POLITICAL INTEGRATION OF REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS IN SWEDEN… DO DOCUMENTS AFFECT INTEGRATION? Case study of Arab refugees and asylum seekers who arrived in Sweden during the period between 2013 and 2017.

Abstract

Political integration of refugees and asylum seekers in host countries is an area of research that has interested political scientists for a long time. However, little attention has been given to how the type of documents asylum seekers and refugees have might affect their ability and desire to engage in political life in the countries they flee to. During the last ten years, a large number of Arab refugees and asylum seekers have arrived in Sweden searching for protection, where they have been granted different types of residence permits, both temporary and permanent. In this paper, twenty Arab refugees and asylum seekers have been interviewed. Ten of them hold temporary residence permits, and ten are holders of permanent residence permits. The aim of the study is to investigate whether the type of residence permit granted affects refugees and asylum seekers’ level of political integration. In general, permanent residence permit holders seem to have higher levels in some aspects of political integration, like political trust. However, the difference sounds to be slight when it comes to other aspects like political participation and adherence to democratic values. Contrary to the assumption that the type of residence permit would affect all aspects of political integration of refugees and asylum seekers equally, the effects of permit type vary depending on which aspect of political integration is measured.