Resettlement to the European Union is the transfer - following a referral from the UNHCR – of vulnerable refugees from host third countries to a Member State of the European Union and Associated Countries (also known as EU+ countries), where they will be admitted and granted international protection.
In order to be considered for resettlement, a case must meet these two preconditions:
- the applicant has been determined to be a refugee by UNHCR; and
- the prospects for the other durable solutions have been assessed, and resettlement has been identified as the most appropriate solution.
The resettlement process can be divided into 5 phases:
- Identification
- Selection
- Pre-departure Activities
- Travel
- Reception and end of reception
There are several points in this process at which orientation could be delivered by EU+ Countries, including:
- As part of the selection mission. A few resettlement countries choose to provide some or all of their orientation programme during the selection mission. Some member states delivers their full programme following selection interviews. Other countries do this only for emergency or expedited resettlement procedures, or when refugees or trainers are unable to travel for a separate training.
- Between selection and departure. The most common time to offer orientation is between selection and departure. The amount of time between these stages varies across resettlement countries and groups of refugees.
- After arrival. A few countries provide in-person orientation after refugees’ arrival. In some countries, dossier and emergency cases are only provided with written or online information before departure, and in-person orientation takes place after arrival.
It is important to keep in mind that the information provision in the Resettlement process starts with the identification made from UNHCR, and in that moment UNHCR provides refugees with all the information related to the step-by-step process involved in the preparation and submission of the applicant’s case file.