Community sponsorship is increasingly of interest to a number of states seeking to expand or enhance supports available for refugees. This knowledge brief illuminates one particular aspect of sponsorship often referred to as ‘secondary migration.’ It seeks to understand why some sponsored refugees choose to stay in their initial community of settlement, while others decide to move on during or shortly after the end of their sponsorship period. This brief uses a comprehensive review of relevant literature to respond to the following questions: what are the factors that lead to secondary migration of refugees and what impact, if any, does sponsorship have on these decisions for sponsored refugees? The brief begins with an overview of the available evidence on secondary migration for resettled refugees—both government-led and sponsored—before turning to an analysis of the unique push and pull factors inherent to sponsorship.
Secondary Migration
Michelle Ball summarizes the global state of knowledge on secondary migration in the context of refugee sponsorship in this knowledge brief. The Knowledge Brief Series on topics related to community-based refugee sponsorship is produced by the University of Ottawa Refugee Hub.
Refugee Hub
We work at the intersection of research, policy, and programming, fostering innovative, multi-sectoral partnerships in support of refugee protection in Canada and around the world. -- www.refugeehub.ca
The views expressed are those of the author/s, and are not attributable to the host organisations of the Resettlement.Plus website.
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