Asylum and afterwards?

Transcription

1 1 Asylum and afterwards? The life situation of persons entitled to asylum and recognised refugees in Germany BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Susanne Worbs, Eva Bund, Axel Böhm Executive summary

2 2 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary First systematic findings on refugees who have the prospect of residing permanently in Germany The BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 deals with persons entitled to asylum (pursuant to Article 16a of the German Basic Law) and recognised refugees (pursuant to Section 3 subsection 1 of the German Asylum Act) from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Iran, Sri Lanka and Syria. A large part of asylum seekers who arrived in Germany in the past ten years came from these six countries of origin (accounting for 42.5 percent of all those who filed their first and follow-up applications for asylum between 2006 and 2015). The persons interviewed were between the age of 18 and 69 and received their asylum status between 2008 and The study therefore sheds light on what has meanwhile become a large and growing group of persons who have already been residing in Germany for several years and have the prospect of living here permanently. The results allow important conclusions to be drawn in relation to current and future integration policy. Survey in writing in the summer of 2014 The survey was carried out on a nationwide basis between July and September 2014 using a standardised questionnaire, available in translations, which was sent to participants through the post. The addresses of persons to be included in the survey were determined through the Central Register of Foreigners and local foreigners authorities, the majority of whom were medium and larger-sized authorities in West Germany for practical research-related reasons. Despite these minor geographical limitations, the study is representative for persons entitled to asylum and recognised refugees over the age of 18 from the six countries origin who completed their asylum procedure between 2008 and The return rate (adjusted to the number of valid addresses) was very high at 52.6 percent. The responses given by 2,805 persons were included in the data analysis. Gender and age structure: mostly young people and men Table 1: Country of origin Gender and age structure Gender Age groups Average age Male Female years years years 65 years + Afghanistan years Eritrea years Iraq ,4 66,3 25, years Iran years Sri Lanka years Syria years All six CoO years Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=2,805, weighted. All the information is indicated as a percentage with the exception of the average age. Two-thirds of the individuals interviewed are men, and more than 60 percent are under the age of 35. There are, however, some deviations from this pattern that are specific to certain countries of origin. The proportion of men among respondents from Sri Lanka, for instance, accounts for over 80 percent whereas the share of women is just over 50 percent for Eritrea. Respondents from Afghanistan account for the lion s share of particularly young persons. By contrast, refugees from Iran and Eritrea are slightly older with an average age of just under 38.

3 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary 3 Multi-person households in rental accommodation dominate All in all, more than two-thirds (68.8 percent) of the respondents live in a household with other persons, generally their spouse and children. Single-person households are occupied mainly by single, young men, but also by widowed or divorced older women from certain countries of origin, such as Eritrea. Iraqi and Syrian refugees have the highest number of household members, the majority of these refugees are married. They also have the largest number of children living in their households. Two-thirds of the children from all countries of origin are at pre-school or primary school age. The majority of refugees surveyed (60 percent) live in large cities with a population of over 100,000, a further 30 percent live in smaller cities and towns with a population of between 20,000 and 100,000 and the remaining 10 percent live in small towns and villages in rural areas. The majority of refugees live in rental accommodation, very few refugees are still being accommodated in community housing. When the number of rooms available in the dwellings is compared to the number of household members, it becomes evident that one-fifth of households with four or more members are deemed to offer inadequate space. It is considered to be difficult to find suitable accommodation. Reasons why refugees chose Germany as their country of destination and stays in other countries More than 50 percent of the respondents indicated several reasons why they had chosen Germany as their country of destination. The reason most frequently provided is that human rights are observed in Germany, followed by other motives associated directly with the individual search for protection (such as the ability to practise one s religion freely, political stability in Germany). Figure 1: Reasons why refugees chose Germany as their country of destination by frequency of response (in percent) Observation of human rights in G 64.3 Ability to practise one's religion freely in G 38.3 Political stability in G 31.1 Medical care available in G Education system in G Relatives/friends already residing in G Left CoO without any specific destination in mind Germany's strong economy Large number of persons from CoO already residing here 7.4 Had initially other destination country in mind Knew Germany from a previous stay Other reasons Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=2,741, weighted. Multiple responses possible. Basis: respondents who provided at least one reason. G=Germany, CoO=Country of origin. Only 15.0 percent of the respondents have lived for more than three months in at least one other country besides Germany and their country of origin. The number of respondents from Afghanistan (42.5 percent) and Eritrea (32.9 percent) who have lived in at least one other country besides Germany and their country of origin was far higher. The majority of respondents named neighbouring countries of the country of origin and transit countries, mainly Greece.

