Gradually distancing from the parents as the central attachment and forming independent relationships is considered one of the central developmental tasks of adolescence (Havighurst 1953). In the classic conceptualization, this process is referred to as individuation (Walper & Wendt 2015). However, critical extensions of this theory note that adolescence represents a "space of possibility" (King 2013) which is constrained by social inequality. For example, the restrictions of asylum conditions bring challenges, both for the family as a whole and its individual members (Merry et al. 2017). Although refugee research regularly calls for young migrants to be treated as "completely normal" young people (Gravelmann 2016: 89-92; Lechner & Huber 2017: 111; Thomas et al 2018: 220-221), research on the topic of sexuality and relationship formation in the asylum context is still rare. When studies do deal with the topic, the focus is often on deficits, such as the obstacles faced by refugee women in accessing reproductive medicine (Mengesha et al. 2017) or on sexualized violence before, during, and after migration (Akin 2017). Drawing on the theory of the border regime (Mezzadra & Neilson 2013) and refugee transnationalism (Koser 2007) my paper asks how individuation takes shape under asylum conditions and whether the traditional conceptualization of individuation adequately grasps the realities of young Syrian refugees in Germany. The empirical research grounding this discussion is comprised of biographical narrative interviews (Rosenthal 1993) and their discourse-theoretical development (Truschkat 2018). The data analysis follows the reconstruction of narrative identities as proposed by Lucius-Hoene and Deppermann (2004). Preliminary results indicate that both accompanied and unaccompanied refugees each have their own challenges to overcome in the pursuits of individuation. Housing and general social integration also play key roles in the ability to form partnerships and establish a healthy relationship which balances closeness and distance with parents. With its focus on relationship formation during adolescence this paper aims to contribute to the "emotional turn", which views migrants as "sexual beings expressing, wanting to express or denied the means to express, their sexual identity" (Mai & King 2009: 296).In addition, the paper wants to critically question the myth of the "'prison house' of Arab family" (Joseph & Rieker 2008: 5) wherein parents with a migration background are often portrayed as an obstacle to integration (Apitzsch 2014). The research presented in this paper will address these concerns throught the voices of young refugees themselves.