In modern society, diversity is essential, especially in the world of academia and finance. This study examines the challenges faced by refugees and diverse ethnic backgrounds. Understanding their struggles is not only a moral imperative but also important for organizations and businesses. Equity and inclusion advance the potential of the workforce and students. This research provides insight into policy, education and business strategies to overcome barriers. It is a call to action for social justice and prosperity. By combining personal stories, empirical evidence and academic discourse, it illuminates the path to integration and success. When stakeholders embrace these ideas, they pave the way for a future where diversity thrives and inclusivity reigns.
In today’s global landscape, the issue of refugees has become increasingly prominent, with millions of individuals seeking safety and shelter away from their home countries. Understanding who refugees are and the factors driving their displacement is crucial for addressing their needs and ensuring their successful integration into new societies.
Refugees, defined as individuals fleeing conflict, violence, or persecution, earnestly seek refuge in foreign lands.[1] As delineated by the 1951 Refugee Convention, a refugee is a person who, “owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of [their] nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail [themself] of the protection of that country.”[2]
In the context of the United Kingdom, recent decades have borne witness to profound demographic shifts propelled by migration. The emergence of spontaneous asylum seekers, those arriving and seeking asylum beyond government or United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) organized programs, has notably contributed to this demographic transformation, enriching the UK’s diversity.[3]
The predominant influx from regions like Asia and countries such as Afghanistan underscores the dynamic nature of global displacement, while resettlement initiatives, particularly for Syrians and Afghans, symbolize concerted efforts toward humanitarian solidarity.
Between 2014 and 2023, a total of 55,000 individuals found resettlement or relocation in the UK through various schemes, with approximately 20,000 being Syrians resettled between 2014 and 2020, and 25,000 from Afghanistan since 2021.
The year 2022 stands out as a significant milestone, with the establishment of pathways for Ukrainian refugees, leading to a substantial influx that surpassed previous migration waves. By the end of 2023, around 197,000 individuals had arrived under these schemes, a flow of unprecedented magnitude in recent UK migration history. Against this backdrop, the tally of refugees in the UK surged, fuelled by conflicts in Ukraine and Afghanistan, underscoring the dynamic nature of displacement dynamics.[4]
Statistics paint a sobering picture: a global populace exceeding 35 million refugees, with 38,761 finding sanctuary in nations like the UK, where asylum seekers form a significant segment of immigrant inflows. The graphical representation of asylum seeker numbers in 2022 and 2023, accounting for 16% of total immigration, underscores the scale of the challenge, necessitating collective awareness of the refugee narrative.[5]
Table 1 – Number of refugees.
As we can see at table 1[6], in 2022 and 2023 the number of asylum seekers in the UK became extremely high. As the population of refugees continues to increase, the imperative of understanding their plight remains undiminished. In navigating the contours of the European refugee crisis, the UK Government’s response assumes a pivotal role, underscoring the pressing need for vigilance and empathy towards those displaced in pursuit of safety and dignity.[7]
[1] UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). (n.d.). Refugees. Retrieved from https://www.unhcr.org/uk/refugees
UNHCR. (n.d.). 1951 Refugee Convention. Retrieved April 30, 2024, from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees website: link.
[2] Vertovec, S. (2007), ‘Super-diversity and its Implications’ Ethnic and Racial Studies, 30, 6, 1024–54.
[3] Sturge, G. (2024, March 1). Asylum statistics [Research briefing]. Commons Library link.
[4] House of Commons Library. (2022). Research Briefing: Abortion statistics: England and Wales. Retrieved from link.
[5] Sturge, G. (2024, March 1). Asylum statistics [Research briefing]. Commons Library link.
[6] Gov.uk. (2023). Immigration system statistics: year ending September 2023. [online] Available at: link.
[7] House of Commons Library. (2022). Research Briefing: Abortion statistics: England and Wales. Retrieved from link.
This study applies secondary data analysis to investigate the challenges refugees in the UK face in integrating into society and accessing higher education.
