Fronteiras da igualdade: direito à educação superior para imigrantes e refugiados(as) na UFSM

Abstract

Faced with the numerous barriers to access to human rights by the immigrant and refugee population in Brazil, in 2016, UFSM approved the Program for Access to Technical and Higher Education for Refugees and Immigrants in vulnerable situations, an initiative of the Project of Teaching, Research and Extension Human Rights and Human Mobility International and Chair Sérgio Vieira de Mello (Migraidh/CSVM). With the program, the UFSM began to make possible the entry into technical, technical and undergraduate courses for refugees and immigrants in vulnerable situations. Thus, the motivation of this research is the possibility of following the trajectories and experiences of incoming immigrants and refugees, their main difficulties and challenges since their arrival in Brazil and entry into the institution's courses. As a problem that directs the study, we ask ourselves: based on the experience of incoming students in the last two years (2017, 2018), what are the limits and challenges of the Program of Access to Higher Education for immigrants in vulnerable situations and refugees at UFSM for the promotion of diversity and equal opportunities in the Brazilian context? Given the research problem presented, the general objective of the work is to identify the limits and challenges in the social and legal field of the Program for Access to Higher Education for refugees and immigrants in vulnerable situations at UFSM based on the experience of incoming students in the last two years (2017, 2018). Through semi-structured interviews with immigrant and refugee students of different nationalities and undergraduate programs, we discussed the main frontiers of the right to higher education, such as bureaucratic and documentary issues; work relationship and study opportunities; sociability at university; intercultural relations and professional and return perspectives.