For Official Use DELSA/ELSA/WP2(2014)7 - OECD

For Official Use DELSA/ELSA/WP2(2014)7 Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Économiques Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 30-May-2014 ___________________________________________________________________________________________

English text only DIRECTORATE FOR EMPLOYMENT, LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS EMPLOYMENT, LABOUR AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

Working Party on Migration

SEMINAR ON THE LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND LESSONS LEARNT Summary of the discussions and compilation of the contributions from OECD countries Note by the Secretariat

12-13 June, OECD Conference Centre, Room CC2

Contacts: Thomas Liebig - tel.+33 1 45 24 90 68 - [email protected] Cécile Thoreau - tel.+33 1 45 24 18 82 - [email protected]

JT03358349

Complete document available on OLIS in its original format This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.

DELSA

/ELSA/W

P2(2014)7 For O

fficial Use

English text only

DELSA/ELSA/WP2(2014)7

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NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT

The OECD Secretariat has organised last year (5 June 2013) back-to-back to the Working Party on Migration a seminar on “The labour market integration of immigrants and their children: recent developments and lessons learnt”. This seminar has been structured into six sessions: i) Integration of Recent Humanitarian Migrants; ii) Integration of Family Migrants, in particular Migrant Women from Low-income Countries; iii) Integration of Highly-qualified Migrants and Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications; iv) Language Training of Adult Migrants and its Effectiveness; v) Educational Outcomes and Labour Market Integration of Children of Immigrants; vi) New Emerging Issues Regarding The Integration of Immigrants and their Children.

At this occasion, all countries have been invited to prepare a short document summarising the most important developments in the past five years regarding integration issues for immigrants and their children and integration policies. This document starts with a summary of the discussions of each session of the seminar. It is followed by a compilation of the contributions from OECD countries.

The document is submitted to the Delegates of the Working Party on Migration for INFORMATION and COMMENTS.


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SEMINAR ON THE LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS AND LESSONS LEARNT1

SUMMARY OF THE DISCUSSIONS

SESSION 1. INTEGRATION OF RECENT HUMANITARIAN MIGRANTS

Main challenges

• Distinguishing temporary humanitarian migrants from those who are more likely to stay. These two groups will need differentiated integration programmes;

• Integrating illiterate/low-educated humanitarian migrants;

• Integrating unaccompanied migrants at school;

• Implementing targeted integration programmes in a context of budget constraints.

1. The session was chaired by Tim Harrison (MAC, United Kingdom) and introduced by Francesca Biondi (Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Italy), Michael Hagos (Ministry of Employment, Sweden), and Francis Cissna (US Department of Homeland Security).

2. While Italy tends to apply differentiated integration policies to asylum seekers (who are expected to go back to their origin country when the situation has improved) and other humanitarian migrants (who are more likely to stay in the host country), Sweden applies a unique policy treating humanitarian migrants the same way as any other permanent migrant (who benefit from a 2-year introductory plan since 2010).

3. In many OECD countries some training and social integration programmes are generally offered to unaccompanied minors. While in Italy, unaccompanied minors can obtain a residence permit when they turn 18 if they can prove that they stayed in the country for at least 3 years, in the United States, in addition to a requisite 3 years in the country, unaccompanied minors must have followed a training programme for at least two years. Thus, in addition to facilitating the acquisition of the US citizenship among this group, this system also provides for some training.

4. Adapting education and vocational programmes to low-educated/illiterate humanitarian migrants is particularly challenging. The case of Sweden has shown that on-the-job language training was particularly successful but requires co-operation with employers. Swiss cantons have implemented specific measures for low-educated humanitarian migrants, including: 1) language training, literacy course; 2) formal training and coaching; 3) social integration; 4) individual advice and guidance; 5) Mentoring and information provided to employers (awareness raising campaigns etc.).

5. Many programmes are in place in the United States but the main focus is on the question of access to citizenship. In Portugal, citizenship is automatically granted to the third generation since 2006.

1 The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli

authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.


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SESSION 2. INTEGRATION OF FAMILY MIGRANTS, IN PARTICULAR MIGRANT WOMEN FROM LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES

Main challenges

• Emphasizing targeted versus mainstreamed programs;

• Differentiating family formation from family reunification;

• Reaching family migrants far from the labour market, in particular migrant women;

• Adapting policies to family/individual characteristics (education; composition of the household; presence and age of the children).

6. The session was chaired by Simona Ardovino (European Commission) and the discussion was introduced by Ingo Behnel (German Federal Ministry of Family Affairs), Eva Haagensen (Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion, Norway) and Bernardo Sousa (High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue, Portugal).

