Refugee families from Ukraine

The flight from war of more than 6 million people from Ukraine (UNHCR 2024) presented neighbouring countries and the European Union, including Germany, with challenges. The European Union's ‘Temporary Protection Directive’, which came into force for the first time, quickly provided provisional clarity on residence rights, allowing visa-free entry and residence. Since then, the legal situation has been gradually adapted by the federal government, the state governments and the competent authorities. The directive expired in February 2024 and has now been extended until March 2027. Not only the legal situation, but also the feminised migration, as the refugees are mainly mothers with (small) children, is new and raises questions.

Central to this is the context of legal, social and family (in)security, both in terms of the concrete effects on subjective life plans and the conceptual question of the interplay between (circular) involuntary migration and integration in Germany.

The project focussed on the interactions between various state authorities and other public institutions at federal, state and municipal levels and on the specific needs and challenges participants encountered in their settlement paths in Berlin or Munich. The context of legal (in)security and the aspirations of forced migrants from Ukraine to remain or return was of interest for us, also in comparison with groups of refugees who came to Germany in 2015-2016, insofar as a comparison was possible based on accessible data and existing empirical studies.

The project built on research examining ideas of deservingness and belonging and examined how migrants and refugees negotiated their social rights and needs in interactions with state institutions and civil society organisations. It also focussed on the extent to which they themselves could act autonomously and decide on the type and scope of state support they received.

In light of the adjustments made at all levels of government with regard to legal regulations and reception infrastructure for refugees, we were interested in the subjective experiences and perspectives of the group of protection-holders according to Section 24 of the German Residence Act, and on their relationship to the state over time.

The project used a qualitative longitudinal panel design, supplementing data collected in 2022 with three further waves of qualitative interviews (in total 83 interviews) in order to document settlement trajectories over time and analyse potential impacts of changing institutional conditions.

Qualitative longitudinal studies are well suited to capture the dynamic relationship between secondary migration considerations and integration processes.
Our work showcases the often contradictory orientations of Ukrainian refugee families with regard to staying or returning, settling in Germany, or turning towards their home context. The strategies for shaping their “new” life in Germany over time we observed to equally inconsistent and constantly changing over time.

The project showed how ensuring meaningful participation of immigrants is and should remain an ongoing societal task and requires resilient and reliable integration infrastructures adapted to local needs. In addition, the participants' experiences highlighted the value of secure versus uncertain prospects of remaining in the country on their integration efforts.