Meeting immediate material needs

Income support payments for resettled refugees are a vital part of an integration programme. Searching for employment, setting up a business or other income-generating activities inevitably take time. Resettled refugees will require time to adjust to their new country; acquire basic language skills; and participate in formal orientation.

The duration of income support required by resettled refugees will depend upon:

• whether the resettlement country has income support programmes for nationals who are not in employment.
• the capacity of government to meet the cost of funding income support.
• expectations of economic self-reliance, for both resettled refugees and nationals.
• employment opportunities and the effectiveness of employment programs for resettled refugees.
• the effectiveness of cultural orientation and language training.
• how trade or professional skills, competence and qualifications obtained outside of the resettlement country are recognized.
• their language and employment skills.

Level and duration of income support payments

The specific arrangements will vary from country to country as well as the duration of support. In all cases, however, it is critical to respect the dignity of newly arrived refugees and address their need to feel they have some control over resources from the very beginning.

In countries of resettlement with established income safety net programmes, resettled refugees are generally entitled either to the same benefits as nationals or to a benefit set at a comparable rate. In some countries, the national minimum wage is used as a benchmark with additional payments being made depending on family size.

Ideally payments should be made available for long enough to allow resettled refugees to adjust to their new country, attend to post arrival tasks, prepare for and search for employment or other income-generating activities.

In the interests of ensuring that resettled refugees achieve economic self-reliance as soon as is practical, in most countries, there are close linkages between income support vocational and non-vocational counselling, training and support on establishing businesses, and job placement programmes. Commonly, this involves making continued income support contingent upon active job seeking or cooperation with a job placement programme.

Payment levels and eligibility criteria should also bear some relationship to income support policies pertaining to nationals however, it is important to keep in mind that resettled refugees face additional costs and obstacles in the early resettlement period. They will also be engaged in integration related tasks such as language learning, attending orientation programmes, which can limit the time they can dedicate to searching for and participating in paid employment.

How should income support be administered?

Although integration is normally funded by national governments, it is commonly implemented at a more localised level. In many countries, income support payments are made by national governments to other levels of government, or to NGOs, who subsequently pass the money to the refugee.

Where established income support programmes exist, resettled refugees are given financial assistance through the same administrative processes as nationals who are not in employment. As well as offering administrative efficiencies, this approach establishes at a very early stage that resettled refugees have the same privileges and responsibilities as nationals.

Nevertheless, special programmes have been established in some countries to allow tailoring to the particular needs of resettled refugees.

In countries where it may take some time for an application for income support to be processed, a special transitional benefit is given to resettled refugees while their application is pending. In countries that do not have well established income support programmes, payments may come from an external source and be administered by a coordinating NGO.

The Canadian government for example, has several programmes to help refugees settle in their new home. These funds are used to help pay for:

• meeting refugees at the airport or port of entry.
• a temporary place to live.
• help finding a permanent place to live.
• basic household items.
• general help with life in Canada.

Refugees can also use this money for income support for up to one year, or until they can support themselves, whichever comes first. For more information, click here.

Income support payments for refugees with additional barriers to economic self-reliance

Resettlement countries will need to bear in mind that some refugees may have additional reasons for being either temporarily or permanently outside of the labour market, including:

• refugees of retirement age.
• unaccompanied minors.
• single-headed households with responsibility for young children.
• those with severe disabilities.
• those with acute physical or mental health issues.

Awareness raising and professional development

As indicated above, in countries with established income support programmes, payments will be administered through government welfare departments. Activities to sensitize staff in these departments will be particularly important given that:

• some resettled refugees may be unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of the income support system.
• in many countries the administration of income support is closely aligned to placement by employment services or establishment of businesses. Staff need to be aware of some of the barriers resettled refugees face to actively engage in a job search (e.g. language barriers, technology barriers, resettlement demands, lack of family support, and constraints on their access to transportation and childcare).
• some resettled refugees may be unable to work for an extended period of time and may need to be assessed for alternative forms of income support due to their physical or mental health (such as disability or sickness allowances).

Establishment resources

Some countries provide ‘one-off’ cash or material assistance to resettled refugees to meet the costs of establishing themselves in a new country, in particular, household costs. Cash payments enable resettled refugees to exercise choice over the goods purchased. Some countries provide in-kind assistance such as furnished accommodation and household items.