Laza enko, Vale ia
A icle — Published Ve sion
“Le he S a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o Mig a ion
and In eg a ion Policy in he Decision-Making o Uk ainian
Re ugee Women in Ge many
Jou nal o In e na ional Mig a ion and In eg a ion
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Sp inge Na u e
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Laza enko, Vale ia (2024) : “Le he S a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o
Mig a ion and In eg a ion Policy in he Decision-Making o Uk ainian Re ugee Women in Ge many,
Jou nal o In e na ional Mig a ion and In eg a ion, ISSN 1874-6365, Sp inge Ne he lands,
Do d ech , Vol. 25, Iss. 3, pp. 1571-1591,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s12134-024-01138-9
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
h ps://hdl.handle.ne /10419/315680
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h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s12134-024-01138-9
1 3
“Le heS a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o Mig a ion
andIn eg a ion Policy in heDecision‑Making o Uk ainian
Re ugee Women inGe many
Vale iaLaza enko1,2
Accep ed: 24 Feb ua y 2024 / Published online: 6 Ma ch 2024
© The Au ho (s) 2024
Abs ac
While Ge man mig a ion policies aim o p o ide empo a y p o ec ion and in eg a e
Uk ainian e ugees in o Ge man socie y as ea ly as possible, he p ocedu es and
ideas o in eg a ion migh be pe cei ed di e en ly by he bene icia ies. The eeling
o “pe manen empo a iness” has been pe sis en among Uk ainians since Ma ch
2022. In his si ua ion, some o he e ugees enounce hei agency and pu espon-
sibili y on decision-making on o he s a e, while o he s oppose he idea o “being
in eg a ed” since hey see hei ime in Ge many as empo a y, and hei u u e in
Uk aine as soon as he secu i y si ua ion allows hem o e u n.
D awing on he expe iences o single Uk ainian women who ecei ed p o ec ion in
Ge many, he pape p esen s an an h opological pe spec i e on pe son–s a e in e ac-
ions in he con ex o e ugees’ u u e-planning. How do Ge man policies o sup-
po ing Uk ainian e ugees impac hei “s ay o e u n” decision-making? Do he
policies add ess hei needs now and allow hem o make in es men s o he u u e,
o , on he con a y, con ibu e o hei decision o e u n o Uk aine, which appea s
o be “simple ” and “mo e p edic able”? How does he expe ience o going h ough
bu eauc a ic p ocedu es con ibu e o he sense o ha ing agency and being capa-
ble o shaping hei oday and omo ow? To answe hese ques ions, I am going
o p esen he easonings and emo ions conce ning bu eauc a ic p ocedu es ha
a e closely in e wined wi h he planning o hei u u e by Uk ainian e ugees in
Ge many.
Keywo ds Uk ainian e ugees· In eg a ion· Bu eauc acy· Agency· Tempo a iness
* Vale ia Laza enko
ale ia.laza enk[email p o ec ed]
1 Geo g-Simmel Cen e o U ban S udies, Humbold -Uni e si ä zu Be lin, Be lin, Ge many
2 Leibniz-Insi i u o Resea ch On Socie y andSpace, E kne , Ge many
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V.Laza enko
1 3
In oduc ion
A i ing in Be lin om Uk aine in la e Ma ch 2022, I, simila ly o he majo i y o
people leeing my coun y, had o go h ough nume ous bu eauc a ic p ocedu es
o ob ain empo a y p o ec ion s a us and se le down in Ge many. Howe e , my
expe ience o his bu eauc a ic ques was qui e easonable as I was al eady en olled
wi hin he academia. F om my e y i s days in Ge many, I had nume ous encoun-
e s wi h o he people leeing Uk aine, ending up mos ly in discussions abou he
bu eauc a ic complexi ies. A e one such alk du ing a Uk ainian- hemed book
launch in July 2022, I came up wi h he idea ha he easoning he e ugees use o
jus i y hei e u n o non- e u n o Uk aine, i concep ualized, could be an impo -
an addi ion o he exis ing schola ship on he expe iences o o ced mig a ion. This
is how I s a ed my esea ch p ojec , aiming o b oaden he unde s anding o agency
and li ing in a s a e o “pe manen empo a iness” using he speci ic case o Uk ain-
ian women ecei ing empo a y p o ec ion in Ge many.
As Schewel poin s ou , mig a ion s udies su e om a mobili y bias, meaning
ha esea ch mos ly ocuses on he mig a ion d i e s and desi es ins ead o explo -
ing wha makes mig an s “immobile” (Schewel, 2020). Following up Massey’s
(1993) poin on aking in o conside a ion he s uc u al o ces ha shape mig a-
ion and s aying on in he hos coun y, I cen e ed my esea ch p ojec a ound he
idea ha he bu eauc a ic sys em and Ge man app oach o “in eg a ion” o Uk ain-
ian mig an s migh be a c ucial ac o ha hinde s (o , some imes, acili a es) hei
aspi a ions o s aying in he coun y o e u n o Uk aine. As a gued by Ca lbaum
(2021), encoun e s wi h bu eauc acy can be us a ing o mig an s due o he
bewilde ing egula ions, he mul iple ac o s in ol ed, and long wai s which a e pe -
cei ed as was ing hei ime. In his pape , I am going o look inside he easonings
and emo ions conce ning bu eauc a ic p ocedu es ha a e closely in e wined wi h
he planning o hei u u es by Uk ainian e ugees in Ge many.
