Statistics:
The Majority Of People Are
Economic Migrants
(Legitimacy of refugee status)
UNHCR
Facts and Figures
about Refugees
UNHCRs full-time
statisticians keep
track of the number
of people of concern
to the Agency.
These figures are
released every June
in the annual Global
Trends report.
http://www.unhcr.ie/a
bout-unhcr/factsand-figures-aboutrefugees
(Economic Threat)
They Don't
Look Like
They Need
Help
2013.
The third largest group of
Asylum seekers in the EU came
from Kosovo, with an 87%
increase from 20,220 in 2013
to 37,875 applicants in 2014.
THE GUARDIAN
10 Truths About
Europes Migrant
Crisis
-Patrick Kingsley
Aug. 10, 2015
http://www.theguardi
an.com/uknews/2015/aug/10/1
0-truths-abouteuropes-refugeecrisis
1.2 million
There are countries with social
infrastructure at breaking point
because of the refugee crisis but
they arent in Europe. The most
obvious example is Lebanon,
which houses 1.2 million Syrian
refugees within a total population of
roughly 4.5 million. To put that in
context, a country that is more than
100 times smaller than the EU has
already taken in more than 50 times
as many refugees as the EU will
even consider resettling in the
future. Lebanon has a refugee crisis.
Europe and, in particular, Britain
does not.
THE ECONOMIST
How many
migrants to
Europe are
refugees?
Sep 7th 2015
http://www.economis
t.com/blogs/economi
stexplains/2015/09/eco
nomist-explains-4
HUFFINGTON
POST
5 Major Myths
Of Europe's
Refugee And
Migrant Crisis
Debunked
It's time to put these
falsehoods to rest.
Nick Robins-Early
Sept. 22, 2015
http://www.huffingto
npost.com/entry/eur
ope-refugee-migrantcrisismyths_us_55f83aa7e
4b09ecde1d9b4bc
Another
criticism
levied by antiimmigrant
groups is that
many people
entering
Europe have
smartphones,
are wearing
expensive
clothing or
generally
appear to be
in good
health.
The perverse
notion that a
person
doesn't look
destitute or
sickly enough
to be granted
asylum
contains a
fundamental
lack of
understandin
g about what
being a
refugee
means. The
people
heading to
Europe come
from diverse
backgrounds,
including mid
dle-class
lives or
wealthy and
educated
families, but
they have
been forced
to flee due to
horrific
conflict.
As The
Washington
Post notes,
a 2013
study of
Syrian
refugees in
Lebanon
found
around half
were skilled
or semiskilled
workers.
Syria is also a
country
where there
are between
75 and 87
mobile phone
subscriptions
per 100
people, Cana
da's
CBC reports.
Smartphones
also provide
a vital means
of
communicatio
n and
navigation alo
ng the routes
to Europe.
Refugees and
migrants use
these devices
for GPS, as
well as to
contact family
members and
other
travelers.
They can also
call or
message for
help from
authorities
should trouble
arise on the
dangerous
journey.
GLOBAL CITIZEN
ORG
Before you say
no to refugees,
here are 8
debunked myths
By Joe
McCarthy on Nov.
20, 2015
https://www.global
citizen.org/en/cont
ent/before-yousay-no-torefugees-here-are8-debunked/
REFINERY 29
5 Awful Myths About
Refugees And
Terrorism
Debunked
-Lili Petersen
-Nov. 18, 2015
http://www.refinery29.
com/2015/11/97887/fi
ve-worst-mythsrefugees-andterrorism
UNHCR
Skilled, educated
Syrian refugees in
Greece seek asylum
in Germany, Sweden
UNHCR says most of
Syrians arriving in
Greece are students
News Stories, 8
December 2015
electricians,
plumbers seven per
cent; engineers,
architects five per
cent; doctors or
pharmacists four
per cent.
Overall, the profile is
of a highly-skilled
population on the
move.