4 4 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary Asylum procedure: majority satisfied, despite (partly) long duration The asylum procedures of two-thirds of the respondents took just under one year to complete, and more than two years to complete in the cases of 11.6 percent. The duration of the procedure varies greatly according to country of origin, with Iraqi refugees having the least amount of time to complete and Iranian refugees having the longest periods. Judicial proceedings instituted against notices issued by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees were relatively rare (accounting for 11.7 percent of cases). The asylum procedure is greatly prolonged when legal proceedings are instituted. It needs to be noted in relation to all of these statements that only persons whose asylum procedure had been completed at the time the survey was carried out were interviewed and all of them had been granted asylum or the refugee status. Looking back, the majority of respondents said they were satisfied with the length of time it took to complete the asylum procedure. They were also satisfied with the dealings they had with representatives of public authorities and with the accommodation provided. Dissatisfaction was the highest with the accommodation provided and in general both among respondents whose asylum procedures took a long time to complete and/or among Iranian refugees. School education: medium level among the majority of respondents, differences according to country of origin and gender Roughly one quarter of the respondents indicated that they had not attended any kind of school (16.4 percent) or that they had attended school for a maximum of four years (6.9 percent). For the vast majority of respondents the indicated length of school attendance corresponds to secondary school standards in Germany. Around 50 percent of the respondents said they had attended school for ten years or more. Women are overrepresented among the respondents whose school attendance was short or who had not attended school at all, and underrepresented when it comes to longer schooling. Table 2: Duration of school attendance by country of origin (in percent) Country of origin Didn't attend any school Up to 4 years 5 to 9 years 10 to 14 Jahre 15 years or more No statement/ other Afghanistan Eritrea Iraq Iran Sri Lanka Syria All six CoO Total Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=2,403, weighted. Basis: respondents who made plausible statements on school attendance. Disparities exist between refugees from different countries of origin both in terms of the length of school attendance and the type of school most recently attended. Whereas respondents from Iran and Sri Lanka come off particularly well (with longer school attendance and many respondents having attended secondary schools leading to higher education), the results of the school qualifications obtained by refugees from Iraq and Syria are less favourable. Although refugees from Eritrea indicate longer school attendance on average, they stated more frequently than any other group that the school they had most recently attended was a primary school or a lower level secondary school, which could be an indication of problems the respondents had allocating their responses to the right category. The school performance of respondents from Afghanistan is average. About half of the respondents said they had completed their schooling with a school leaving certificate (45.9 percent) or were attending school in Germany at the time the survey was carried out (4.8 percent). All in all, the number of women who attained a school leaving certificate, or are currently attending school, is slightly higher than that of men, despite the disadvantage women are at in terms of school attendance. The vast majority of respondents (83 percent) with a school leaving certificate attained the highest certificate in their country of origin.

5 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary 5 Vocational training: high proportion of refugees with no formal qualifications, existing qualifications cover a broad spectrum From a german perspective, 61.7 percent of the respondents are classified as (not yet) having any vocational qualifications, i.e. when the survey was carried out they had neither completed, started nor dropped out of any training or degree course at an institution of higher education. However, more than 50 percent of these persons had previously been gainfully employed in their country of origin. The vocational qualifications vary greatly according to country of origin, with Iran having the lowest proportion and Iraq having the highest proportion of persons who do (not yet) have any vocational qualifications. In nearly all country of origin groups, the share of women who have no vocational qualifications is higher than the respective share of men. The spectrum of information provided about existing qualifications covers nearly all the main occupational groups as defined in the Classification of Occupations 2010 in relation to respondents who have at least commenced vocational training or a degree course at a third-level institution. The majority of respondents can be found in non-medical healthcare and body care occupations (e.g. hairdressers), in medical healthcare professions (such as nurses) and technical occupations including information technology. Women tend to have qualifications in social professions and in the educational sector more often. Figure 2: Training occupations and degree courses by main occupational groups in the Classification of Occupations 2010 (in percent) Non-medical healthcare occupations Medical healthcare occupations Mechatronics, energy electronics and electrical engineering Machine building and automotive industries Information and communication technology Construction scheduling, architecture and surveying Business management and -organisation Social science and the humanities Mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics Food production and -processing Other main groups/non-assignable Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=825, weighted. Shares under five 5 % are not shown. Basis: respondents who have completed, are currently undergoing or have dropped out of training/degree courses or who have no certificates. Combination of school education and vocational training: unskilled and higher-skilled refugees 12.9 percent of the respondents between the age of 25 and 65 are considered to have no qualifications when a combined analysis of their schooling and formal vocational education is carried out, i.e. they have not attended school and have not commenced any vocational training. 9.8 percent attended school for twelve years or more and have at least commenced a degree course (higher-qualified persons). At least 7.8 percent have a degree from a third level institution, the most common being medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine, linguistics and literary science, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering and architecture. The vast majority of the respondents are in between these extremes in terms of qualifications. Here too, clear differences exist according to country of origin (Table 3).