7. While the integration policy in Germany has traditionally focused on language acquisition, labour integration and youth employment, recent reform, in 2007, has put more emphasis on the labour market integration of migrant women with children. Some studies showed that their labour market integration has positive effects on their social integration and positive externalities on the integration of their children. It also tends to limit migrant households’ risks of poverty. The initiative “Strengthening resources –securing the future” aims at providing work orientation and child-care facilities to mothers with a migration background. Sixteen pilot projects have been funded under this initiative between October 2012 and September 2013.

8. In Norway, the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion targets policies towards the new refugees and migrant vulnerable groups, a majority of whom are women with little or no education and/or no work experience. Two main programmes are implemented, in particular to tackle gender issues in accessing the labour market: i) the Introduction Programme and ii) the Job Opportunity Programme. The participation in the Introduction Programme gives access to an “Introduction benefit”, which is twice as high as the average social transfer. This one-year program includes full-time basic language courses (with child-care facilities) and basic vocational courses adapted to individual migrant needs. It can be extended to two years, and possibly to three years for illiterate migrants. The impact of this program, although positive overall, is less effective for migrant women with little or no education. In addition, women are less likely to complete the programme.

9. The “Job Opportunity Programme” mainly targets inactive women not in training and therefore not receiving any benefit. Between 2005 and 2011, 40% of migrants who participated to this programme (initially known as the “Second Chance Project”) were employed or enrolled in an education programme after having completed the programme. Some evaluations (including cost-benefit analysis) showed positive results and positive externalities on the educational outcomes of the children of participants.

10. With the large increase in migration flows and the settlement of migrant families, the Portuguese Government is now paying more attention to family reunification. In addition, in the wake of the crisis Portugal has adapted its policy on family reunification, notably by lowering the minimum financial resources required to sponsor a family member. Policies are rather mainstreamed than targeted at some specific groups/households. Language training is well developed. Courses are free of charge and include vocational courses. A certificate is delivered to those who complete training, and this certificate eases the process of getting a residence permit.


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11. In time of crisis, some countries have put in place specific measures to support women with children and more specifically migrant women. In Germany, women had to face high risk of unemployment, notably after long period of parental leave. The German government put in place measures to favour women employment. In the case of migrant women, it often consists in helping them getting in the labour market for the first time.


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SESSION 3. INTEGRATION OF HIGHLY-QUALIFIED MIGRANTS AND ASSESSMENT AND RECOGNITION OF FOREIGN QUALIFICATIONS

Main challenges

• Providing incentives to skilled migrants to have their formal qualifications and skills recognised

• Overcoming language issues of highly skilled migrants

• Assessing, validating, recognising professional experience beyond the recognition of formal qualification

12. The session was chaired by Maia Welbourne (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) and the discussion was introduced by Janice Wykes (Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Australia), Sigrid Roehrich (Federal ministry of labour, social affairs and consumer protection, Austria) and Clementine van Vooren and Onno Brinkman (Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, Netherlands).

13. Skilled migration in Australia has been increasing continuously over the last two decades. A recent survey showed that skilled migrants represent two percent of the total labour force, and 70% of these are permanent migrants. Most of these skilled migrants are onshore - predominantly as Working Holiday Makers (WHM) - at the time of their application to stay. The point system adopted in Australia, takes into account, not only qualifications, but also work experience. Nevertheless, skilled migrants are still facing some integration issues, notably with regard to the assessment of their skills. Language requirements for skill assessment are very high and, since the number of skilled migrants with no English background is significant, the process for recognising their qualifications is particularly difficult. Another issue is that a lot of high-skilled migrants do not actually take up the job for which they have been nominated.

14. In Austria, the share of highly-qualified immigrants has also significantly increased. Few of the highly-qualified apply to have their qualifications recognised despite the fact that those doing so show better employment outcomes on average. Different types of recognition and validation processes exist in Austria and are accompanied by differentiated certificates: nostrification/equivalence/validation. An inter-ministerial group, composed of the Ministry of Labour and external experts, has promoted better exchange of information with regard to the recognition processes. Enhancing the use of existing structures and establishing a common framework is envisaged going forward. Contact points should include counselling services and multilingual information to help people already residing in Austria. In Canada, skilled migrants now need to have their credential assessed before migrating under the federal skill program.

15. The Dutch authorities wish to attract a higher share of skilled workers. Migration is demand-driven and the main criterion used to identify high-skilled migrants is currently wage. Employers select immigrants and apply for a work permit, which is then granted for the duration of the work (5 years maximum). Family members are also welcome. Recently, more attention has been paid to foreign student’s graduating in the Netherlands (at least at a master level). The wage threshold for this category has been lowered and they are now able to stay one additional year in the Netherlands after finishing their studies to look for a job. New University programs have been implemented to attract foreign students, including training programmes in enterprises. Foreign students are generally attracted by the quality of Dutch Universities. However, they have few connections with the society and employers, and often face language difficulties. New instruments have been developed by the Dutch authorities including the “participation agreement” which creates interactions between local communities and new migrants. These agreements work to inform recently arrived migrants on their rights and promote language training and welcoming projects in the society.