Secondary data from scientific articles, reports, government publications, official websites and reputable news sources will be systematically collected and analyzed to achieve the research objectives.
Data collected will be analyzed thematically to identify general patterns and trends in the refugee experience, focusing on topics such as language barriers, recognition of foreign qualifications , discrimination in employment and access to essential services.
These findings will be synthesized and interpreted to develop a comprehensive understanding of refugee integration and access to higher education in the UK, along with a critical assessment of the impact on policy, practice and future research.
In the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom found itself grappling with a surge of asylum seekers, prompting a deep-seated examination of the challenges associated with supporting refugees.[1]
Amid this period of upheaval, the concept of integration emerged as a focal point, resonating across policy, practice, and academia.
Integration has been defined as “the process by which immigrants become accepted into society.” However, the term integration is frequently employed in policy, practice, and academia, yet its interpretation can vary significantly depending on the perspective, interests, assumptions, and values (Castles et al., 2002).[2]
Historically, integration was seen as assimilation, yet contemporary understanding reveals a reciprocal process shaped by interactions with society and institutions. [3]
Berry’s work underscores integration as dual adaptation, where migrants and hosts transform together. As aptly stated, “immigration only works when integration works.” (Katwala et al., 2014: 20). [4] However, despite its paramount importance, integration remains a marginalized topic in political discourse, compounded by the absence of a comprehensive UK-wide policy.
Yet, amidst these challenges, the imperative of successful integration remains undiminished. The Refugee Council underscores the multifaceted nature of integration, emphasizing the importance of not only meeting basic needs but also enabling refugees to actively participate and contribute to society. (“Integration,” Refugee Council,).
Access to essential services, including healthcare, housing, education, and social welfare, is crucial for refugees’ successful integration into society. However, refugees often face barriers in accessing these services due to language barriers, lack of information, and bureaucratic hurdles. The organizations like the British Red Cross offering invaluable support in navigating bureaucratic obstacles.
[1] Schierup, C., Hansen, P and Castles, S. (2006) Migration, citizenship, and the European welfare state, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[2] Castles, S., Korac, M.,Vasta, M. and Vertovec, S. (2002) Integration: Mapping the field, Oxford: Oxford University.
[3] Migration Observatory. (2022). Integration in the UK: Understanding the Data. Retrieved from link.
[4] Katwala, S., Ballinger, S. & Rhodes, M. (2014). How to talk about immigration. London: British Future.
As a result of the ‘refugee crisis’ that began in late 2014, there has been a growing demand for higher education opportunities within refugee communities in the UK and more widely in Europe.
Within this population, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports a staggering number of displaced children under the age of 18, accounting nearly half of the total, according to the latest available statistics by the end of 2022, equivalent to 43.3 million. As a result, more than 40 million young people are at risk of losing access to education and other opportunities for personal development and economic advancement.
These young people face uprooting their homes, safety, livelihoods, and access to health care and education.[1]
Furthermore, refugees contribute to the internationalization and cultural diversity of higher education institutions, thus enriching the academic environment. However, the difficulties associated with accessing and achieving higher education are reinforced by unclear or non-existent higher education policies for refugees.
This places responsibility on each individual organizations (Villegas and Aberman 2019, p 73) and create a confusing situation.[2]
Additionally, in some cases, refugee policy “focuses primarily on workforce development and vocational training, rather than the academic agenda of postsecondary education” (Luu and Blanco 2019 , page 9).[3]
Overall, the researchers state that higher education has the potential to “produce better settlement outcomes for refugees to increase social cohesion and, more importantly, help address some of the disadvantages individuals and society as well as harmful public discourse” (Lenette 2016, p2).[4]
The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of higher education in England, is committed to ensuring that “all students, from all backgrounds, have the ability and desire to study higher education, are supported to access, achieve and progress from higher education” (OfS Citation2018).
Despite this, many groups are under-represented, including those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds lower social groups, disabled people, mature students, carers and ethnic minorities, are all under-represented at UK universities (UCAS Cites2020). Britain does not recognize refugees as a group with distinct needs, which makes the problem worse.[5]
In their quest to achieve academic excellence, refugees in the UK face a major obstacle: language proficiency.
