Reject, limbo, and accept: the effect of migration decisions on asylum seekers

What is the effect of the state’s decision to grant or reject a residence permit on asylum seekers? Relying on repeated surveys with recently arrived asylum seekers to Sweden, we examine what seems to be a random migration decision from the perspective of the asylum seekers to evaluate how the “limbo” nature of the waiting period, and the subsequent rejection or acceptance, shapes asylum seekers’ life satisfaction, health, horizontal trust in Swedes, and vertical trust in Swedish institutions. The migration decision meaningfully affects not only their well-being, but also shapes their attitudes towards the host country’s institutions and people: “acceptance” yields positive evaluations of their personal lives and the host country, while “rejection” renders the opposite. Importantly, few differences in evaluations emerge between those in “limbo” and those denied. As potential future members of the state, these findings inform our understanding of how the migration decision is meaningful for asylum seekers’ experiences with exclusion and inclusion.