International conference

Integration and naturalisation of refugees and migrants: Agency, bureaucracy, and policy change

13‒14 November 2025, ProjektZentrum Berlin (PZB),
Neue Promenade 6, 10178 Berlin

Submission of abstracts/Registration as a member of audience below. ▼

Naturalisation is a crucial step in the integration of refugees and migrants, providing long-term prospects and access to full civil and political rights. Although integration takes place before naturalisation, naturalisation also tends to have a positive impact on integration, improving migrants’ life chances and opportunities. However, social disadvantages may hinder refugees and other groups from integrating and meeting naturalisation criteria. Public policies and administrative practices can either mitigate or exacerbate these challenges. Over the past decade, many Western countries have introduced significant changes to their citizenship policies and migration systems. At the implementation level, street-level bureaucracies often face heavy workloads, insufficient funding, and the need to adapt to rapid policy changes. This international and interdisciplinary conference explores the integration processes of refugees and socially disadvantaged migrants, access to citizenship, and the impact of naturalisation on integration. It also examines how administrations organise and manage the integration and naturalisation processes, particularly for refugees.

The conference is organised by the scientific staff of The Expert Council on Integration and Migration (SVR) and will be held on 13‒14 November 2025 in Berlin. It aims to bring together researchers from various disciplines and academic levels to present and discuss their current qualitative and quantitative research. Scholars working on related issues of access to citizenship, integration, and policy administration are strongly encouraged to apply, even if they do not specifically focus on refugees or socially disadvantaged migrants. Researchers interested in presenting their work are invited to submit short abstracts (maximum 500 words) along with their affiliation details by 31 May 2025. Information on acceptance will be provided at the earliest convenience.

The conference will be also open to a wider audience from academia, policy and practice, with a limited number of places available. Please notify your interest in attending in the form below. Confirmation on attendance will be provided no later than 30 September 2025.

A limited number of travel grants are available. These will be prioritised for early career researchers, those with limited resources, and those who travel to and from Berlin in a particular sustainable way, if feasible. If you wish to apply for this grant, please indicate so when submitting your abstract.

The conference is organised as part of the research project “Naturalisation as an ‘integration booster’ for refugees” (“Einbürgerung als ‘Integrationsbooster’ für Geflüchtete”) which is funded by the Stiftung Mercator.

Programme draft (subject to changes)

Submission of abstracts and registration as a member of audience