On 4 Ma ch 2022, he Council o he Eu opean Union enac ed, by means o he
Implemen ing Decision (EU) 2022/382, he Tempo a y P o ec ion Di ec i e (TPD),1
o hose leeing Uk aine and a i ing in he EU om 24 Feb ua y 2022 onwa ds.
Acco ding o he documen , he bene icia ies o empo a y p o ec ion in EU membe
s a es ha e a wide lis o igh s: a esidence pe mi o he en i e du a ion o he p o-
ec ion, access oemploymen , housing, educa ion, social wel a e and medical ca e,
as well as he igh o mo e eely in EU coun ies. Besides ha , Uk ainians a e
able o e u n home o pe sonal easons, and, i is assumed, a e able o e alua e he
secu i y si ua ion in he coun y hemsel es in o de o decide on hei u he plans.
Such an idea was widely suppo ed by he EU o icials.2
1 Full ex o he documen a ailable he e: h ps:// eu - lex. eu opa. eu/ legal- con e n / EN/ TXT/ HTML/? u i=
CELEX: 32022 H0554
2 See, o ins ance, he s a emen by EU In e nal A ai s Commissionne Yl a Johansson: h ps:// eunei
ghbou seas . eu/ news/ la es - news/ eu- commi ssion e - yl a- johan sson- empo a y- p o e c ion- di ec i e- o -
uk ai nians- will- be- ac i e- un il- ma ch- 2024/
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“Le heS a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o Mig a ion and…
A couple o mon hs a e he empo a y p o ec ion was implemen ed as a p oce-
du e, he discussion e ocused on ansi ioning om c isis esponse o sus ainable
longe - e m solu ions. In Ge many, one o he mechanisms3 discussed was a swi ch
o he concep o ( e)in eg a ion o people ecei ing empo a y p o ec ion. Howe e ,
as my esea ch has shown, such a change in app oach migh cause ambiguous eac-
ions om he e ugees hemsel es.
O e all, as a Ap il 2023, a leas 1,064,000 e ugees om Uk aine ha e a i ed
in Ge many, acco ding o he Ge man Cen al Se ice Agency, wi h he majo i y
a i ing in Ma ch and Ap il 2022. Ou o ha numbe , 831,521 ha e al eady been
g an ed a esidency pe mi . This numbe , howe e , does no indica e he exac num-
be o Uk ainian e ugees in Ge many: some migh ha e al eady e u ned o Uk aine
o mo ed o hi d coun ies, and some migh no ha e ecei ed empo a y p o ec ion
s a us ye .
This case is unique wi hin he es ablished schola ship on mig a ion and e ugee
s udies. Fo decades, an h opological explo a ions o li ing h ough space and ime
while being a e ugee ocused on: expe iences o awai ing he decision (Ande sson,
2014; Hainmuelle e al., 2016; Hyndman & Giles, 2011; Schouw I e sen, 2022),
immig an de en ion and encampmen (Fiddian-Qasmiyeh, 2020; Hayes, 2018; Mez-
zad a & Neilson, 2012; Moun z, 2011; Tu nbull, 2016), and empo ali y as opposed
o s abili y (El-Shaa awi, 2015; El-Shaa awi, 2021; G i i hs, 2013; Jacobsen, 2022),
as well as on “ empo al go e nance” o decision-making (G i i hs, 2017; Reneman
& S onks, 2021). As El-Shaa awi poin s ou , “…[ ]e ugees a e o en unde s ood
as people in be ween, bo h in e ms o hei legal s a us and in e ms o wha hey
deno e as a ca ego y” (El-Shaa awi, 2015). Thus, hei expe iences may be cha -
ac e ized by limbo, whe e people a e caugh be ween places and imes, and expe-
ience long- e m unce ain y. Howe e , he si ua ion when e ugees om Uk aine
a e g an ed a esidence pe mi and basic se ices immedia ely adds ano he dimen-
sion o he concep o empo ali y and agency, highligh ing he p eca i y o being
“ empo a ily” p o ec ed, he unce ain y abou he du a ion o his empo ali y, and
hei en o ced in eg a ion in o he communi ies in he hos ing coun ies. Such a si u-
a ion can be de ined as a new “mig a ion egime” (acco ding o Schapendonk e al.
(2020)), since he s a e sees mig an s om Uk aine a he as highly skilled wo ke s
wi h good p ospec s o emaining and being in eg a ed.
D awing on he expe iences o single Uk ainian women who ecei ed p o ec ion
in Ge many, I am going o explo e esea ch ques ion wi h mani old aspec s: How
do Ge man policies o suppo ing Uk ainian e ugees impac hei s ay o e u n
decision-making? Do he policies add ess hei needs now, and allow hem o make
in es men s o he u u e, o , on he con a y, con ibu e o hei decision o e u n o
Uk aine, which appea s o hem o be “simple ” and “mo e p edic able”? How does
he expe ience o going h ough bu eauc a ic p ocedu es con ibu e o hei sense
o ha ing agency and o being capable o shaping hei own oday and omo ow?
To answe hese ques ions, I am going o p esen an an h opological pe spec i e on
3 Sou ce: h ps:// www. kas. de/ en/ moni o / de ai l/-/ con e n / nu - ein- o ue be ge hende - schu z- ue - e
iebene
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V.Laza enko
1 3
pe son–s a e in e ac ions and highligh he subjec i e expe iences o in e ac ing wi h
he sys em.
Uk ainian Re ugees: The Speci ic Case o Ge man Mig a ion Policies
Unlike he app oach o g an ing esidence based on he assessmen o indi idual
cases and aking in o accoun he “sa e y” s a us o a pa icula egion, e ugees
om Uk aine we e g an ed p o ec ion ega dless o he in e sec ion o he geog-
aphy o hei esidency in hei home coun y and he ime when hey le . How-
e e , al hough his was alid o e ugees a i ing in 2022 and ea ly 2023, u he
de elopmen s in p ocedu es and s a us emain unclea o now.
Acco ding o he esea ch4 p esen ed by he Fede al Minis y o he In e io
and Homeland, Uk ainian e ugees we e choosing Ge many as a des ina ion
because o exis ing amily, social o wo king connec ions, as well as because o
knowing abou he social suppo and wo king oppo uni ies in he coun y. Upon
a i al, people leeing Uk aine we e able o s ay wi hou a isa o up o 90days
and, i in ending o emain longe , had o apply o esidence s a us (Au en hal -
s i el) and go h ough se e al s ages o bu eauc acy.
Ini ially, Uk ainian ci izens ecei ing immedia e p o ec ion in Ge many we e
eligible o ecei e bene i s unde he Asylum Seeke s’ Bene i s Ac (AsylbLG)
and could apply o ecei e a mon hly allowance and co e age o basic needs
(accommoda ion, u ni u e, clo hing). Howe e , om June 1s 2022, e ugees
om Uk aine s a ed ecei ing hei assis ance and social bene i s unde he
Social Code (SGB II)— he ax- inanced unemploymen bene i sys em o job-
seeke s. Thus, he adul Uk ainians who a e able o wo k and possess esidence
s a us in Ge many ecei ed he same igh s and access o he job ma ke as o he
esiden s o he coun y. Those whose abili y o wo k is limi ed, o ecei ing an
old-age pension, emained on he wel a e o ice suppo .
This decision challenged he o e all social bene i s sys em in Ge many. As Ra z-
mann has shown in de ail in he wo k, he Ge man sys em o dis ibu ing social ben-
e i s was widely based on he idea o “dese edness” and hus could po en ially be
subjec o disc imina o y p ac ices (Ra zmann, 2021; Ra zmann & Sah aoui, 2021).
This was no he case o Uk ainian e ugees: The ac o lea ing hei coun y
and gaining empo a y p o ec ion in Ge many was al eady a su icien c i e ion o
ecei e he bene i s. Uk ainians, howe e , had a limi ed ime—un il 31s o Augus
2022—in which o apply o he bene i s.
Job cen e s we e supposed o be he single coo dina ion poin o e ugees ecei -
ing social bene i s, coo dina ing hei social, heal h, educa ional, and o he needs,
including housing eimbu semen o hose accommoda ed in p i a e o social
4 In e media e esul s p esen ed he e: h p:// www. bmi. bund. de/ Sha e dDocs/ downl oads/ DE/ e oe en
lichu ngen/ nach ich en/ 2022/ um a ge- uk ai ne- luec h lin ge. pd ?__ blob= publi ca io nFile & =2
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“Le heS a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o Mig a ion and…
housing. Since he language ba ie p e en ed many Uk ainians om en e ing he
job ma ke (90% o e ugees did no know Ge man o only knew he basics5), job
cen e s we e also supposed o assis Uk ainian e ugees wi h s a e-subsidized lan-
guage in eg a ion cou ses wi h a manda o y in eg a ion module.
O e all, one canno deny ha he immedia e need o p o ide social bene i s o
housands o Uk ainian e ugees was a angible challenge o he social secu i y sys-
em and he p e-exis ing bu eauc a ic p ocedu es. Since Webe de ined bu eauc acy
as a mechanism o s a e unc ioning and desc ibed i as a highly s uc u ed, o mal-
ized, and also an impe sonal o ganiza ion, he s abili y and igidness o his sys em
we e pe cei ed as a ea u e (Webe , 2009). The Ge man bu eauc acy i sel , as Weg-
ich (2021) no es, can be cha ac e ized as a “slow mo ing u le” ha a oids big
mis akes in he implemen a ion o public sec o e o ms, elying ins ead on inc e-
men al s eps wi hin a b oadly s able sys em. In he mul i-le el go e nance app oach,
howe e , e o ms may p oceed a di e en paces a di e en le els, wi h adjus men s
a he ede al le el being he mos igid, wi h li le mo i a ion o change he ad e se
sys em. As Ra zmann poin ed ou , Ge man job cen e s, despi e being he key ins i-
u ion o suppo one o he needies popula ion g oups, a e also a good example o
“ aceless” bu eauc acy (Ra zmann, 2021). As nume ous esea ch ha e shown, ben-
e icia ies o en epo ed eeling misunde s ood o e en expe iencing disc imina ion
(B ussig e al., 2017; Holzinge , 2020; Ra zmann, 2022). Howe e , such expe iences
a e pe haps he esul s ee le el bu eauc a s being cons ained by he ou inised
wo k low and ins i u ional se ing i sel (B odkin & Ma s on, 2013; Lipsky, 1980).