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16. More generally, several countries face difficulties recruiting high-skilled migrants under the Blue card legislation. This may be linked to inefficiency in recruitment criteria, notably requirements on the level of wages. It is also suspected that most high-skilled migrants arrived as EU migrants, or those who entered as students or through the family reunification stream.

17. In many countries health professionals, notably doctors, are facing particular difficulties in getting their foreign qualifications recognised. This is the case in the United States. In Germany, due to insufficient information, only 30 000 migrants applied to get their qualifications recognised while 300 000 applications were expected. In the Netherlands the rules governing the practice of foreign doctors are very strict, in the first place complete training and communication in Dutch is a requirement. Language requirements are also very high in Australia where different pathways exist depending on where the migrant was trained. In Austria, Universities are responsible for assessing medical qualifications and, dependent on their skill level, migrants are required to pass different exams and possibly some undertake some additional requirements. In Portugal, a recent program (2008-2010) aimed to facilitate the recognition of qualification among foreign doctors through the provision of training sessions (medicine as well as language courses), after which, those who passed, were recognised as doctors.


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SESSION 4. LANGUAGE TRAINING OF ADULT MIGRANTS AND ITS EFFECTIVENESS

Main challenges

• Organisation of language courses in the broader context of integration contract

• Timeframe for the provision of language courses (When courses should start?; for how many hours should they be provided?);

• Which migrant groups should be targeted? Should intra-EU migrants benefit from programmes?

• Links between language training and naturalisation process (exams and requirements for naturalization)

• Experience of multilingual countries

• Evaluating the impact of language programmes on migrant integration

18. The session was chaired by Sankar Ramasamy (New Zealand) and introduced by Jacques Ouziel (SPF Emploi, Travail et Concertation sociale, Belgium) and Charlotte Hamburger (Centre for Quality Development, Tests and Examinations, under The Ministry of Children and Education, Denmark).

19. In the past, in Belgium, trade unions and migrant associations providing language courses for adults have been the main actors in integration. With the increase in permanent migration and in family reunification, however, the involvement of public actors has become necessary. The welcoming pathway (“parcours d’accueil”) was created to provide social and professional orientation as well as language training to non-EEA new arrivals. This was initially implemented in Flanders and subsequently extended to the rest of the country. It can be defined as a contract between the migrant and public authorities: the migrant has to prove his/her motivation, notably by learning one official language, and public authorities commit themselves to provide language courses. In this “global” approach, acquisition of language is seen as a way to foster integration and is part of a broader package of socio-cultural interventions. The introduction of integration contracts is also accompanied by some changes in naturalisation law.

20. While it is still too early to evaluate its impact on the labour market, initial analysis of a similar programme in France, the “contrat d’accueil et d’intégration”, suggests a positive ‘impact on everyday life’.

21. In Denmark, language training is also a key element of integration measures and is offered to all migrants, including those from Europe. Denmark offers a generous and comprehensive range of language courses which start shortly after arrival and target various groups, including adults, children, migrants’ families and persons with low or no education background. The system is flexible, efficient, and tailored to individuals, with some possibilities of on-the-job training. Its goal is to facilitate integration and social integration of migrants. Courses are adapted to the migrant’s education level. Short courses (250 hours) linked with the occupation are also offered to short-term migrants. There is a continuous monitoring and evaluation of language courses. The Ministry of Children and Education is responsible for setting the level of exams and local Councils are responsible for monitoring programmes and migrants outcomes.

22. Australia stressed the difficulties in evaluating the effectiveness of language training and in integrating new arrivals in on-going language classes. Denmark explained that new arrivals are continuously integrated in classes thanks to teachers’ efforts and to the flexibility of the courses.


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SESSION 5: EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES AND LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS.

Main challenges

• Integrating immigrant offspring with a disadvantaged social background

• Cushioning the impact of the economic crisis which has disproportionally affected youngsters

• Providing incentives to all stakeholders to cooperate

23. The session was chaired by Francisco García Villar (Ministry for employment and social security, Spain) and introduced by Patricia Renoul (Ministère de l’intérieur, France) and Clovis Voisard (Office fédéral des migrations, Switzerland).

24. France is a longstanding immigration country and family reunification has progressively increased in importance relative to labour migration such that the children of immigrants now represent a significant group. It is important to distinguish between those entering as children under family reunification and the native-born children of immigrants. The former can benefit from an assessment of their qualifications and skills and from training courses adapted to their needs. The latter generally get French nationality and are treated as any other French citizen. While the overrepresentation of both of these groups among unemployed is a concern for the French authorities, the causes of their relatively low levels of employment are likely to be quite different. A recent study showed that the large gap in unemployment between native-born children of immigrants and children of natives can be explained, not only by their poor educational outcomes and social background, but also by their place of residence, and by their lack of knowledge regarding labour market programmes they may be eligible for and professional pathways and job-search techniques.

