Three Years On: English and employment outcomes of former refugees

The New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy was developed and implemented in 2013 with the aim of improving outcomes for former refugees. The overarching aim of the strategy is to ensure that: Refugees are participating fully and integrated socially and economically as soon as possible so that they are living independently, undertaking the same responsibilities, and exercising the same rights as other New Zealanders and have a strong sense of belonging to their own community and to New Zealand. The purpose of the current research was to explore employment and English language outcomes for former quota refugees three years post-arrival in New Zealand. Its aim was twofold: to understand how services (including provision of information) have contributed to settlement outcomes or acted as barriers and to understand former refugees’ perspectives on gaps in services.