6 6 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary Table 3: Shares of unskilled and higher-skilled persons by country of origin (in percent) Country of origin Unskilled Higher-skilled Afghanistan Eritrea Iraq Iran Sri Lanka Syria All six CoO Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=2.437, weighted. Basis: respondents aged from 25 up to and including 65. The majority of respondents who have completed an apprenticeship or degree course did so in their country of origin. Just under 50 percent of these respondents, a large number of whom were Iranians, tried to have their qualifications recognised in Germany. Almost 80 percent of the persons who filed an application to have their qualifications recognised and whose qualification procedure has been completed managed to have them recognised in full or in part, mostly in respect of academic professions. Only a small proportion of around 5 percent of the respondents has attended a vocational retraining scheme in Germany. Disparity between current employment status and the desire to become gainfully employed About one-third (36.5 percent) of all respondents are gainfully employed, about one-fifth are currently looking for a job or apprenticeship or are not gainfully employed. 9 percent are attending school, are undergoing vocational training or are studying. As such, noticeable disparities exist according to country of origin and gender. A particularly large number of men from Sri Lanka are gainfully employed, whereas generally speaking, gainful employment among women tends to be much lower. What is more, women are found much more often in part-time or mini jobs. Irrespective of their current employment status, the wish to become gainfully employed in Germany is very pronounced among the respondents. Figure 3: Activity status in Germany by country of origin (in percent) Afghanistan Eritrea Iraq Iran Sri Lanka Syria All six CoO % 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% In gainful employment In training Looking for work/training Not in gainful employment Other No statement/statement not useable Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=2.805, weighted. Shares under 5 % are not shown.

7 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary 7 Gainful employment is focused on a few industries The description of occupational activities in Germany indicates a strong focus on the food industry (food production and food processing), the catering industry, the industrial cleaning industry as well as transport and logistics. The vast majority of refugees are involved in paid employment requiring a low to medium level of qualifications which in many cases reflects their lack of formal vocational training. Few refugees are self-employed or are employed in jobs requiring an academic degree, such as physicians. There is clear evidence of untapped potential among refugees who have vocational qualifications or an academic degree. Problematic income situation At least one government transfer benefit contributes to the household income of at least 60.8 percent of households occupied by the refugees surveyed. These benefits frequently involve basic social benefits pursuant to the Social Code Book II (SGB II) or the Social Code Book XII (SGB XII). The majority of households generate an income of less than EUR 1,500 per month. However, gainfully employed persons and persons who have been residing in Germany for an extended period tend to generate a higher income, indicating that their income situation improves over time. Social contacts: education, work, sport and religion are important points of contact The respondents say they have more contacts with German nationals both in their circle of friends and in their neighbourhood than with persons from other countries. Refugees from Sri Lanka above all have a particularly large number of contacts. When a comparison is drawn between the number of contacts men and women have, it becomes apparent that women have fewer social contacts than men, particularly with German nationals. Gainfully employed persons and trainees tend to have a significantly higher number of social contacts than persons in different living circumstances. Participation of the respondents in civil society focuses on sporting and religious activities. Relevant organisations such as sport clubs or church communities therefore contribute significantly towards the integration of refugees. Experience of discrimination above all in the search for housing, apprenticeships and jobs As far as the experience of discrimination is concerned, the search for housing represents a key problem area. This applies above all to persons living alone and/or to persons on a low income. Many of the respondents said the search for an apprenticeship/internship and job as well as dealings with government agencies and public authorities are problematic (however, this does not apply to dealings with the police). The experience of discrimination is above average among refugees from Iran. Religious diversity and differences in the practise of religion Christians represent the largest denominational group among refugees, with Christianity being the religion selected above all by Eritrean refugees (Orthodox) and Iranians (Protestant). The Yezides represent the second-largest denominational group, accounting for nearly 50 percent of Iraqi respondents and one fifth of Syrian respondents. Muslims represent the third largest denominational group, with the majority of Afghan and Syrian refugees stating they are Muslims. The majority of refugees from Sri Lanka are Hindus. There is a larger proportion of refugees only among Iranian respondents who claim to be of no denomination.