25. Several policies have been introduced in France to address the difficulties that immigrant offspring face in gaining access to the labour market: i) Public Employment Services (Pôle Emploi), in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, organise work simulation workshops; ii) Partnerships with professional branches, large companies, temporary work agencies are set up; iii) Mentoring networks (composed of volunteers, managers, etc.) support immigrant offspring until they find a job; iv) As in some other EU countries, a “Diversity Charter” was launched in 2004 in order to encourage companies to emphasise the importance and value-added of diversity within enterprises. Since its creation, a large number of actors have signed this Charter and have been granted a Diversity Label, to certify that they respect the criteria fixed by law and accept to be audited each year. Around 75% of those who have signed the charter are private firms. Enhancing the educational and labour market outcomes of young migrants and the children of immigrants in France, still has some way to go. A law was voted in 2006 to introduce anonymous CVs, but it has not been implemented since some studies challenged the efficiency of such measures, and the language proficiency of young immigrants remains a challenge despite their participation to courses at arrival.

26. In Switzerland, most immigrants come from high-income countries and have few language issues when arriving in the country. In addition, the dual system of education generally allows immigrant offspring to integrate smoothly in the labour market. However, despite a relatively low unemployment rate, immigrant offspring with a disadvantaged background face more difficulties to integrate in the labour market. To remedy those difficulties, a special programme of vocational training was introduced in 2006 in order to increase the share of youngster obtaining a secondary education from 90 to 95%. The program also aims at facilitating their access to the labour market.


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27. The Federal Law on Foreigners has been amended to include a new “Integration plan” plus cantonal integration programs the aim of which consists in disseminating information and advice to migrants and in reinforcing language courses. In the framework of the Integration Plans, it is also planned to reinforce dialogue between stakeholders of several fields of the economy and society and to revise special Laws. The age of obligatory schooling has been lowered from 6 to 4 year old.


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SESSION 6. NEW EMERGING ISSUES REGARDING THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN

Main challenges for future work

• Integration of EU foreign nationals;

• Concentration of immigrant population linked with socio-economic segregation;

• Graduated intervention according to duration of stay (how to distinguish between temporary and permanent migrants)

• From assistance to autonomy: how to involve more immigrant in the integration process?

• Coordination between national and sub-national actors;

• How to set up priorities in times of budget constraints.

28. The tour de table was chaired by Jean-Christophe Dumont from the OECD Secretariat.

29. With the geopolitical and economic changes that have occurred over the past five years, the composition of migration flows has also altered, providing new challenges for integration. At the same time, native-born immigrant offspring account for an increasingly important share of host country populations, and the migration and integration landscape can be expected to change further with the demographic challenges facing, not only most OECD countries, but also key past origin countries. Against this background, all participants are invited to express their views about new and emerging issues in the integration of immigrants and their children.

30. Several European OECD countries (Belgium, the Netherlands) expressed interest in work on the integration of EU nationals. The Netherlands stress that while there is no legal basis for obliging EU nationals to learn the language, the government is still looking into ways to make EU nationals learn the language. This is not applicable in Belgium.

31. Another issue that was mentioned by several participants is the concentration of immigrants, in particular linked with socio-economic segregation.

32. There was also a lot of interest in integration measures for temporary migrants or more generally, measures for migrants in light of uncertainty regarding length of stay (Netherlands, New Zealand).

33. Turkey expressed interest in work on mother-tongue education.

34. Several countries mentioned involvement of origin countries in integration, including by pre-departure training. In this context, the broader issue of connections with the origin country through internet and social media, as well as multiple identities and their links with integration were also mentioned.

35. Introduction programmes were mentioned by France.

36. Several countries mentioned the necessity to involve more immigrant communities in integration to make them actor of the process.

37. The coordination between different layers of government and the need for evaluation of local programmes were also raised.


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38. Finally, the issues of growing diversity and of challenges for integration in times of budget constraints were mentioned.


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COMPILATION OF THE CONTRIBUTION FROM OECD COUNTRIES

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AUSTRALIA ................................................................................................................................................ 14

AUSTRIA ..................................................................................................................................................... 22

BELGIUM .................................................................................................................................................... 27

CANADA ..................................................................................................................................................... 37

CZECH REPUBLIC ..................................................................................................................................... 41

DENMARK .................................................................................................................................................. 45

ESTONIA ..................................................................................................................................................... 50

FINLAND ..................................................................................................................................................... 57

FRANCE ....................................................................................................................................................... 62

GERMANY .................................................................................................................................................. 66

GREECE ....................................................................................................................................................... 71

HUNGARY .................................................................................................................................................. 73

IRELAND ..................................................................................................................................................... 81

ISRAEL ........................................................................................................................................................ 87

ITALY .......................................................................................................................................................... 94

