Asylum Granted: The Social and Economic Effects of Attaining Refugee Status

• In Event: Multimethods Approaches to Studying the Politics of Migration

Abstract

How does a person's immigration status shape decision-making, opportunity and well-being? Immigration status is particularly high-stakes for people fleeing persecution and violence, who may face uncertainty in most aspects of their lives in their country of asylum, including their ability to reside legally and move freely. However, in many countries, the process of obtaining refugee status has become increasingly difficult and politicised. This highlights the need for robust evidence on the effects of refugee status. In this study we address this empirical gap by contributing robust quantitative evidence of the effects of legal status change for asylum seekers, addressing the implications of this change for labour market outcomes, integration into host communities, and psychological distress. With an original panel survey of asylum seekers and refugees in Greece conducted between 2022 and 2023, we use a difference-in-differences model to identify the impact of refugee status. We find that obtaining refugee status from the Greek state reduces psychological distress and improves integration while also increasing mobility within Europe. These results are robust to a wide variety of checks and specifications, providing strong evidence for the social, economic and political impact of granting refugee status.

Author

• Alexandra Hartman, UCL