International Migration: Successful Immigrants and Refugees in Greece
Author
Sulkhanishvili, Giorgi
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Abstract
This thesis examines how refugees and immigrants in Greece perceive success, the barriers they encounter, how they overcome them, and what this implies for integration policy. Grounded in literature on immigration, acculturation, and civic integration, the study uses semi-structured interviews with four adult participants (two women, two men, aged 30–45) who migrated to Greece. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis alongside thematic analysis that identified four broad categories. Participants reported limited prior knowledge of Greece and highlighted language learning, lack of social support, and experiences of racism as the main challenges to integration. Despite these obstacles, they described succeeding in their fields, motivated primarily by family support. None attributed their success to host-country support; instead, they emphasized the need for stronger legal protections, greater social support, and policy measures that enable immigrants’ employment across Greek companies to foster a more international labor market. The findings suggest practical steps for Greek authorities to facilitate faster, fairer integration and to better leverage the skills of refugees and immigrants. As a small qualitative study, it offers in-depth insights rather than generalizable claims.
Specialet undersøger, hvordan flygtninge og indvandrere i Grækenland opfatter succes, hvilke barrierer de møder, hvordan de overvinder dem, og hvilke konsekvenser dette har for integrationspolitikken. Med udgangspunkt i litteratur om migration, akkulturation og borgerlig integration anvendes semistrukturerede interviews med fire voksne deltagere (to kvinder, to mænd, 30–45 år), der er immigreret til Grækenland. Data blev analyseret med Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis kombineret med tematisk analyse, som identificerede fire overordnede kategorier. Deltagerne havde begrænset forhåndsviden om Grækenland og pegede på sprogindlæring, manglende social støtte og racisme som de største integrationsudfordringer. Trods disse hindringer beskrev de, at de lykkedes inden for deres felt, især motiveret af familiens støtte. Ingen tilskrev deres succes værtslandets indsats; de efterlyste derimod stærkere juridisk beskyttelse, mere social støtte og tiltag, der muliggør indvandreres ansættelse på tværs af græske virksomheder for at fremme et mere internationalt arbejdsmarked. Fundene peger på praktiske skridt for græske myndigheder til at lette hurtigere og mere retfærdig integration og bedre udnytte flygtninges og indvandreres kompetencer. Som et kvalitativt studie med få deltagere giver undersøgelsen dybdegående indsigter snarere end generaliserbare resultater.
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