JAPAN ........................................................................................................................................................ 102

KOREA ....................................................................................................................................................... 106

MEXICO ..................................................................................................................................................... 108

NEW ZEALAND........................................................................................................................................ 118

NORWAY .................................................................................................................................................. 127

POLAND .................................................................................................................................................... 134

PORTUGAL ............................................................................................................................................... 140

SPAIN ......................................................................................................................................................... 145

SWEDEN .................................................................................................................................................... 149

SWITZERLAND ........................................................................................................................................ 155

TURKEY .................................................................................................................................................... 160

UNITED STATES ...................................................................................................................................... 164


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AUSTRALIA

SIGNIFICANT SETTLEMENT POLICY AND INTEGRATION DEVELOPMENTS FOR IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN IN AUSTRALIA DURING THE LAST FIVE YEARS

Introduction

Australia is a nation built on immigration and is widely recognised as a world leader in the provision of settlement services. Australia’s settlement policy supports the economic, social and humanitarian benefits of migration. Critical to maintaining these high standards is the need for regular reviews and adjustments to ensure that polices and associated services remain relevant to both immigrants and host communities over time. This paper outlines some of the most recent settlement related policies which have been implemented in Australia. It will also detail some of the initiatives we are undertaking to ensure such policies and their related programs retain relevance in an extremely dynamic immigration and economic environment.

Australia recognises the important support that newly-arrived migrants need as they adjust to a new life in Australia. This involves:

• helping new migrants to develop the knowledge and skills they need to participate in society; and

• ensuring that government and community programs are responsive to the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of the new migrants.

The most intensive settlement support is given to humanitarian migrants because they are usually the ones with the greatest need. That is, while the majority of Australia’s permanent migrants come through non-humanitarian migration streams, specific settlement policies are not in place for these groups. The Australian Government’s settlement services are thus aimed at assisting all eligible migrants in their initial period of settlement but the most intensive settlement support is provided to humanitarian migrants because they tend to have the greatest needs. There are however a range of broader multicultural and accessibility polices which have application to humanitarian and non-humanitarian arrivals alike, and which are discussed here.

It is worth noting that Australia operates under a Federal system of government and individual states and territories also have their own policies and programs for the settlement of new arrivals (See Attachment A for some links). Further information on the National Settlement Framework, which provides a common set of guiding principles and focus areas for the three tiers of government, is provided at Attachment B.

This paper focuses on Australian Government initiatives, and state and territory policies and programs are not discussed.

The Australian Government’s settlement policy framework

In September 2009, the Australian Government announced the Strategic Settlement Framework for the reform and strengthening of Australia’s settlement services. Following extensive research, and in accordance with the principles of the Government's broader Social Inclusion agenda, the framework set out to prioritise a number of key reform agendas encompassing:

• a greater emphasis on individual needs;


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• a greater focus on the needs of youth;

• a greater focus on whole-of-government strategies;

• a more structured approach to orientation;

• more flexibility in program delivery and funding to support innovation and partnerships;

• more opportunities to support sustainable regional settlement; and

• an evidence based approach to policy and program development.

The reformed settlement policy thus reflects these with a multi-faceted framework providing the structure for supporting settlement of new arrivals as well as guiding governments and other organisations in their engagement with new arrivals. It is designed to provide a framework to guide the overall economic, social and humanitarian benefits of migration to Australia. It does this by addressing the needs of new arrivals to help them develop the knowledge and skills they need to become active and independent participants in Australian society, but it also involves governments and civil society to provide a framework for a responsive approach to the cultural, linguistic and religious diversity of migrants. By-and-large specific initiatives are designed not to rectify problems when they emerge but to prevent problems emerging in the first place. A diagrammatic representation is provided in Figure 1 and the three key principles of the policy are briefly outlined individually below.

In addition, in 2012 the Government published a booklet the Settlement Journey: Strengthening Australia through Migration which describes the Government’s settlement policy and recognises the important support of settlement services for newly arrived migrants (see http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/delivering-assistance/government-programs/settlement-policy/settlement-journey.pdf for more information)


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Figure 1: The Australian Government’s Settlement Policy Framework

Source: Commonwealth of Australia (2012). The Settlement Journey: Strengthening Australia through Migration. Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Canberra.

1. Welcoming migrants and humanitarian entrants

The role of settlement services in welcoming new arrivals to the Australian community and way of life is central to the policy framework. This is critical given that many will find Australian society vastly different to that of the countries they left behind, and most will know few people when they arrive. Specific elements of this include:

• the Beginning a Life in Australia booklet which can be accessed online before arrival;

• the Australian Cultural Orientation program which provides tailored, practical travel and settlement advice to humanitarian migrants before arrival in Australia; and

• the Humanitarian Settlement and Settlement Grants service providers which provide an initial point of contact on arrival, providing orientation, information and social support.