This is why, as Leu lo -G andi s (2019) poin s ou , a huge numbe o e ugees expe-
ience he adminis a i e p ocedu es as h ea ening and eac wi h eelings o ea ,
wi hd awal, and dep ession.
Howe e , he ecen challenges, especially he 2015 e ugee c isis and he
COVID-19 pandemic, ha e al eady impac ed he sys em by changing pa e ns o
policy-making and mul i-le el go e nance (Kuhlmann & F anzke, 2022), and sig-
ni ican ly challenging he wo k low o he public sec o employees (Seinsche e al.,
2023). Mo eo e , he angible inc ease in jobseeke s was p edic ed in he a e ma h
o he pandemic (Baue e al., 2023). On his occasion, he mass in lux o Uk ainian
e ugees (acco ding o he job cen e da a, he e a e cu en ly 498,000 Uk ainians
jobseeke s egis e ed in Ge many) and he need o add ess hei needs immedia ely
o e lapped wi h an al eady exis ing c isis in he o e loaded sys em ha has shown
he impo ance o lexibili y and he need o mani old adjus men s o he wo k low.
The si ua ion, howe e , may a y in di e en egions and ci ies, depending on
he a ailabili y o esou ces p o ided by s a e agencies and municipal go e nmen s,
and on non-go e nmen al o ganiza ions who migh ha e made he p ocess o going
h ough he bu eauc a ic p ocess smoo he . Thus, his pape will ocus speci ically
on he human-sys em ela ions in he speci ic case o Uk ainian emale e ugees in
Be lin.
5 Sou ce: he esea ch p esen ed by he Fede al Minis y o he In e io and Homeland, h p:// www. bmi.
bund. de/ Sha e dDocs/ downl oads/ DE/ e oe en lichu ngen/ nach ich en/ 2022/ um a ge- uk ai ne- luec h lin ge.
pd ?__ blob= publi ca io nFile & =2
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V.Laza enko
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Key Concep : Tempo ali y
Du ing ecen decades, he empo a y dimension o mig a ion became a wide ocus
in e ugee s udies, since ime can be also seen as a way powe ope a es (Cwe ne ,
2001; Edels ein e al., 2020; Jacobsen e al., 2021; Reneman & S onks, 2021).
An h opologis Melanie G i i hs (2013, 2017) has in oduced he concep o “ em-
po al go e nance,” desc ibing i as a go e nmen al s a egy o discipline and con ol
mig an s by means o ime, pu in o ac ion h ough p ocesses such as he asylum
p ocedu e. The means o con ol hus a y om quali ica ion pe iods and limi s o
he leng h o de en ion o e ms o long- e m and pe manen esidence. Ande sson
(2014), d awing on he ideas o Bou dieu (2000), also highligh s wai ing as no a by-
p oduc bu a ac ic o con ol e ugees’ ime and shaping hei u u es.
Howe e , as G i i hs poin s ou , ime is a a he ela i e ca ego y in mig a ion
go e nance, and mul iple “ imes” (law ul ime, in e up ed ime, empo al es ic-
ion) can ha e di e en implica ions o mig an s (G i i hs, 2017). Spada expands
on his idea, a guing ha ime, used as a ool o manage con empo a y mig a o y
lows, can wo k di e en ly in e ms o ime spen , ime allowed, and ime a ail-
able, gi en he di e en ac o s in ol ed in de e mining i s hy hm (Spada, 2023).
Policy- ela ed empo ali ies a ec he li e expe iences o he pe sons by hinde ing
hei abili y o s uc u e hei ime and plan he u u e o he indi iduals and hei
amilies. The decisions ela ing o he applica ion s a us a e equen ly he u ning
poin o he indi idual imescapes, as s a ed by Leu lo -G andi s (2019). On his
occasion, ime migh be pe cei ed by he one awai ing a decision as ei he linea o
ci cula (as, o ins ance, in he case o epea ed applica ions o a esidence pe mi ),
ha ing up u es and e u n poin s, unning as o slow, o e en pu on hold (Rene-
man & S onks, 2021). Such a dis u bed sense o ime, as Ramsey poin s ou , can
accompany e ugees and displaced people long a e hey ha e ob ained legal p o-
ec ion s a us, since hey ha e expe ienced he eeling o being emo ed om he
empo al hy hms o o dina y li e (Ramsay, 2017).