Fluency in the language of the host country is essential to understand lessons, participate in discussions, and complete assignments effectively.
However, education systems often fail to meet the specific needs of refugee and refugee (ASR) children, leading to their invisibility in policy and practice.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) is the main route to language empowerment for adult migrants.
However, this important sector has suffered from persistent policy neglect, leading to distributed and fragmented funding problems.
Stakeholders lamented the lack of coordination and awareness within the ESOL sector, highlighting the urgent need for coherent action and strategic planning.[6]
Christine, an advocate for supporting ESOL, highlights the urgent need to increase government awareness of the importance of ESOL. As she describes the main problem at a higher level: The number of ESOL learners and the importance of their needs are greatly underestimated. Lack of funding for provision, provision of different types and with fundamentally different funding models (from government-funded courses to volunteer-led courses), and lack of overall understanding or coordination of the field, making it difficult to improve the field practice.[7]
[1] Universities UK. (2021). Higher education and displaced people. Retrieved from link.
[2] Villegas PE, Aberman T (2019) A double punishment: the context of postsecondary access for racialized precarious status migrant students in Toronto. Canada Refuge 35(1):72–82.
[3] Luu DH, Blanco GL (2019) Exploring US Federal Policy discourse on refugee access to post-secondary education. High Educ Pol 36(3):1–18.
[4] Lenette C (2016) University students from refugee backgrounds: why should we care? High Educ Res Dev 35(6):1–5.
[5] McCabe, C., Keast, K., & Kaya, M. S. (2022). Barriers and facilitators to university access in disadvantaged UK adolescents by ethnicity: a qualitative study. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(10), 1434–1446. Available at link.
[6] Simpson, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2087-7008 and Hunter, Ann-Marie (2023) Policy formation for adult migrant language education in England: national neglect and its implications. Language Policy, 22 (2). pp. 155-178.
[7] Simpson, J., Hunter, AM. Policy formation for adult migrant language education in England: national neglect and its implications. Lang Policy22, 155–178 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10993-023-09655-6.
Housing costs pose a significant barrier for refugee students in academia, with rising house prices in university towns making affordable accommodation scarce (BBC News, 2020).[1]
According to research by Unipol and the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), housing costs account for almost all of the average maintenance loan received by UK university students.
The situation is further aggravated by the fact that average student rents have increased by 14.6% over the past two years, while maintenance loans have increased by only 5.2% over the same period.
As a result, refugee students struggle to find suitable accommodation, often resorting to illegal rooms and jobs during their studies.
With the average annual student rent in the UK reaching £7,566 and the average maintenance loan rising to £7,590 for the current academic year, refugee students have just £24 per year to cover set-up costs their other weaknesses (BBC News, 2020).[2]
Such financial hardships highlight the urgent need for policies that ensure housing affordability and availability for refugee students.
Refugee students face a myriad of other financial difficulties, including bureaucratic hurdles related to changes in refugee status and eligibility for financial support during their studies.
Even a change in refugee status at 18 may also create difficulties when applying for financial support, and could lead to delayed payments.[3]
Changes in refugee status can lead to uncertainty about access to financial support, worsening the already precarious financial situation many asylums seekers face. For example, declaring any income received becomes a delicate matter, potentially jeopardizing the asylum seeker’s interests or accommodation.
Furthermore, financial pressures weigh heavily on education spending.
Tuition rarely covers additional costs such as printing, photocopying, optional field trips or required textbooks and course materials, further straining refugee students’ limited finances straight.[4]
Additionally, travel costs, including travel costs and visa fees, are a significant burden, especially for those traveling to school or maintaining relationships with family abroad.
These financial challenges highlight the urgent need for comprehensive support systems and policy reforms to ease the burden on refugee students trying to pursue higher education in the Kingdom.
[1] BBC. (2022, July 18). University applicants being ‘warned off’ some courses. BBC News. Retrieved from link.