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2. Providing support based on need

Specific settlement programs are also tailored to meet the needs of different groups of new arrivals – particularly humanitarian migrants – during their first five years in Australia. For example:

• the Complex Case Support Program is designed to ensure those arrivals with a multiplicity of diverse needs have their services coordinated through an intensive individualised approach;

• unaccompanied humanitarian minors are supervised by a case worker and have access to welfare support services;

• the Settlement Grants Program provides additional casework services for eligible migrants with longer term needs;

• the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) provides up to 510 hours of free English language tuition for those eligible migrants who speak little or no English (An additional 200 hours of vocational-specific training is also available to select clients who are transitioning into the workforce or further vocational training); and

• targeted programs for youth such as Midnight Basketball which was in-part established to provide opportunities for Somali youth to engage with formal sporting programs rather than roam the streets at night as they had been doing.

3. Maximising opportunities for migrants and humanitarian entrants to participate and contribute to Australian society

Australia’s Migration Program is also targeted to meet Australia’s labour market needs and general economic development issues. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship thus works closely with other government agencies on improving education and employment outcomes for refugees and other migrants and is engaged in a number of strategic government forums to inform policy development and program delivery. The Department is also involved with other government agencies and peak industry groups in developing a number of employment initiatives, including:

• an ‘Employer Guide’ to encourage and support employers to take on, and work well with, migrant and refugee employees; and

• a pilot employment program with a major, international hotel chain to support sustainable employment outcomes for refugee job seekers in Australia.

Additionally, settlement services help to familiarise eligible humanitarian entrants and migrants with educational and career pathways and facilitate pathways to appropriate education, training and employment services. Other initiatives include:

• the Settlement Grants Program which links new arrivals with mainstream services such as education and employment providers or the local community; and

• within AMEP, in addition to English language training, participants receive counselling and guidance on educational and occupational opportunities of relevance.


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Other Recent Policy Initiatives

In addition to the Australian Government’s policy framework detailed above, a range of other initiatives targeted more broadly in the community have direct and indirect application in supporting the settlement objectives of the framework. The key policies of interest are detailed individually below.

The People of Australia: Australia’s Multicultural Policy

Australian multiculturalism celebrates and values the benefits of cultural and linguistic diversity for all Australians, within the broader aims of national unity, community harmony and maintenance of Australia’s democratic values. Our national multicultural policy, The People of Australia, provides clear policy direction to implement the government’s commitment to a just, inclusive and socially cohesive society where everyone can participate in the opportunities that Australia offers.

The policy includes some key initiatives including:

• The establishment of the Australian Multicultural Council to advise the Australian Government and consult widely on national policies and issues about multicultural Australia;

• The National Anti-Racism Partnership and Strategy which involves key Australian Government departments (including the Australian Human Rights Commission), and peak ethnic organisations. Projects involving research, education, public awareness and youth engagement which focus on the prevention of racism and discrimination in the community will be initiated. For example, in August 2012, the government launched the public awareness campaign ‘Racism. It stops with me’ which has been well received by the public;

• The Multicultural Youth Sports Partnership Program managed by the Australian Sports Commission. This is a grants program which creates opportunities for youth from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including new and emerging communities, to participate in sport and physical activity and thereby build connections with their local communities;

• A Multicultural Arts and Festivals Grants program to provide small grants to support communities groups to express their cultural heritages and traditions; and

• A strengthened access and equity approach to ensure that government programs and services are responsive to Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Multicultural Access and Equity Policy

Announced by the government in March 2013, the Multicultural Access and Equity Policy will ensure that Australian Government services and programs are accessible to all eligible Australians, responsive to their needs and delivers equitable outcomes for them, regardless of their cultural and linguistic backgrounds. This strengthened approach to access and equity extends to the inclusion of a clear set of minimum obligations, stronger governance and accountability arrangements and a robust planning and implementation framework across six dimensions – Leadership; Engagement; Performance; Capability; Responsiveness; and Openness.

Most Australian Government departments and agencies are required to prepare and implement two-yearly Agency Multicultural Plans (AMPs) to address their multicultural access and equity obligations. While Australia’s culturally and linguistically diverse population are the broad target group of the AMPs, specific groups may need a greater level of responsiveness to their particular circumstances, and include


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people with low levels of English, refugees and humanitarian entrants and other migrants with multiple disadvantages.

The National Compact with the not-for-profit sector

The National Compact: Working Together is a high-level agreement setting out how Government and the not-for-profit sector can work together to improve the lives of all Australians including new arrivals. It provides a broad foundation for improving working relationships between government agencies and the sector, strengthening the not-for-profit sector's economic viability and developing and delivering better policies and programs to improve social, cultural, civic, economic and environmental outcomes.

