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PurposeRecent refugees in the Netherlands face barriers on the road to starting their own business. Few studies have looked at barriers specific to recent refugees. In this article, these barriers are analysed through the eyes of support programmes that aim to help recent refugees to become an entrepreneur.Design/methodology/approachThe experiences of seven support programmes were explored using in-depth interviews to evaluate how the approaches were supporting recent refugees. The programmes were mostly private initiatives with public funding, focused on local support for recent refugees. They were first interviewed in 2017, followed by in-depth interviews in 2018. Their narratives were used to gain in-depth impressions of the route recent refugees have to follow to start a business.FindingsThe results strongly suggest that the most prominent obstacles recent refugees face are connected to the political-institutional context of Dutch society. National provisions and the local implementation of these provisions have created a complicated web that is hard to untangle for newcomers. Language skills and network formation are additional barriers.Research limitations/implicationsThese barriers are not overcome by using traditional education and training programmes focused around skills and motivation of the potential entrepreneur. Support programmes should focus on support to understand or overcome the bureaucratic complexity. The trainings should also increase language skills and offer support in network formation.Originality/valueThe empirical data in this study reveal that the focus of training programmes may have to shift to overcome barriers in the political-institutional context.

This paper examines the stories of long-term migrants from Poland that have settled in The Hague. Using in-depth interviews to learn about their migration histories, their characteristics, and their choices, much is learned about these Poles that live, work, and have started their families in The Hague. The patterns that emerged are characterized by doubt and hard work. There was little thought of long-term planning and choices were made rather haphazardly. A second finding is that ties with the receiving country are strong and ties with Poland are felt as being just as strong. These Polish migrants in The Hague participate in Dutch society to a high extent, even though contacts with non-migrated Dutch are low. Their integration is not weakened by the strong attachment to Poland or by the lack of contact with non-migrated Dutch. The results suggest that the difference between transnational and settlement migration might be smaller than described by Engbersen et al. (Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 39(6): 2013). This study sheds light on integration and participation processes within the context of the European Union.

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This paper explores the relationship between education and labour market positioning in The Hague, a Dutch city with a unique labour market. One of the main minority groups, Turkish-Dutch, is the focus in this qualitative study on higher educated minorities and their labour market success. Interviews reveal that the obstacles the respondents face are linked to discrimination and network limitation. The respondents perceive “personal characteristics” as the most important tool to overcoming the obstacles. Education does not only increase their professional skills, but also widens their networks. The Dutch education system facilitates the chances of minorities in higher education through the “layering” of degrees.