Resettlement Experiences of Syrian Refugees in the United States: Policy Challenges and Directions

There is a scarcity of phenomenological studies that have incorporated the voices of Syrian refugees concerning their resettlement experiences in the United States. This phenomenological study explored the challenges, forms of support, and ways whereby they interacted to shape the resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees in the United States. Face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted. The participants were adult Syrian refugees who resettled in the United States following the war in Syria in 2011 and provided their informed consent. Fourteen interviewees participated (four females and ten males) with a mean age of 40.4 ± 10.0 from Florida, New York, New Jersey, and Nebraska. Principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis were employed. Six main themes and thirteen subthemes were generated. The main themes were the United States refugee policy, separation from family, deficient support, deficient preparatory programs, lack of psychological support, and the language barrier. The lack of linguistic, social, economic, and psychological support found in the United States refugee policies exacerbated the participants’ living difficulties. The sociocultural needs and characteristics of refugees need to be acknowledged. Support programs need to incorporate sociocultural strategies and training activities on daily living skills. The United States refugee allocation policy and focus on early economic self-sufficiency need to be re-evaluated.