Advancing Refugee Protection and Integration: Resettlement, Community Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways

The project examines refugee integration through the lens of resettlement, community sponsorship, and complementary pathways in the UK and Europe. It explores how these different approaches create opportunities and challenges for newcomers, and how policies and practices can be strengthened to promote long-term protection and inclusion.

Project description

This project explores how refugees build new lives through resettlement, community sponsorship, and complementary pathways in the UK and Europe. It looks at how these programmes work, what challenges and opportunities they bring, and how they can be improved to support long-term protection and inclusion.

Led by Dr Gabriella D’Avino, a sociologist specialising in migration and refugee integration, and supported by Dr Chiara Berneri, a legal scholar with expertise in refugee and human rights law, the research brings together sociological and legal perspectives.

The study uses both policy and legal analysis and in-depth qualitative research with refugees resettled in the UK. By combining these approaches, it captures not only the rules and frameworks shaping resettlement, but also refugees’ everyday experiences of support, belonging, and opportunity.

The project is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through a Postdoctoral Fellowship hosted at The Open University. It works in partnership with organisations such as SHARE Network, Pathways International, and Talent Beyond Boundaries, and will produce a book, peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs, and a major conference to share findings with academics, policymakers, and community groups.

In short, the project aims to generate research that is both academically rigorous and practically useful, helping to strengthen refugee welcome and integration across the UK and beyond.

Funding body

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) – Postdoctoral Fellowship (2025–26), UK Research and Innovation. (Host: The Open University, Faculty of Business and Law.)

Policy briefing documents

From assistance to agency: Enhancing the UK resettlement scheme for lasting integration

The brief calls for shifting refugee resettlement from short-term assistance to long-term agency by fostering community support, language and job access, co-designed services, and sustained integration pathways.

Building belonging: Strengthening CS for refugee integration in the UK

The brief emphasises creating inclusive communities by strengthening social connections, reducing isolation, and fostering shared spaces that enable participation and belonging for all.

Academics

Gabriella D'Avino

Gabriella was awarded the Grand Union DTP ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship 2025. She has been working on the project ‘Advancing Refugee Protection and Integration: Resettlement, Community Sponsorship and Complementary Pathways’

Contact [email protected]