A number of factors which act as barriers to establishing links with the wider society had been identified, namely:
linguistic: poor knowledge of English and barriers to learning the language (such as difficulty with accessing language courses due to work or family commitments or transport issues; lack of suitable provision)
legal: limited rights (e.g. asylum seekers are not permitted to work)
political and economic: e.g. rupture of feeling of belonging among settled EU citizens following the Brexit vote, rise in hostility towards migrants following Brexit or the economic downturn
work-related: for those who are in employment – long work hours, shift work, working overtime, segregated workplaces, employer-tied accommodation (e.g. on farms); for those who cannot access the labour market – lack of opportunities to meet other people and learn English (this relates especially to asylum seekers and refugees but also e.g. to young mothers or single parents)
socio-cultural: closed nature of given local or migrant communities – cliquiness, small town/village mentality; cultural and religious differences, feeling intimidated; different cultural codes...