Connecting the Dots: Immigration Policy and Access to Higher Education for Refugees in France

Authors

Isabella Amaro VarasFollow

Publication Date

Fall 12-31-2022

Document Type

Senior Integrative Project

Abstract

Since 2016, the increasing number of refugees in Europe accelerated the development of national and regional policies to determine their rights and access to resources. Against this backdrop, the strong politicization of migration, and the recent financial crises, refugees' access to welfare has “become a key area of concern across European democracies” (Lafleur et al. 2020). Considering public education programs as a pillar of social policy agendas in this region, this study examines French policy in order to answer the following questions: How do French immigration and education policies converge to determine refugees’ access to higher education in France? What gaps exist between the policies and their practiced reality?

Following an integrated analytical framework for policy analysis, the paper seeks to map the connections between education and immigration policies. To do so constitutional articles, legal codes, EU directives, and policy implementation strategies are examined by comparing their language and discussions on the rights of refugees to participate in higher education, the requirements for them to do so, and their rights within these higher education institutions (HEIs).

Literature on this topic demonstrates that there are many setbacks in the implementation of refugee education policy and that displaced communities face numerous practical challenges. To acknowledge this reality and to provide insight into the impact of the examined policies on the experiences of refugees accessing higher education, the project draws on the testimonies of non-profit leaders in this field and university staff in the Île-de-France region.

Recommended Citation

Amaro Varas, Isabella, "Connecting the Dots: Immigration Policy and Access to Higher Education for Refugees in France" (2022). CISLA Senior Integrative Projects. 60.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/sip/60

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License