8 8 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary Figure 4: Religious affiliation of the respondents (in percent) Christians Yezides Muslims Hindus Other religion No religion No statement/other 27.6 Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=2.805, weighted. Shares under 5 % are not shown. All in all, Christians are more religious than the average respondent, with Christians accounting for the highest number of respondents who pray and attend worship services and religious events on a regular basis. By contrast, the majority of respondents who said they were not religious were Muslims. They as well as Yezides pray less frequently than the other denominational groups and attend religious services or religious events the least frequently which may be attributable to the lack of structured opportunities. Proficiency in the mother tongue: by and large (very) good, with specific features applying to Kurds For respondents from Eritrea (Tigrinya), Sri Lanka (Tamil), Afghanistan and Iran (Persian) a clear dominance of one mother tongue can be stated. The majority of refugees from Iraq and Syria speak Kurdish dialects and/or Arabic. When the respondents were asked to assess their proficiency in their mother tongue, relatively large disparities became evident in the oral and written skills among refugees whose mother tongue is Kurdish. This is probably associated with their literacy in writing Arabic. However, the vast majority assessed all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in their mother tongue as either very good or good. Proficiency in German varies according to country of origin and gender The assessment of proficiency in German in which the skills listening, speaking, reading and writing were grouped together to form a German proficiency index showed that 28.1 percent of the respondents consider their level of proficiency in German to be very good or good, 46.5 assess themselves as medium and 25.4 percent view their level of proficiency as poor or say they have no knowledge of the language at all. Broken down by country of origin, men from Eritrea above all consider their proficiency in the German language to be higher than average. Refugees from Sri Lanka rated their knowledge of German the poorest even though German is the language these refugees use rather frequently outside their own household.

9 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary 9 Figure 5: Overall index of refugees own assessment of their proficiency in the German language by country of origin and gender (in percent) Afgh_f Afgh_m Erit_f Erit_m Iraq_f Iraq_m Iran_f Iran_m SriLa_f SriLa_m Syr_f Syr_m All six CoO % 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Very good Good Medium Poor Very poor No knowledge Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=2,790, weighted. Shares under 5 % are not shown. Basis: respondents who provided valid information on all four language skills in German. m=male, f=female. Women rate their proficiency in German slightly lower than men and are more inclined to use their mother tongue in their daily lives. This is probably due to the fact that fewer women are gainfully employed and women tend to have fewer contacts meaning they have less opportunity to learn German. Refugees who are doing an apprenticeship/internship and are in a younger age bracket represent the group who rate their proficiency in German the highest and who are most inclined to use German in their everyday life. Knowledge of other languages: Arabic and English most common 52.3 percent of the respondents said they speak other (foreign) languages in addition to German. Some respondents stating they are literate in another language probably have a second mother tongue. The languages most frequently mentioned are Arabic and English, as well as languages spoken in neighbouring countries or by different ethnic groups in the country of origin (such as Pashto in Afghanistan). Languages of former colonial powers, such as Italian in Eritrea, also play a role. High participation in integration courses and other language courses, positive rating A total of 82 percent of the respondents have taken at least one language course in Germany or were taking one at the time the survey was carried out. Men (84.1 percent) tend to be more active in this area than women (78.0 percent). Participation in language courses varies greatly both in terms of the type of course taken and the different countries of origin. Integration courses with literacy skills represent the type of course most frequently attended (62 percent in the past; 11.2 percent at the time the survey was carried out) since many of the refugees are not familiar with Latin alphabet. This is followed by participation in other integration courses, German language courses for professional purposes and other language courses.

