Refugees’ Experience Prior to Resettlement Predicts Early Socioeconomic Integration in the U.S.

This brief describes the relationship between employment and formal educational experiences of refugees prior to resettling in the U.S., and their socioeconomic situation within their first five years in the country.

Key Points

• Before coming to the U.S., four in ten refugees had at least a high school degree from a foreign country, most were working, and most did not speak English well or at all.
• Within five years after resettling in the U.S., most refugees reported good health, two thirds were employed, and most had improved their ability to speak English.
• Refugees with higher education before resettling are more likely to be employed, earn higher hourly wages, and have greater ability to speak English, relative to refugees with less education.
• Relative to refugees who were not working prior to resettlement, those who were working are more likely to be in the labor force and be employed. Prior working status does not relate to higher wages or English ability.
• Refugees who reported speaking English at a higher proficiency level rather than lower prior to arriving have higher wages, better English ability after resettlement, and better health, than those who spoke English poorly or not at all. English ability prior to resettlement does not predict labor force participation.
• Policies and programs supporting refugee resettlement can – and many do – consider how experience prior to arrival may influence their early integration. Flexibility to tailor services based on pre-resettlement experience, and more detailed data collection on pre-resettlement experiences, may be beneficial.

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