Abstract
The purpose of this project is to determine and inspect the factors that influence governmental
policy towards refugees and asylum seekers. Social science scholars have identified two
predominant factors that influence refugee and asylum policy; socio-economic climate of the
asylum country and political considerations for the asylum country. This project assess what
countries utilize to either control or encourage asylum and refugee resettlement in times of
prosperity and times of hardship. The project discovers that controlling social rights and using
the Country of Origin to determine refugee eligibility works to deter asylum flows into the
asylum country. The project ascertains that there is an overlap between these two factors. They
influence each other when it comes to regulating refugee and asylum seekers.
Introduction
The recent global scale turmoil has led to the displacement of millions of people
worldwide. These people have abandoned their homes since they are no longer safe and peaceful
to live in. They are displaced and have destitute depending instead on the generosity and
humanity of others in order to survive. This group of displaced, destitute individuals is classified
as refugees. A refugee is any person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual
resident who has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religious,
unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country or to return there, for fear of
persecution (Mountz, 2010). Refugees have been a recurring facet of civilization. Refugee
flows have materialized over time, reflecting different conflicts in different parts of the world. In
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the past couple of years, we have seen an influx in refugee flows, surface due to the political and
The most historically recorded refugee movement took place after World War II. After the
war, the world realized the impecunious nature of the Jews that had just survived the horrors of
the holocaust. The world realized the constraints of refugees and in an effort to elicit
participation in member countries, but provide support and homes for the refugees, the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was founded at the Geneva Convention of 1951. The
Convention established a set of conditions that designated a refugee. Since refugee populations
are scattered in temporary camps throughout the world, and people live in a condition of total
dependency, their needs for food, shelter, medicine, and clothing, and above all, for some haven
where normal life will again be possible far exceed the capacity of any nation to grant relief
(Loescher and Scanlan, 1986), the convention made it an obligation for every member state to
take responsibility in harboring and providing care and support to refugees. Refugees are a
burden to governments because they require access to basic social rights as well as financial
assistance in the immediate years after their resettlement, but knowing that the burden will be
shared and every country will assist in every way that they can make it easier for refugees to find
The refugee process is a laborious one because it requires the participation of both the
United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees as well as the member states that are associated
with the resettlement process. The first step in the process requires individuals to register for
refugee status with the UNHCR. Once registered, UNHCR evaluates the application to see
whether the individual is eligible for refugee status. Once this step is complete, the UNHCR
determines which individuals are most susceptible and begins their resettlement process. Those
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considered for resettlement by the UNHCR are then individually interviewed by a trained
refugee protection officer who looks for discrepancies in the stories given by the applicants. If he
is satisfied, they will apply for a visa on behalf of the applicant with one of the 28 member states
associated with the resettlement process. The applicant will then have another interview with the
visa officer who tries to determine if the applicant poses a national security to their country. If
the visa officer is satisfied, a background check is run on the applicant against all available
databases to further rule out national security concerns regarding the applicant. At this time, the
applicant also has to go through a medical evaluation. If everything comes back in a satisfactory
manner, the applicant is given a loan for air travel that will help them settle into their host
countries.
Despite the extensive process of the refugee determination and resettlement process, out
of the twenty-eight member states only four accept refugees on a yearly basis. The other twenty-
four member states reluctantly accept refugees when the burden poses a debilitating effect on the
four member states with open policies. Researchers have studied two factors that affect the
policies that are enacted by governments; these factors are socio-economics and politics. The
purpose of this paper is to discern the ways that these factors work that influences which policies
Social-Economic Analysis
Governments will legislate policies towards refugees based of social factors. Legislation
reflecting the social climate is enacted whenever people become acutely aware of the lack of
cultural homogeneity. People tend to react negatively when they feel normal changing. Native
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residents share common values and beliefs that create a culture of sameness, however, when the
refugees come in a culture of difference is created, and this difference threatens their
homogeneity. The percentage of refugees that are accepted for the resettlement process is less
than 1%. However, refugees are resettled in clustered groups which makes the native residents
feel a change in homogeneity. During resettlement, young women with refugee backgrounds
experience elevated rates of teen pregnancy and early parenthood relative to other young
Consequently, this apparent lack of cultural homogeneity induces an anxiety reaction that
eventually manifests into xenophobic and racist attitudes towards the refugees from the native
residents. Xenophobic and racist attacks will prompt government to respond through legislation
aimed at controlling social change. When consensus shows disapproval towards refugees,
governments have to tighten their borders and regulations to curb the number of asylum seekers
who enter their borders seeking refuge. Governments are the only ones authorized to determine
whether or not an asylum seeker qualifies as a refuge under the provisions set forth by the
UNHCR. The number of applicants approved for asylum is less than 10%. The government
typically employs two strategies that work together to control social change; containing
applicants seeking refugee status and restricting their access to social rights. These restrictionist
policies curb the number of immigrants who enter the country seeking asylum by further
centers. While in the center, asylum applicants are isolated from the outside world because under
no circumstance are they allowed to leave the premises of the accommodation centers.