The a i al si ua ion o Uk ainian mig an s b oadens he concep o empo al
go e nance wi h a need o e-concep ualize he idea o “ empo ali y.” Since he TPD
was ac i a ed o he i s ime o he du a ion o wo yea s, and henex ended ill
Ma ch 2025, empo ally p o ec ed Uk ainians appea in a liminal posi ion wi h no
clea ision o hei u u e. Howe e , unlike he cases o o he e ugees, Uk ain-
ian e ugees en e ed his s a e wi hou he expe ience o encampmen , which has
been a key poin o explo ing empo al go e nance in e ugee s udies. Mos o he
ecen esea ch on Ge man con ex , ocusing p ima ily on he expe iences o Sy -
ian e ugees who we e g an ed asylum and who ha e expe ienced he compa able
bu eauc a ic di icul ies o ha Uk ainians did and a e expe iencing, has deba ed
on he speci ics o ole a ion s a us and he suspension o depo a ion, as well as
he emo ional dimensions o li ing h ough such dis up ed empo ali ies, oscilla ing
be ween hope, ea , and disillusionmen (D angsland, 2020; Ha onen e al., 2022;
Nagel & Reege , 2021; Schü ze, 2022; Schwa z, 2016; Tize, 2021). The idea o no -
maliza ion o unce ain y (G i i hs, 2013) can be ex apola ed o he b oade popu-
la ion o mig an s who also li e in he liminal s a e o “pe manen empo a iness”
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“Le heS a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o Mig a ion and…
no knowing when and how hei p eca ious s a us will change. Howe e , in he si u-
a ion o Uk ainians, he e is a ce ain shi in he le el o powe go e ning hei p e-
ca i y: Ins ead o mig a ion se ices assessing cases and making decisions acco ding
o es ablished p ocedu es, he si ua ion o Uk ainians depends on he EU-le el deci-
sion o po en ial p olonga ion o TPD and he ou come o he ongoing wa . He ein,
he ca ego y o wai ing emains a c ucial one o s uc u ing indi idual imescapes
(Pi zalis, 2023), bu , ins ead o being applied o he p ocedu es, i applies o on olog-
ical wai ing o he wa o end, o accep ance ha e u n is no possible in a mid- o
long- ime pe spec i e. Wai ing, howe e , should no be seen as a passi e s a e when
one exe cises powe o e ano he (Tu nbull, 2016), bu a he as an ac i e p ac ice
ha in ol es e lec ion and esilience (Conlon, 2011), o e en a o m o esis ance
(Sco , 1990).
Resea ch on empo a iness in e ugee s udies adi ionally looks in o he modali-
ies o humani a ian ecep ion, and jux apose in eg a ion p ospec i e o unce ain y
o being on hold o ha ing a empo al s a us (Ca lbaum, 2021; Leu lo -G andi s,
2019; Mezzad a, 2022; Tu nbull, 2016). Bu , in he case o hose leeing Uk aine,
he idea o in eg a ion does no seem o be he mos desi ed ou come o hei s ay.
Acco ding o a na ionwide su ey in No embe 2022, he wish o s ay in Ge many
pe manen ly was exp essed by only 26% o Uk ainian e ugees, while o he s emain
unce ain abou hei plans o desi e o e u n o Uk aine as soon as he secu i y si u-
a ion allows (B ücke e al., 2022).
Speaking abou di e en speeds o p ocedu es and assessmen o claims, Leu lo -
G andi s (2019) poin ed ou ha e ugees migh mo e owa ds “in eg a ion” a a di -
e en speed, and hus li e in di e en ime-spaces. The same in e p e a ion migh be
applied o he case o Uk ainian e ugees: While some a e s uck in a limbo o “ em-
po a iness” o being p o ec ed and awai hei e u n, o he s migh mo e owa ds
in eg a ion, s epping on a bu eauc acy-implied ack. The nex pa o he pape will
highligh he mul iplici y o such expe iences ha I ga he ed h ough my ieldwo k
in Be lin, p esen ed h ough h ee dis inc i e pe sonal s o ies o Uk ainian e ugee
women.
Resea ch Me hodology
To answe he esea ch ques ions and un eil he mul iplici y o expe iences o he
in e ac ions be ween Uk ainian e ugees and he s a e sys em aimed o suppo hem,
I used a quali a i e app oach. Besides policy analysis o he na ional-le el, egional-
le el, and municipal-le el decisions o Ge man au ho i ies owa ds suppo ing dis-
placed people om Uk aine, I op ed o wo main esea ch me hods: pa icipa o y
obse a ion and in-dep hs in e iews wi h Uk ainian e ugees.
Coming om a posi ion o an “inside ” in he ield, and being a e ugee mysel ,
I had nume ous and equen encoun e s wi h o he Uk ainian e ugees in he ea ly
s ages o ou a i al. These happened mos ly on public anspo , and du ing speci ic
Uk ainian- hemed e en s. The insigh s om such encoun e s we e pu in o e hno-
g aphic ieldno es, in he o m o bo h di ec quo es and gene alized no es o he s o-
ies sha ed by acciden al in o man s. My e lec ions on he emo ions he in o man s
1578
V.Laza enko
1 3
pu in o he s o ies we e used as a ool o poin ou hose de ails o in e ac ing wi h
he sys em ha acqui ed o hem he mos subs an ial subjec i e meaning.
