Resettlement Refugees in Switzerland

The present dissertation examines how vulnerability is perceived, defined, produced, and addressed within the Swiss resettlement programme. It analyses how different actors involved identify and operationalise vulnerability in both selection processes and integration measures, and how these understandings shape practices and expectations towards refugees. Furthermore, it explores how resettled refugees navigate and respond to these ascribed vulnerabilities within the system. The study situates resettlement within the context of broader migration governance and border regimes, conceptualising it as a form of governance in which humanitarian categories such as vulnerability are used to structure selection processes, regulate mobility, and shape access to protection.