Simultaneously, applicants are restricted access to social rights. The whole range of welfare
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benefits, from education to health care and pensions has become a target for those wishing to
restrict the rights of foreigners (Hollifield, 2000: 114). This restriction act as determents for
asylum seekers. Whenever present, the enforcement of these restrictions has shown a decrease in
the number of people who apply for asylum. The decrease is speculated to be the result of fraud
applicants realizing their economic needs will not be met in the country that they are in. Using
centers also always to the government to regulate individuals. They can run background checks
to rule out people who pose a national security threat, but even those who pose a burden on the
economy due to certain long term illnesses, such as HIV, hepatitis, and other chronic diseases, or
those with acute infectious diseases such as Ebola, Influenza, etc. Having asylum seekers
Reception centers that hold applicants for prolonged periods of time stops the integration
of asylum seekers into mainstream society. They are unable to be productive members of society,
and their seclusion fosters an altered reality in their host country. For those applicants who later
receive asylum, they proceed with caution, making sure to avoid situations that might lead them
to trouble with the law. They will keep to themselves and not interact with anyone that appears
different from them. Consequently, asylum seekers are bound to be discriminated against, and
are the scapegoats of everything that goes bad. Asylum seekers are blamed for the deterioration
of the pure culture because aspects of their culture become integrated into their society.
In countries where the ontology of the native residents is not affected, an increase in
social rights is noted. The right to work is not restricted, and they are granted access to work by
the government. Asylum seekers are allowed to choose their living arrangements while they their
applications are pending because there are no mandatory policies requiring them to stay at
reception centers (Anderson and Nilsson, 2009). This gives the government an opportunity to
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reduce the amount of money spent on containing applicants. Asylum seekers are given a daily
allowance to cover, among other expenses, food, clothing, and telephone calls (Anderson and
Nilsson, 2009). The daily allowance is higher for applicants that have their own housing
arrangements. In case, they need more money for extra costs, such as winter clothing, glasses,
and equipment for infants (Anderson and Nilsson, 2009), applicants can request and receive a
special allowance. Access to health care is made readily available for children and for adults,
they are allowed to get emergency care and dental care with the possibility of paying a patient
fee in the future. The patient fee for asylum seekers is slightly lower than the fee paid by
residents. Last, but not least, in countries where cultural homogeneity is present, we see that
Whenever native residents feel their ontology becoming disorganized they will prompt
government to enact laws that protect their homogeneity. Asylum seekers will be secluded from
general society, and refugees will have communities that will isolate them from mainstream
communities. Asylum seekers and refugees are seen as the causes of bad events, thus the main
agenda is to deter other asylum seekers and refugees from entering the country. However, when
homogeneity is secure, asylum seekers and refugees are embraced by the policies in their new
society. They are made to feel welcome, and are likely to experience equality and compassion
from numerous members in their new society. Whether or not refugees are resented depends on
the social receptiveness of the community, and as time goes and times change, the social
receptiveness will also change to reflect the communities ideals. Social receptiveness changes
particularly when the refugees stay is prolonged, but communities that welcome refugees
initially are less likely (or will take longer) to resent or protest the refugees presence (Jacobsen,
1999).
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When enacting policies toward asylum seekers and refugees, countries always examine
the impact of the economic burden that an influx of vulnerable people is going to have on the
country. Accepting refuges requires to the government of the asylum country to provide access to
housing, welfare, healthcare and education for the new immigrants. Access to career services is
also required in order for the new immigrants to receive training and certification needed for
them to get employed. However, all these services cause an economic strain in the lives of
citizens of asylum countries that is reflected in their taxes. In order to minimize the burden, many
countries enact laws that decrease the access to social rights and educational institutions.
A decrease in social rights and educational institutions works as a control tool because it
deters asylum seekers from seeking refuge in that host country. The less immigrants arriving in
the country to seek refugee results in less government money being spent in order to sustain them
and support them. Numerous countries are experiencing an increase in asylum applications and
are having difficulties in coping (Clements, 2001), as a result, many have found a solution in
enacting restrictionist policies in order to decrease the number of asylum applications. In times
of economic difficulty, tighter entry measures are enacted and social institution disentitlement are
adopted to stop individuals from gaining access into the asylum country. Asylum seekers have
found themselves, unable to work, unable to qualify for student grants, and some are not
eligible for social security as well as the lack of family reunion rights (Bloch, 2000).
