Youth in the Middle East and North Africa have been increasingly challenged in the last decade. The lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 aggravated the gloomy reality of deteriorating economic conditions, on-going conflicts and refugee displacement. Both nationals and refugees have been affected by these issues, which have halted normal, everyday life and crippled production, education, and job opportunities. The aspirations of refugee and local youth to study, travel and find work opportunities at home or abroad have been limited due to several factors, including the increased securitization of borders, nationalization of jobs, and discrimination by host communities. All of these issues have been heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, resettlement programmes in the Global North have reduced admissions, leaving refugees closer to their native countries under conflict. New policies have been issued against the 'other' migrant and refugee and each state has governed its borders differently, prioritising services to nationalized citizens and limiting the options for refugees. The humanitarian aid industry, in turn, has increased its support to address the increased vulnerability amongst refugees in camps and in urban/rural settings. Yet, refugee youth continue to be 'banned' in their limited spaces. This research aims to discuss the ways young refugees and locals navigate their options in the mist of closed borders, tight domestic measures in host countries and the increasing costs of socioeconomic life. The work presents a variety of youth including Palestinians, Syrians, Yemenis, Sudanese and Somalis who are challenged in Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. The leading questions are: How have youth in the MENA region encountered these administrative, institutional, legal, socioeconomic and cultural difficulties? How have they have sought to sustain their everyday lives? How have lockdowns affected their vulnerable status?