Work

Persistent precarity? Examining refugee resettlement to Norway as a durable solution

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: As the number of resettlement places worldwide has drastically declined in recent years, selection for resettlement has increasingly become a privilege granted to only a small fraction of refugees in need of a durable solution. Although resettlement provides protection and new opportunities, it can also perpetuate precarity. Drawing on interviews with Norwegian public officers who interact with refugees before and after resettlement, this study examines institutional, legal, and policy barriers that can contribute to precarity for refugees with limited education. These challenges highlight a tension between migration policies which prioritise individuals from protracted refugee situations, often with limited formal education, and integration policies which emphasise rapid labour-market entry and impose stringent requirements for permanent residency. Building on these insights, this article contributes to the academic debate on durable solutions by exploring how the challenges refugees encounter both before and after resettlement can transform and prolong, rather than eliminate, precarity.

Source: Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

DOI: 10.1080/1369183x.2026.2655053

Authors: Astrid Espegren, Ingunn Bjørkhaug

Institutions: Norwegian University of Science and Technology, The Fafo Institute for Labour and Social Research

Language: English

Topic: Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Funder: Norges Forskningsråd