Both integration and reintegration entail efforts to ensure the well-being and inclusion of migrants, returning migrants, and communities. IOM has conceptualized a holistic and integrated approach, which includes the multidimensional and multilevel nature of both processes.
Multidimensional means that many factors are considered that can influence integration or reintegration processes. In essence, the dimensions of both concepts refer to similar factors:
Economic: It encompasses factors such as income, employment, job satisfaction, and capacity to meet unforeseen expenses.
Navigational: It refers to the ability to manage basic needs in a host country, such as accessing health care, solving legal problems, and finding jobs.
Psychological: It encompasses the feeling of connection and belonging to the host country, and migrants’ desire to continue living there.
Social: This dimension refers to social ties and interactions with the host country’s citizens.
Linguistics: It entails the capacity to read, speak, write, and understand the dominant language in the host country
Politics: It entails understanding political issues, participation in the host country’s political actions and debates.
Economic: It covers those aspects that contribute to reintegrating returnees into economic life, allowing them to have sustainable livelihoods.
Social: It includes access to public services and infrastructure in their country of origin, such as health, education, housing, justice, and social protection
Psychosocial: It refers to reintegration into individual support networks (friends, family, neighbours) and civil society structures. It includes re-engagement with the values, lifestyle, language, moral principles, and traditions of the country of origin’s society.
The multilevel nature addresses the dimensions of (re)integration at three levels: