N. Van Hear

Bio: N. Van Hear is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Tamil & Refugee. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 65 citations.

New Europeans on the Move: A preliminary review of the onward migration of refugees within the European Union

Abstract: The onward movement of new citizens of refugee backgrounds within the European Union is an apparently growing pattern in European mobility which has largely been overlooked. This paper reviews the still limited evidence relating to these movements, focusing on the relocation of Somali and Tamil Sri Lankan Europeans from continental Europe to the UK, and discusses the conceptual and practical issues raised by this mobility, outlining an agenda for future research.

The Early-Morning Phonecall: Remittances from a Refugee Diaspora Perspective

Abstract: Remittances are an important strand in the relationship between migration and socio-economic change in migrants’ countries of origin and there is growing interest in their role in conflict and post-conflict countries. Yet little is known about remittances from the diaspora perspective, and much less about refugees remitting. This paper makes three contributions, based on analysis of survey and ethnographic evidence on the remittance experiences of Somali refugees in London. First, it argues that the diaspora perspective is a critical element in understanding remittance processes, and that remitting can have substantial repercussions for migrants. Second, it argues that, just as migrants are not ‘just labour’, remittances are not ‘just money’, pointing to the importance of analysing the social texture of the remittance process. Third, it argues that the nature of forced migration may shape remitting in ways which merit further exploration.

New issues in refugee research

Abstract: This research found that significant progress has been made overall in developing a refugee policy in Eurasia (which was defined in this study as the countries comprising the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine/Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan; and the Central European countries of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Slovak Republic and Slovenia). In Central Europe, the EU integration process was found to be the main engine for the refugee policy development (a condition for EU membership), though the situation with regard to its implementation was less impressive. However, as these countries are all EU Member States, (following Bulgaria and Romania’s entry in January 2007), they are evolving into the common European asylum space, which is meant, among others, to uphold at least minimum standards of refugee protection. The research also highlighted how institutions and implementation matter. For example, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg could play an increasing role in upholding basic protection standards upon referrals to it from national courts in EU Member States under Article 234 of the Treaty of Rome 1957, as amended by the Amsterdam and subsequent texts, in order to provide judicial protection and to clarify the scope and meaning of European law in numerous areas, including asylum. Prospects for functioning refugee policies are bleaker in the CIS countries, which are not part of the EU harmonization process. Despite some notable successes as well as greatly varying results achieved through the CIS Conference, most CIS countries have not yet bridged critical gaps in regards to legislative and administrative frameworks, humanitarian status, documentation and integration of refugees, or raised public awareness to reduce xenophobia, discrimination, and intolerance. However, the seven Eastern European countries of the CIS (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine) are at least members of the European Human Rights Convention, which, if applied adequately, supports refugees’ need for protection. In Central Asia, European judicial protection is not applicable. Despite the ratification of the international refugee standards in four of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan), the post September 11 climate tends to take precedence over refugees’ need for protection. Nevertheless, these countries, with the notable exception of Uzbekistan, at least made initially encouraging efforts in developing and implementing refugee policies and discussed these issues in international fora. These papers provide a means for UNHCR staff, consultants, interns and associates, as well as external researchers, to publish the preliminary results of their research on refugee-related issues. The papers do not represent the official views of UNHCR. They are also available online under ‘publications’ at

Free movement? The onward migration of EU citizens born in Somalia, Iran and Nigeria

Abstract: Research into the mobility of EU citizens has contributed to a better understanding of the social effects of European integration. A growing body of literature highlights that naturalised third-country nationals are also making use of their ‘freedom of movement’. This paper proposes a typology of ‘new EU citizens’ who onward migrate between member states. It draws on relevant statistics and qualitative empirical research carried out with Dutch-Somalis, Swedish-Iranians and German-Nigerians who relocated to the UK. In contrast to research with native-born EU movers, our findings indicate that the majority of naturalised EU citizens onward migrated due to the discrimination and racism they experienced in their previous place of residence. In this paper we conceptualise the interactions of integration and transnationalism as a potential trigger for onward migration. We illustrate how onward migrants are able to complete certain aspects of their integration process in a second member state. Moreover, we show how migrants maintain transnational ties across several destinations and therefore contribute to a broader understanding of transnationalism.

South-North Migration of EU Citizens in Times of Crisis

Abstract: This open access book looks at the migration of Southern European EU citizens (from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece) who move to Northern European Member States (Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom) in response to the global economic crisis. Its objective is twofold. First, it identifies the scale and nature of this new Southern European emigration and examines these migrants' socio-economic integration in Northern European destination countries. This is achieved through an analysis of the most recent data on flows and profiles of this new labour force using sending-country and receiving-country databases. Second, it looks at the politics and policies of immigration, both from the perspective of the sending- and receiving-countries. Analysing the policies and debates about these new flows in the home and host countries' this book shows how contentious the issue of intra-EU mobility has recently become in the context of the crisis when the right for EU citizens to move within the EU had previously not been questioned for decades. Overall, the strength of this edited volume is that it compiles in a systematic way quantitative and qualitative analysis of these renewed Southern European migration flows and draws the lessons from this changing climate on EU migration.

"And then one day they all moved to Leicester": the relocation of Somalis from the Netherlands to the UK explained.

Abstract: Since 2000 it is estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 Somali immigrants have left the Netherlands for the UK. This exceptionally high level of intra-European Union (EU) mobility is in contrast with the general trend of very low levels of intra-EU mobility. Based on 33 in-depth interviews with Dutch Somalis in London and Leicester this paper tries to explain the relocation of Somalis from the Netherlands to the UK. The presence of a large Somali community in the UK, economic and educational opportunities in the UK, and differences in integration policies have influenced Dutch Somalis' decision to relocate. It is argued, however, that the wider context in which these movements take place should be taken into account as well. Immigrants may (initially) not always be in a position to move where they want to move. As such, Somalis' relocation from the Netherlands to the UK could also be seen as a follow-up to an earlier movement that was interrupted along the way. Dutch Somalis' narratives about their onward move provide us with a comparison of the Netherlands and the UK as countries of settlement. At the same time, these stories also challenge the binary oppositions that have tended to inform how we think about migration in a static and often linear way. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.