The esea ch was conduc ed om he pe spec i e o a posi ioned esea che . On
he one hand, his acili a ed access o he ield and he es ablishmen o appo wi h
in o man s on he basis o sha ed expe ience. On he o he hand, such posi ional-
i y may also ha e a ec ed he esea che ’s sense o empa hy and led o blind spo s
in he esea ch, which can be a limi a ion o cu en esea ch. The need o sepa a e
pe sonal and p o essional li es while conduc ing ieldwo k, as Howle and Laza-
enko acknowledged, made he esea ch desc ibed pa icipa o y in na u e (Howle
& Laza enko, 2023).
The main esea ch me hod was in-dep h in e iews wi h Uk ainian single women
who came om Uk aine o Be lin and go hei egis a ion wi hin Be lin ede al
land. By women, I unde s and hose pe sons who iden i y as so and ha e emale sex
s a ed in hei passpo s. By single, hose who a i ed in Ge many wi hou kids and/
o dependen pe sons, and ha e no been in a s a e o ma iage o long- e m pa ne -
ship in Uk aine. Limi ing he sample like his, I a emp o ocus on di e en aspec s
o indi idual decision-making wi hou being a ached o he educa ional/social secu-
i y sys em, and ee om emo ions associa ed wi h being in cha ge o o he s. I also
mi iga e he ac o o ansna ional ies and pe spec i es o amily eunions which
migh impac signi ican ly on e u n aspi a ions.
This popula ion seems o e looked in e ugee s udies since, adi ionally, men a e
he “pa h inde s” o hei amilies, while emale e ugees a e ei he iewed in he
con ex o amily ela ions, o wi hin he s udies o exploi a ion, human a icking
and gende -based iolence—subjec s a he han ac i e decision-make s. While his
end is changing as mo e esea ch on he issue eme ges (Dlaske & Schilling, 2023;
Ha mann & S einmann, 2021; Jünemann e al., 2021; See hale , 2019; Tuzi, 2020),
he demog aphy o he Uk ainian e ugee popula ion opens a new ga e o del e
deepe in o he opic. F om he Minis y o In e io epo o in Ap il 20226 84%
o hose a i ing in Ge many om Uk aine iden i ied as women, since men we e
p ohibi ed om lea ing Uk aine acco ding o he ma ial law. Se en een pe cen o
hem ha e a i ed on hei own, and 8% a i ed wi h iends o acquain ances (bu
no wi h amily membe s). Those a i ing as single mos ly all in o he age ca ego y
o 18–29 and 50 + (p obably hose who came o Ge many o s ay wi h g own-up
child en). Howe e , his da a is no seg ega ed by gende , so he popula ion i ing
he selec ed c i e ia emains unclea .
I decided o ocus on his pa icula ca ego y o e ugees d awing upon he idea
ha hey migh be hose who ques ion hei e u n aspi a ions he mos , and whose
cases can highligh how he in e sec ions be ween bu eauc acy and emo ional s a e
may impac hei long- e m decisions abou he u u e. I also ocus my esea ch on
Be lin, since he p o ision o se ices o Uk ainian e ugees may a y om ede al
s a e o ede al s a e, and hus complica e he indings by adding ano he compa a-
i e dimension.
6 Sou ce: h ps:// www. bmi. bund. de/ Sha e dDocs/ downl oads/ DE/ e oe en lichu ngen/ nach ich en/ 2022/
um a ge- uk ai ne- luec h lin ge. pd ?__ blob= publi ca io nFile & =2
1585
1 3
“Le heS a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o Mig a ion and…
wo k in he sphe e, his was he eason I d opped om he school. Bu hey did
no wan o lis en I wo ked as a digi al specialis o wo yea s. All hey wan ed
o o e me we e jobs in massage salons and nu sing homes…
Simila hough s we e also exp essed by o he in o man s, who epo ed hei
eeling o despai abou losing p o essional quali ica ions and being unable o ind
a p ope job. Bygnes (2021) calls such a condi ion a “mobili y dissonance” and
de ines i as a o m o pos mig a ion s ess ha leads o eelings o s agna ion and
ailu e o p og ess in li e, p o ession, and s a us. Howe e , he mobili y dissonance
o Uk ainian e ugees has ano he dimension: he empo al one. Some o he in o m-
an s we e no only s essed abou losing hei skills, bu also unsu e abou he need
o in es inancial and pe sonal esou ces in o alida ion o hei ce i ica es and
gaining Ge man skills, seeing hei s ay in Ge many as some hing sho - e m and
aiming o e u n o Uk aine as soon as possible:
To ge ce i ied and s a wo king, I need o pay €800. Bu his is such an
amoun o money! Wha i I pay, and he wa ends in a mon h and I go back
home? I will a he spend his money in Uk aine es o ing my ci y...