However, in countries that are not experiencing economic hardship, they enact policies
that give asylum seekers access to social rights and educational institutions. For children, these
social rights and educational institutions are still available even when an asylum application is
denied. Having the ability to work and contribute towards your own housing, and other
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necessities saves the government money that it would otherwise have had to spend on providing
Political Analysis
Governments enact laws governing refugee and asylum seekers based on political factors. Ties
between the country of origin and the country of asylum, national security and current event are
some of the factors that cause governments to enact laws for political reasons. As a result,
countries will use certain criteria to accept different flows of refugees that will foster a policy of
discrimination. Policies enacted for political reasons do not always reflect the social climate of
the country, but more times than not the social factors and the political factors are aligned with
Using the country of origin in the evaluation process is the most conventional method of
identifying ties between countries of origin and the country of asylum, acknowledge national
security threats as well as deal with current events. Every application process requires applicants
to state their country of origin. Close political links between the governments of a country of
possible asylum and the country of origin make people afraid to ask for asylum in the relevant
country of destination (Havinga and Bocker, 1999). Applicants know that the friendship
between the two countries is bound to result in a denial of asylum. The country of asylum would
not want to embarrass the country of origin. In the countries that a friendship is evident, asylum
is almost certainly denied because a bestowal of refugee status upon asylum seekers implies that
the sending government persecutes its people (Jacobsen, 1996). In certain events, a country will
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refrain from giving refugee status to an asylum seeker with genuine concerns about returning
However, if tensions exist between the country of origin and the country of asylum, the result is
more likely to be different. A host country at war with the sending country may admit refugees
only to use them in its conflict with the sending country (Jacobsen, 1996). This practice is
quintessential of developed countries who have the resources available to take on the burden of
having refugees and asylum seekers without the support of the international organizations.
Whenever this happens there is always an influx of asylum seekers that will be granted refugee
status despite not meeting the definition of a refugee as set forth in the provisions of the Geneva
Convention. Many will apply for refugee because of the economic opportunities that are present
in the country of asylum. Those who receive refugee status but initially applied in order to take
advantage of economic opportunities are able to get access to the labor market and receive
access to social rights in their asylum country (Havinga and Bocker,1999). The goal of
accepting refugees where the country of origin and the country of asylum are enemies is to
embarrass those nations. They can be branded as oppressors and abusers of human rights on an
international level which can have an impact on the relations it has with other countries.
Governments will sometimes have some open door policy aimed at accepting certain refugees
Having the country of origin has been controversial and determined as unconstitutional in
many countries because refugee protection claimants to security of the person could be denied
without giving the claimants an in-person hearing or disclosure of crucial country conditions
information relied upon by the decision makers (Heckman, 2008). Numerous people with
genuine claims have been rejected due to the country that they originate from. When using the
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country of origin to determine the eligibility of an applicant, immigrations officers will find
themselves making a decision within two weeks which is considered fast and not thorough by
many groups. Some scholars and advocates argue that the country of origin should not play a
Country of origin can diminish national security threats. In times of war, it has proven valuable
in defeating enemies. The county of asylum can seek out individuals with extremely valuable
intelligence (Loescher and Scanlan, 1986), and offer them asylum in return they have to help in
the defeating of their country of origin. However, country of origin can also alert officers of an
individuals ideologies. In case a person has nefarious ideas that could lead to harming numerous
individuals in the country of asylum, immigration officers can attempt to vet it out at the
asylum/refugee interview that takes place before being granted refugee. At the same time, host
countries can open their doors to the most susceptible individuals by using the country of origin
as an indicator. Awareness of current events, make it much easier to determine the situation and
Depending on who you ask, some scholars are in favor of using the country of origin as
an indicator of who gets granted asylum and other scholars despise the use of the country of
its usage, using the country of origin creates a bias when deciding who is eligible for asylum and
Conclusion
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Sovereign nations have the discretion to allow or deny entry to any individual based on their own
criteria that reflects their socioeconomic and political climates and aspirations. Regardless of the
international framework set forth by the Geneva Convention, sovereign states still have the
autonomy to enact policies towards refugees and asylum seekers in ways that will benefit them.
In examining refugee policies, the overarching concern for countries is to minimize the costs
and maximize benefits for to themselves and their citizens. Policies are formulated so as to
minimize the burden of refugees on social and economic infrastructures and encourage refugees
to gain access to international refugee support systems (Jacobsen, 1999). The lack of social
rights leads many asylum seekers to engage in illicit behaviors. Asylum seekers who are able to
leave their premises will obtain illegal jobs that pay under the table in order to make ends meet
for themselves and their families. the existing hindrances to asylum seekers, employment prove
to be a strong incentive for entering the informal labor market (Szczepanikova, 2012).
During times of economic strain or raging of xenophobic feelings, countries have an interest in
governments with control refraining from integrating foreigners with native residents. Reception
centers help in deterring unwanted asylum seekers from entering the asylum country in order to
be granted refugee. In terms of economic hardship, asylum seekers isolated in reception centers
are denied access to basic social rights. In their isolation, they are unable to provide their
children with an education, they are unable to go to work and contribute to their family and the
economy of the asylum state, they are unable to get access to healthcare and welfare. If an
applicant is considered for refugee, they are subjected to a health exam to determine if their legal
status will be a long term burden in the asylum country. If they are found to have a chronic
illness that will deplete money from government taxes, their application is denied.
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When economies are prospering, and the number of asylum seekers seeking refuge is low,
country will enact policies that are friendly to asylum seekers. They will give them access to
social rights such as work, daily allowances, health care, education, etc. Allowing asylum seekers
to have access to these services works to save the economy, money because it incentives the
asylum seeker to seek their own housing, but also they are able to live in an area that they want
to live in, without the conditions of the reception center baring over them.
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