Almost two-thirds of
those surveyed 63 per
cent said they left
Syria in 2015. And some
85 per cent said they
reached one of the
Greek islands on their
first attempt. Most of
those who answered
the questionnaire, 65
per cent, said they
had no special needs.
The UNHCR survey is
not representative of
the whole Syrian
refugee population
arriving in Greece. The
methodology was not a
random sampling.
But the analysis does
give a good overall
picture of the 'profile' of
Syrians arriving in
Greece between April
and September 2015.
Source: UNHCR
HARVARD BUSINESS
REVIEW
Europe Can Find
Better Ways to Get
Refugees into
Workforces
Luk N. Van
Wassenhove
Othman Boufaied
OCTOBER 05, 2015
https://hbr.org/2015/10/
europe-can-find-betterways-to-get-refugeesinto-workforces
AL JAZEERA - AMERICA
Refugees will change
Europe for the better
Immigration could help
European countries
reverse their negative
demographic trends
and boost their
economic growth
October 25,
2015 2:00AM ET
by Paul Hockenos
http://america.aljazeera.
com/opinions/2015/10/r
efugees-will-changeeurope-for-thebetter.html
Demographic crisis
First, demographics:
Deaths outpace
births across Europe.
The gap is acute and
pressing in Germany,
but the Europe-wide
problem receives too
little attention.
European leaders
must lure young
people to populate
their cities, pay
pensions for retirees
and care for them as
well as to sustain the
continents growth.
Germanys growing
economy may be
exceptional in
recession-plagued
Europe, but its
demographic quandary
isnt. Germans have
been graying as a
nation and dwindling in
numbers for decades. If
this trend persists, the
German population will
shrink from 81.5 million
to 60 million over the
next 35 years even
if 100,000
people immigrate to
Germany every year. In
2014, Germany
welcomed 550,483 new
migrants to keep its
total population steady.
But unless fertility rates
rebound dramatically, a
regular inflow of
immigrants is needed
from outside the
country.
In contrast to the early
1990s, when Germany
instigated EU-wide
asylum reform to limit
immigration, today,
theGerman business
community already
struggling to fill job
vacancies and empty
spots in vocational
training programs is
firmly behind Chancellor
Angela Merkels
welcoming stance and
wants the
newcomers trained and
integrated more swiftly.
Other European
countries such as Spain
and Portugal are also
suffering from low
birthrates exacerbated
by the emigration of
hundreds of thousands
of countrymen since the
euro crisis hit in 2010.
Portugals population is
estimated to drop, from
10.5 million to 6.3
million by 2060.
But the crunch could be
worse in Central
European countries that
are stubbornly sealing
off their borders.
Eastern and Central
European countries
are expected to lose the
most population per
capita over the next few
decades. For example,
Bulgarias population
could drop 12 percent
by 2030 and 28 percent
by 2050. Should current
trends continue, Central
Europe could be
depopulated and
economically depressed,
even as pro-immigrant
nations such as
Germany and Sweden
become more
multicultural and
prosperous.
Economic benefits
The refugees offer
Europe more than their
numbers. Their
reception and
integration will require
investment that could
help pull Europe out of
recession. Language
instructors, social
workers, translators,
teachers, vocational
trainers and other
personnel are needed to
facilitate their
socialization. For
example, the refugee
inflow could finally push
Germany to initiate a
spending program that
experts, including
economists at Deutsche
Bank, have long
advocated for to sustain
the countrys growth
and help pull the rest of
Europe out of its slump.
Germany will also have
to consider the
construction of social
housing for the
refugees, which would
benefit low-income
Germans as well. In
recent years, the
country has allowed its
once vaunted public
housing programs
rental apartments
owned and managed by
HUFFINGTON POST
Immigration Is
Good for Economic
Growth. If Europe
Gets It Right,
Refugees Can Be
Too.
09/15/2015 09:24 am
ET | Updated Sep 15,
2015
http://www.huffingtonpo
st.com/jonathanportes/economiceuroperefugees_b_8128288.ht
ml