10 10 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary Irrespective of their country of origin, refugees rate the benefit of integration courses generally positive. Around 50 percent of the respondents (49.0 percent to be precise) consider integration courses to be most helpful, another third (36.4 percent) consider them to be helpful. Advice services: positive rating, difficulties to distinguish between the services available Just under one-third of the respondents (35.1 percent) said they had availed themselves of at least one advice service. Refugee and asylum counselling centres are the services most frequently used, followed by the Migration Advice Service for Adult Immigrants (MBE) and the Youth Migration Service (JMD). However, it is obvious that the respondents had difficulty distinguishing between the services availed of, often mentioning organisations providing different types of advice services (such as Caritas ) in the category Other percent of the respondents who had availed themselves of a least one advice service rated the assistance provided as most helpful or helpful. Similar to integration courses Iranian refugees who used advice centres more frequently than any other country of origin group of refugees were relatively critical of the benefits of the services provided (although, like the other groups, the majority gave them a positive rating). The opposite trend was observed among respondents from Sri Lanka who availed themselves less frequently of advice services than any other group of refugees, but gave the highest rating. Intention to reside permanently and to become naturalised: strong inclination to stay in Germany The majority of respondents (84.7 percent) said they wish to reside permanently in Germany. Eritrean, Iranian and Syrian refugees are less inclined to remain permanently than the other country of origin groups. In relation to Syrians, this applies mainly to refugees who have been residing in Germany for a relatively short period of time. They could have hopes of returning to Syria, given that the political situation there has only deteriorated recently. In parallel with the intention to reside permanently, a large number of respondents are interested in obtaining German citizenship (79.8 percent said they definitely wanted to obtain German citizenship). Only refugees from Sri Lanka are slightliy less inclined to naturalise. Satisfaction varies according to sphere of life As far as satisfaction with the various spheres of life in Germany is concerned, the vast majority of over 70 percent of the respondents are either very satisfied or satisfied with the healthcare and housing situation, the family situation and social contacts. However, they are far less satisfied with the job and income situation which corresponds to the objectively less favourable situation in these areas. Work and training-related aspects dominate respondents wishes In response to an open question, the respondents expressed most often aspirations in relation to work and training as well as the desire to start or reunite a family and to be able to live their life in peace and safety. Many of the refugees said they were very grateful to Germany and were willing to participate in society.

11 BAMF Study on Refugees 2014 Executive summary 11 Figure 6: The ten most frequently stated desires of respondents for their future (in percent) Vocational integration and specific vocational desires 47.4 Personal fulfilment and a good life Completion of basic or further training Founding a family and a good future for the family German nationality and prospects to remain Reunification of and reunion with families 12.2 Improvement in German language knowledge Improved housing situation Thanks for life in Germany Wishes for the public Other categories % 20% 40% 60% Source: BAMF Study on Refugees 2014, n=1,421, weighted. Multiple responses possible. Basis: respondents who expressed at least one wish. Conclusion: leverage favourable prerequisites, foster integration above and beyond the education and employment system The results of the study show that the prerequisites for the integration of persons entitled to asylum and recognised refugees in Germany are favourable (there are large numbers of young people who are highly motivated to remain in Germany, are keen to become naturalised and to participate in gainful employment). Notwithstanding this, there is considerable room for improvement regarding the qualifications structure and participation in the labour market, particularly among female refugees. The high level of labour market participation among refugees originating from Sri Lanka, which can probably be attributed to the effects of ethnic networking, highlights the challenges Germany will face in the years to come: A swift inclusion into work means often jobs requiring low to medium qualifications. This will only enable these refugees to earn money in the short term but offer little prospect to climbing up the professional ladder in the longer term. Although the willingness of refugees, in principle, to improve their language skills and to further their professional education could potentially counteract this to a certain extent, it may conflict with their desire and indeed often their need to earn money quickly. However, endeavours to foster integration should not just focus on the above-mentioned themes since in the long term the group of refugees will also include persons who will not be participating in the education system or in the labour force for a variety of reasons (such as age and state of health). What is more, not all refugees are integrated in a family network and single-person households account for a considerable proportion of households in respect of some countries of origin. It is precisely when these and other factors (such as unfavourable housing conditions and low income) come into play for the individual that it will be important to provide a range of relevant services to mitigate the risk of social isolation. Religious communities and sport clubs are already the preferred points of contact. However, the spectrum of integration of refugees into civil society needs to be broadened wherever possible.