[2] BBC News. (2023, October 26). Student maintenance loans almost entirely used up by rent, report warns. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-67206767.
[3] UCAS. (n.d.). Three key challenges for students who are refugees or asylum seekers. UCAS. Retrieved from link.
[4] UCAS. (n.d.). Undergraduate tuition fees and student loans. Retrieved from link.
Refugees residing in the UK face numerous barriers in accessing employment opportunities.
These challenges arise from a variety of factors, including the timing of asylum procedures, leading to an employment gap on CVs.
Additionally, non-recognition of foreign qualifications, language barriers, cultural gaps, misconceptions and widespread discrimination add to the difficulties refugees are facing in finding employment.
As a result, refugees in the UK are four times more likely to be unemployed than those born here and earn on average about half the weekly wage that UK citizens earn.
This is despite having high levels of expertise and skills, for example: 45% of the clients we work with have a college degree or higher and 77% have at least three years of work experience.[1]
Research shows that when migrants and refugees are not recognized for their past education and skills, it creates major problems. This not only makes it difficult for them to find good jobs and advance economically It also makes them feel excluded and treated unfairly.
A study by Grüttner (2019) shows numerically how widespread this problem is and how much it affects the lives of migrants and refugees. It’s more than just feeling bad: it affects how they feel and how they can support themselves financially.[2] All this research tells us that we need to change things.
We need better systems to recognize the skills and education that migrants and refugees bring with them.
If we do not address this problem, injustice will continue to occur and prevent these people from making a real difference in their new communities.
Refugees and asylum seekers may have faced hardship, trauma and harsh personal circumstances, which can lead to mental health and emotional problems.
They may have faced – or are still facing – years of waiting for a decision on their asylum application, which has led to uncertainty and/or fear or shame when disclosing their status their immigration to others.
Concerns about friends and family back home can also be a source of distress
Students may have difficulty adapting to new cultures, creating new support networks, and dealing with language barriers – all of which can lead to social isolation.
Refugees face many complex challenges that hinder their access to and success in higher education.
Perry and Mallozzi (2017, p511) highlight the impact of family obligations, social isolation, discrimination, difficulty integrating into new learning environments, legal issues, interrupted educational experiences and institutional obstacles.
Together, these factors hinder refugees’ ability to pursue and succeed in higher education institutions.[3]
[1] Breaking Barriers. (n.d.). Refugee and Asylum Facts. Retrieved from link.
[2] Abamosa, J. Y., Hilt, L. T., & Westrheim, K. (2020). Social inclusion of refugees into higher education in Norway: A critical analysis of Norwegian higher education and integration policies. Policy Futures in Education, 18(5), 628-647. Available at link.
[3] Perry KH, Mallozzi CA (2017) ‘We have education, I can say that’: worldview and access to education for adult refugees. Int J Appl Linguist 27(2):491–513.
Conclusion:
In this study, we conducted secondary data analysis to explore the challenges refugees in the UK face in integrating into society and accessing higher education. Through thematic analysis of the data collected, we identified significant barriers such as language proficiency, recognition of foreign qualifications, employment discrimination, financial constraints and mental health issues
Refugees face complex and interconnected barriers that hinder their successful integration and access to higher education opportunities
Language barriers, bureaucratic obstacles and financial constraints limit their ability to access essential services and pursue their educational aspirations. Furthermore, non-recognition of foreign qualifications and discrimination in employment exacerbate the difficulties in securing decent work, thereby perpetuating economic disparities society.
Despite these challenges, there is an urgent need for comprehensive support systems, policy reforms, and concerted efforts by policymakers, educators, and stakeholders to overcome systemic barriers that refugees face. By recognizing and addressing these challenges, society can promote greater inclusion, social cohesion and economic empowerment for refugees in the UK. Efforts to improve language support, streamline the accreditation process, and provide financial support can help facilitate successful integration and improve access to higher education for refugee communities problem.
Ultimately, creating a supportive environment that values diversity and promotes equitable opportunities is essential to promoting the wellbeing and educational success of refugees in the UK.