Despite the Australian Government's long history of working in partnership with the not-for-profit sector, the National Compact is the first formal overarching policy which seeks to guide the relationships between government agencies and the sector in a coordinated and systematic fashion. For example, The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has been fostering collaborative relationships with peak advocacy and advisory groups from the not-for-profit sector and with service delivery organisations, to ensure that their voices are heard within DIAC on issues that directly affect them and the people they work with. The principles of the National Compact also provide a framework for DIAC to enhance these working relationships with the sector to strengthen our capacity to manage increasingly complex migration and settlement challenges.

Current Research and Evaluation Initiatives

Australian government agencies are also cognizant of the key role that research and evaluation have in the sustainable success of policies and thus are committed to the principles of evidence-based policies. We therefore have in place a variety of steps to monitor and measure where possible the outcomes of policy implementation. Information from such exercises feeds back into the policy loop for the benefit of refining and enhancing existing policies and generating new ones in due course. Some current initiatives with relevance to the policies outlined above are detailed below.

The Continuous Survey of Australian Migrants (CSAM) conducted a series of nine surveys from 2009-2011 involving five different cohorts of family and skill stream migrants and their experiences in the Australian labour market, issues regarding housing satisfaction and affordability, and their access to and use of community and government services. For each cohort of migrants two surveys were conducted – a baseline survey and a follow-up survey six months later (except for cohort 5). Findings indicated that employment outcomes of skilled migrants were particularly strong but that for all groups outcomes improved with time in Australia. A new CSAM project is being developed.

The Building a New Life in Australia Longitudinal Study of Humanitarian Migrants is a newly established project designed to advance our understanding of factors which aid and hinder positive settlement outcomes. The study will run for five years and involve interviewing at annual intervals a cohort of 1500 recently arrived humanitarian migrant families about their settlement pathways, experiences and outcomes. The project is currently in the field for a pilot testing of the methodology and questionnaire instrument with expectations that the first wave of the main study will commence in October. Data from the project will in due course be made available to approved researchers for independent analysis.

The 2011 Migrants Census Data Enhancement (CDE) Project uses probabilistic linking to combine Australia’s 2011 Census of Population and Housing with DIAC’s Settlement Database. The integration of this data will enhance the statistical and research value of both datasets by enabling the settlement outcomes of migrants who have arrived in Australia since 1 January 2000 to be analysed in the context of


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their entry conditions (i.e. their visa type, whether a primary or secondary applicant and onshore/offshore status).

The Longitudinal Study of the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) has recently commenced phase two (2011-14) as a follow-up to an earlier study completed in 2009. The project will provide a longer-term understanding of the communication and interaction patterns and language learning needs of new arrivals during early settlement a qualitative exploration of issues related to language learning and use in context, and how this may change over a period of time.

A study funded by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship focussed on the Economic, Social and Civic Contributions of First and Second Generation Humanitarian Entrants. Among other things the study was able to provide clear evidence of the second generation effect whereby the children of humanitarian migrants had significantly better outcomes in terms of their economic and social integration than did their parents.

The Settlement Outcomes of New Arrivals (SONA) study involved a survey of humanitarian migrants to better understand how they experienced the settlement process. A notable finding was that their interpretation of settlement success tending to emphasise life outcomes such as personal happiness and community connectedness in contrast to the Government's focus on economic well-being, level of independence, and personal wellbeing.

The Australian Parliament's Joint Standing Committee on Migration recently tabled the report from its Inquiry into Migration and Multiculturalism in Australia. The inquiry examined a wide range of issues from broad principles of migration and multiculturalism to specific contemporary issues such as community concerns related to Shari'ah Law. It put forward a range of recommendations mostly reaffirming the principles of multiculturalism and social inclusion which underpin current policies.

There will also be a Review of the Strategic Settlement Policy in 2015 which will draw upon the evidence-base generated in all the above-mentioned studies to ensure that the Australian Government’s settlement programs remain effective, flexible and responsive to the changing cohorts and specific needs of migrants.


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Attachment A: Links to information about selected State and Territory Policies and Programs

Australian Capital www.dhcs.act.gov.au/multicultural Territory: www.assistance.act.gov.au/adult/someone_to_talk_to/migrant_and_refugee_settlement

New South Wales: www.eccnsw.org.au/ www.crc.nsw.gov.au/home

Northern Territory:www.dcm.nt.gov.au/strong_community/multicultural_affairs www.gpnnt.org.au/site/index.cfm?display=49427

Queensland: www.datsima.qld.gov.au/multicultural/ www.health.qld.gov.au/multicultural/

South Australia: www.multicultural.sa.gov.au/ www.migration.sa.gov.au/

Tasmania: www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cdd/for_and_about/migrant_and_multicultural_communities

Victoria: www.liveinvictoria.vic.gov.au/ www.multicultural.vic.gov.au/

Western Australia: www.omi.wa.gov.au/

Attachment B: The National Settlement Framework

• In 2011, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) established the Select Council on Immigration and Settlement (SCIS). The Council operated during 2012 to support economic and social participation, and greater productivity outcomes, for migrants. Each jurisdiction (the Commonwealth, State and Territory Government, and Local Government) was represented on the Council.