N., 50. Fieldno e, June 2022
Howe e , o some o he in o man s, he main h eshold was nei he he lan-
guage ba ie no en e ing he job ma ke , bu he idea o in eg a ion pe se. Ha ing
hei pe sonal imelines and li e plans ied o Uk aine, some o he e ugees li e ally
e used o pa icipa e in in eg a ion ac i i ies, planning o e u n home as soon as
possible. When we eco ded ou in e iew wi h Ma ga y a in No embe 2022, she
old me ha she ied o pos pone he s a o he in eg a ion cou ses as long as she
could, since he p essu e om he job cen e made he hink ha she did no ac ually
wan o emain Ge many:
I don’ wan o ‘be in eg a ed’. I ended up he e no because o my ee will. I
came o ‘si o e ’ and will go home as soon as i becomes possible. So I pos -
pone his cou se as long as I can! Maybe hings ge be e soon enough and I
will go home be o e my cou se s a s in mid-Decembe ...
The eeling o being o cibly “in eg a ed” esona ed wi h e ugees’ acknowledge-
men o he empo a iness o hei s ay in Ge many and made hem egain hei
sense o agency in an ac i e o m. And, o some o he in o man s, ealizing he
p essu e o join he “in eg a ion ack” in Ge many became a decisi e momen o
lea e he coun y –as Ma ga y a did sho ly be o e Ch is mas 2022, e u ning o he
home in Odesa.
Concluding Discussion: Shaping heFu u e o Fo ced Mig an s
The pe sonal expe iences o Uk ainian e ugee women who came o Ge many
alone, and whose u u e aspi a ions a e no bound o he educa ional sys em and
ansna ional amily ela ions, o e a new angle o assess he ole o mig a ion and
in eg a ion policies in hei decision-making and sense o agency. De ac o, his case
1586
V.Laza enko
1 3
shows an upside-down pe spec i e on e ugees’ u u e-making. The whole scope o
e ugee s udies p esen s he s a e as he main powe agen capable o deciding he
u u e and indi idual empo ali ies o mig an s by means o “ empo al go e nance”
and usage o wai ing ime. Bu eauc acy, hus, appea s as a mechanism o go e n-
ing h ough ou ine p ac ices. The eeling o “pe manen empo a iness,” as esea ch
in o e ugee expe iences in Ge many (S eigemann & Misselwi z, 2020; Tize, 2021)
and o he coun ies (Bekke ing e al., 2017; Oesch, 2019; Olwig, 2023) has demon-
s a ed, is he p ecise ou come in e e y indi idual o a p o ac ed s a e o awai ing
decisions abou he u u e. In his case, wai ing becomes an emo ionally angible
mani es a ion o unce ain y and, as Conlon (2011) poin s ou , a dynamic e ec o
in e na ional geopoli ics and a li ed ace o social s uc u es. Wai ing, howe e ,
is no only a passi e s a e, bu also a o m o agency o hose li ing in a speci ic
egime o “ empo al go e nance”—whe e he empo a iness is de e mined no by
he s a e assessing indi idual cases, bu by he geopoli ical si ua ion a ound Russia’s
ull-scale wa in Uk aine, and he collec i e esponse o EU membe s a es mani-
es ed h ough na ional-le el and s a e-le el policies in Ge many. He ein, he whole
concep o “ empo a iness” o p o ec ion becomes challenged—and hus equi es
addi ional explo a ion by academic schola s.
Howe e , e en in his case, he clashes be ween he li ed empo ali ies o e u-
gees and he ins i u ional mechanisms ha cha ac e ize he ime-poli ics o ecep ion
emain ine i able. Some decisions o local go e nmen , like ans e ing he dis i-
bu ion o social bene i s om he social se ice sys em o unemploymen bene i s
ope a ed by job cen e s, de e mined e ugees’ indi idual decisions on whe he o no
o emain in Ge many. (This mean accep ing—o no accep ing— ha he empo-
a iness o hei s ay will ex end o a leas a couple o mon hs longe .) Fo some o
he e ugees, he p essu ized need o make a decision in a ime-limi ed pe spec i e
was a decisi e ac o in hei decision o e u n o Uk aine and enounce empo a y
p o ec ion in Ge many.
The ques ion on how Ge man policies o suppo ing Uk ainian e ugees impac
hei decision o s ay o e u n emains, howe e , open o discussion and is depend-
en on he indi idual’s in e p e a ions o he demands and solu ions. Fo some o he
pa icipan s in my esea ch, he emo ionally in ense si ua ion o “pe manen empo-
a iness” can be esol ed by he op ion o emba king on he “bu eauc a ic pa hway”
o e ing ce ain s eps on he way o in eg a ion. In his case, some o he e ugees
pu pa o he esponsibili y o hei decision-making on o he s a e, enouncing
hei own agency. Howe e , such a posi ion lea es he e ugees po en ially ulne -
able and oo dependen on he s a e suppo . On his occasion, he newly adop ed
s a egy o suppo ing he unemployed in Ge many, which is ocused on long- e m
solu ions o labo ma ke in eg a ion, migh play an impo an ole o he e ugees
who op o passi e esis ance and le he s a e make decisions o hem while hey
a e p ocessing hei auma o displacemen .
