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The paper examines the notion of integration through formal education by focusing on immigrant families in Germany. The article focuses on the predominant discourse that persists in reiterating the binary code of the formal education system, which encompasses educational success or failure as a synonym for the migration policy code of integration or disintegration. This equation is made even stronger by a meritocratic philosophy that doesn't consider the othering processes and ignores all the restrictions that migrant youth face in education, the labour market, and the market for vocational training. The ambiguity between the actual possibilities and the attainable goals, embodied in the predominant imperative of “social mobility through education”, creates resistance within the group of immigrant parents and youth. The article argues that under these conditions, the family system may provide alternative ways of recognition for young people, which can be taken as a counter-concept with its own values that reject media-mediated narratives of integration and their symbolic representatives. By utilizing empirical data, the article provides insight into the past and present experiences of family members and the factors that contribute to the resistance of immigrant families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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