‘Eat, Sleep, School, Repeat’: The Influence of the Dutch Asylum System on the Capabilities and Aspirations of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Adolescents During Their Transition to Adulthood

Abstract

This study examines the transition to adulthood of unaccompanied asylum-seeking adolescents in the context of the Dutch asylum system. We thereby focus on adolescents' capabilities and their perceptions of the enabling or hampering role of the system, the laws and policies which constitute it, and the ways in which these are implemented and put into practice. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and participant observation, we argue that the asylum system was experienced as a succession of waiting periods—for an asylum status and for family reunification—during which adolescents experienced uncertainties and limited agency in pursuing their aspirations. Earlier studies focused on predominantly refugees' asylum status as determining capabilities. While informants generally received their asylum status before their eighteenth birthday, expanding their capabilities, uncertainties and inabilities regarding family reunification extended into their nominal adulthood. Relationships with professionals both alleviated and compounded informants' concerns during these waiting periods.