The educational opportunities of refugee learners are shaped by forces of globalization, restrictive mobility regimes and geopolitical agendas, that place them in a position of structural disadvantage. The majority of the world’s refugee learners have fled due to armed conflict and reside in neighboring countries in the global South. In many cases forced displacement is protracted, with limited global commitment to take responsibility for education. Compared to international education which sees mobility as valuable, few efforts are made to provide education oriented toward transnational lives, or that provide the flexibility refugee learners need due to the uncertainties of their futures.