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INTRODUCTION
There has been increasing momentum behind complementary pathways as a way to enhance international responses to rising global displacement, which in many cases becomes protracted.
When it comes to work-focused schemes, older programmes have primarily targeted people in certain professions, mainly scholars, writers, and artists, whose occupation may put them at risk.
Networks of stakeholders in these industries, as well as cities, have banded together to facilitate short-term placements. Several more recent initiatives have taken the form of pilots launched by national governments and NGO partners; a couple have since transitioned from pilots to established programmes. Some initiatives target specific countries of origin (particularly Ukraine), while others are broader in scope. With regard to study pathways, war in Ukraine has also served as an impetus for the creation or expansion of several schemes, and before that, war in Syria. Several universities have taken their own initiative to provide scholarships for refugee students, along with visa and other travel and living costs, while some schemes are coordinated by multiple partners. A few schemes cover both study and work, as they provide opportunities for students and scholars.
The initiatives in this mapping are largely facilitating mobility to Europe and North America.
Funding sources include philanthropy, universities, and governments. The schemes below represent both bottom-up and top-down approaches to implementing complementary pathways. A few programmes include a private or community sponsorship element, but the majority do not. They vary in terms of the length of stay provided for – many range from 6 months to 2 years, while others offer permanent residency upon arrival. It is important to note that programmes under which stays are short in duration, especially when it is not possible to extend them, cannot be fully labelled a ‘complementary pathway’. Nonetheless, these initiatives may serve as a stepping stone to a more sustainable opportunity. This mapping thus looks at all initiatives, regardless of duration.
In addition to the practical initiatives listed in this mapping, coalitions have also formed to expand complementary study and labour pathways. In the United States, Every Campus a Refuge launched in 2015 to encourage US colleges and universities to partner with local refugee resettlement agencies and house refugees on campus grounds, with the idea that campuses have the necessary components – housing, food, care, and skills – to welcome refugees and help them settle in. In 2018, the University Alliance for Refugees and At-Risk Migrants (UARRM) was formed in the US to tap into the potential of universities to support refugees and at-risk migrants, with a focus on higher education and vocational training for such students, threatened scholars, and their family members. At the international level, the Global Task Force on Third Country Education Pathways was launched in 2020 to promote the expansion of tertiary education as a complementary pathway. Its activities include gathering relevant stakeholders to expand available pathways; supporting the creation of pilot programmes and sustainable funding models; and coordinating a Global Community of Practice to share best practices and support cooperation. In 2022, the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility was established as a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder project to increase refugee access to third-country solutions via complementary labour pathways. It facilitates discussions with key stakeholders; provides technical support for new initiatives; and identifies ways to improve and scale up existing programmes. Also in the world of work, ResArtis, a network of artist residencies, has engaged in advocacy regarding migration since 1993, including the promotion of residencies as ‘safe havens’.
There are also several pilot initiatives in the making, alongside those already in operation discussed below. As part of the Displaced Talent for Europe (DT4E) project (2021-2024), Belgium, Ireland,
Portugal, and the United Kingdom will facilitate the mobility of refugees in Jordan and Lebanon under labour mobility pilots, working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB). A TBB labour pilot is currently in testing phase in the US. The EUPassworld project is exploring ways to further link community sponsorship with complementary study and labour pathways and is in the process of developing programmes in Belgium, Ireland, and Italy. The DT4E and EU-Passworld projects are supported by the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).