The indi idual expe iences o going h ough bu eauc a ic p ocedu es hus sig-
ni ican ly con ibu ed o he e ugees’ sense o ha ing agency and being capable o
shaping hei oday and omo ow. While some o hem pe cei ed bu eauc acy as a
ques , wi h he eeling o “accep ance” and success ul submission o all he pape s
seen as a p ize, o he s pe cei ed bu eauc acy as a cons an obs acle. The la e g oup
1587
1 3
“Le heS a e Decide I All o Me”: The Role o Mig a ion and…
also poin ed ou ha some o he p ocedu es hinde hei in eg a ion and hus con-
ibu e o hei decision o e u n o Uk aine, which appea s o be “simple ” and
“mo e p edic able.”
The unce ain empo a iness o being a mig an , o , in o he wo ds, he ques ion
o how long he mig an emains an objec o di e ence and hence a a ge o in e-
g a ion, emains c ucial o mig an s—e en mo e han i is o he s a e (Mezzad a
& Neilson, 2012). Unlike hose emaining in Uk aine unde pe manen s ess and
dange and claiming “ he ime has s opped on Feb ua y 24 h” (Laza enko e al.,
2022), he in o man s o he cu en esea ch claimed ha going h ough bu eau-
c a ic s eps, and ha ing ou inized p ac ices like ecei ing he mon hly allowance,
helped hem o keep ack o ime. E en hough he symbolic miles ones o 3 and 6
mon hs o li ing ab oad we e ha d o cope wi h o some o hem, he e y ac o a
pe sonal imeline s uc u ed a ound s a e-endo sed p ac ices had a epo edly posi-
i e e ec on hei well-being.
On he o he hand, he in eg a ion-o ien ed bu eauc a ic pa hway may become a
challenge o some o he e ugees. Since none o my in o man s in ended o emi-
g a e be o e he ou b eak o he ull-scale wa , he e y concep o being “in e-
g a ed” and “included” in o Ge man socie y eels o mos o hem mo e a biza e
demand han a desi ed ou come. The ea o being de ached om he Uk ainian
communi y in he homeland was among he easons o opposing in eg a ion. Mo e-
o e , o some o hem, o ced in eg a ion was seen as a h ea o hei Uk ainian
iden i y. The gene al in ensi ica ion o he sense o Uk ainian iden i y and belonging
o he coun y o o igin, in pa allel wi h he need o build a li e in a hos coun y, is
a ema kable phenomenon wi h ega d o emig a ion om Uk aine in 2022 (Boman,
2023; Laza enko e al., 2022), deeply oo ed in he expe ience o guil o lea ing
home a a c ucial momen , and in he dis up ion o ela ionships wi h hose who
s ayed (And ews e al., 2023; Shy oka e al., 2023). Such iden i y is deeply oo ed
in he na ional idea—which un olds, as Ande son (2006) poin s ou , in he linea
empo ali y (which, in case o Uk aine, is measu ed “un il he ic o y in he wa ”).
The bu eauc a ic sys em, in con as , is an example o eali y wi h cyclic ime, de e -
mined by he p olonga ion o esidence pe mi s and o he epea ed ac ions (Leu lo -
G andi s, 2019). The disc epancies be ween he linea na ional ime, associa ed wi h
Uk aine, and cyclic bu eauc acy-endo sed ime in Ge many, migh hus be a eason
o some Uk ainian e ugees in Ge many inding i ha d o imagine hei indi idual
u u es in ei he o he wo empo al eali ies.
Taking in o accoun he speci ics o he me hodology, he esea ch indings
e eal he subjec i e expe iences o Uk ainian e ugee women dealing wi h a i al-
ela ed bu eauc acy in Be lin, which should no be ex apola ed o he popula ion
as a whole, bu a he used o illus a e he in e play be ween mig a ion policies,
bu eauc a ic p ocesses, and e ugees’ sense o agency. Al hough he esponses a
he ede al, s a e, and especially local le els o he a i al o housands o Uk ainian
e ugees in Ge many ha e demons a ed he s a e’s po en ial o deal wi h such dis-
up ions, he p ocess has no been smoo h a all s ages. Fo his eason, he indings
o he esea ch can o m a basis o u u e esea ch in o he imp o emen o ce ain
e ugee ecep ion policies in Ge many.
1588
V.Laza enko
1 3
Acknowledgemen s The wo k on his a icle was commenced du ing he esea ch s ay a Leibniz Ins i-
u e o Resea ch on Socie y and Space suppo ed by he Philipp Schwa z Ini ia i e o schola s a isk
o he Alexande on Humbold Founda ion and con inued a Geo g-Simmel Cen e o U ban S udies a
Humbold-Uni e si ä zu Be lin, wi h he suppo o Eins ein Founda ion. Special hanks go o P o . D .
Ma hias Be n , D . Madlen Pilz, and P o . D . Talja Blokland o hei commen s and guidance in ea lie
e sions o his pape .
Funding Open Access unding enabled and o ganized by P ojek DEAL.
Da a A ailabili y The anonymized da a suppo ing he indings o his s udy a e a ailable on eques om
he au ho .
Decla a ions
Con lic o In e es The au ho s decla e no compe ing in e es s.
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