy Lab team have also developed a tool, known as GeoMatch, which takes a data-driven approach to providing personalized location recommendations for each refugee.  It also has value for economic migrants, who can use the tool to find the best location for their skills and background.

The analysis reveals that U.S. refugees do appear to become citizens at a higher rate than other immigrants, with 66% doing so among those who arrived between 2000 and 2010, with those in urban areas with low unemployment among those most likely to do so.  It suggests that the resettlement systems is working fairly, well, but the researchers hope that better deployment of the data already captured will help it to become even better.