What are the first and most prevalent associations with refugees attempting to integrate into society? For someone, that implies a ready workforce, eager to do any task to avoid returning to their problematic homeland. Someone else could perceive a mob of offensive, non-intellectual people who merely waste resources. Both of the perceptions are based on real-life experiences and examples. Hence, the paper investigates the ways in which refugees affect the country that hosts them.
Asylum seekers require substantial help immediately upon arrival, damaging the host country’s economy and service sector. Notably, the latter must ensure that everyone has a safe place to live, enough food, and access to affordable healthcare. As a result, asylum seekers necessitate more spending, which overloads the public budget. Essentially, the local economy is under strain, causing refugees to dwell in poor conditions and jeopardizing service quality for locals. It is most prevalent in many developing nations, with Ethiopia, Niger, the Central African Republic, and others now seeing the highest levels. Hence, vulnerable populations of refugees act as an additional burden on the country of origin as well as the host country.
In contrast, a positive consequence of refugees that is sometimes overlooked is that they contribute to the host country’s local economy. This is because there emerges an immense need for goods and services since it grows with the number of consumers. Subsequently, the supply has to rise as well, as the population growth due to refugees, which in turn, adds to the disposable income of native workers, resulting from increased production.
In addition, there are cultural and infrastructural aspects impacted by refugees. For example, the tourism sector grows year after year because visitors increase the host country’s variety by bringing diverse beliefs and cultural backgrounds. On the other hand, the migrants are reluctant to accept and follow local traditions and standards; the socio-cultural effects will almost certainly be adverse, resulting in challenges in finding a job. Furthermore, cultural divergences arose because of different degrees of civility. As a result, due to lower quality of life, refugees may be presented with lesser opportunities than the citizens of a host country, hence, creating inequality and tension in society. In extreme cases, this may lead to violence between refugees and the local people, which contributes to the negative perception of refugees as being uncivilized.
In conclusion, refugees can have both negative and positive effects on the host country. On the positive side, immigrants raise the overall demand for products and services. Similarly, one often overlooked beneficial effect of migrants is that they contribute to the local economy very soon after settling into the country, which benefits the inhabitants. In other words, refugees fill a critical need for growth in the host country. It is up to the immigrants themselves on one side and the government, and the society of the host country on the other, to maximize the benefits and minimize the adverse effects.