• The SCIS was tasked with developing a tripartite intergovernmental framework to improve settlement services to migrants through enhanced coordination and collaboration and a more effective use of existing resources.

• It is expected that the National Settlement Framework will be finalised and released in 2013.

• The Framework provides a common set of guiding principles and focus areas so that:

− Informed planning decisions are made through collaborative information and data sharing and supportive planning structures.

− Coordinated, client-centric services will be delivered in nine priority areas. The priority service areas are: Education and Training, Employment, Health and wellbeing, Housing, Language Services, Transport, Civic Participation, Family and Social Support, and Justice. The Framework seeks to address gaps and remove duplication.

− There is a clear focus on national outcomes. A strong evidence-base assists in measuring settlement outcomes and identifying where settlement policies and programs are working well and where improvements can be made.

• The Framework also recognises that the three tiers of government work in close partnership with providers in the settlement sector (such as providers, community organisations, volunteers and peak bodies) to deliver programs and services and to address the needs of migrants and communities.


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AUSTRIA

INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN AND INTEGRATION POLICIES: DEVELOPMENTS IN AUSTRIA 2008-2013

The overall framework for integration in Austria has been developed further during the past years. Developments up to mid-2011 are also described in the OECD report on “The labour market integration of immigrants and their children in Austria”.2 The compilation below therefore focuses on measures launched or implemented during the past two years.

Cross-cutting issues

National Action Plan for Integration

The NAP Integration procedure was launched in 2008. The NAP Integration policy areas include: language and education, labour and profession, rule of law and values, health and social affairs, intercultural dialogue, sports and leisure, housing and the regional dimension. Austrian federal ministries and regional institutions, social partners and NGOs are members of the NAP Integration steering group.

An independent experts’ council for integration established as a competence centre issues regular reports. A 20-points programme with recommendations was issued in July 2011. In the 2012 implementation report, the following measures were highlighted among others (part of them can be found in more detail below):

• Early (German) language promotion in kindergarten

• Second (needs-based) compulsory kindergarten year free of charge (pilot project in model regions)

• Second-chance and basic education initiatives

• Measures against the violation of compulsory school attendance

• (Faster) recognition of foreign qualifications and establishing a better information system

• Better targeting of migrants by the public employment service

• Establishing role models via the initiative “Together: Austria”

Establishment of a State Secretariat for Integration

A State Secretary for Integration was for the first time appointed in April 2011 in order to actively approach integration issues – opportunities as well as challenges – and to contribute to objectivizing the public debate on integration. The new state secretariat was established as part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.

2 Krause, K. and T. Liebig (2011),”The labour market integration of immigrants and their children in

Austria”, OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers No. 127, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD Publishing


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The state secretariat has a certain budget for (co-)financing integration projects. It issues a yearly integration report monitoring need for action and implementation activities. In addition, a yearbook on integration statistics based on 25 indicators for integration is published together with the Federal Statistics Office.

Labour market policy

Points-based single permit system for skilled and highly-skilled labour migrants: “Red-White-Red Card”

As of 1 July 2011, Austria introduced a criteria-based immigration system for workers from non-EU countries. The so-called “Red-White-Red Card” is based on successful schemes from other countries and aims at a more flexible immigration of qualified workers. The objective of this system is to attract those “key” workers and skilled workers who are urgently needed on the labour market but cannot be recruited from the available labour supply (with due attention to the development of the Austrian labour market and economy). The RWR Card is basically available for three groups of applicants: very highly qualified workers (six-month job-seeker visa, no job offer required), skilled workers in shortage occupations3 (valid job offer required), other key workers (valid job offer, minimum gross salary and labour market test required), plus non-EU graduates of Austrian universities and colleges of higher education (six-month job-seeker visa).

The RWR Card is a combined residence and work permit valid for a period of 12 months and entitles to employment only with a certain employer. After one year (and 10 months of continued qualified employment), holders may apply for a RWR Card plus, which entitles to residence and unlimited labour market access. Since 2011, labour market access has also been facilitated for nuclear family members of labour migrants. Spouses, registered partners and children (up to 18 years) of RWR Card holders or third-country citizens with a permanent residence permit can apply for a “RWR Card plus” with unlimited labour market access (irrespective of quota)4. This means that they are now immediately granted unrestricted labour market access – i.e. the one-year waiting period (during which they were only issued a work permit linked to a specific employer) has been cancelled – and enabled to participate from the beginning in economic and social life in Austria by the means of an own employment.

Based on a further legal amendment, which is to enter into force on 1 January 2014, persons with an existing settlement permit and restricted labour market access will be entitled to change to a Red-White-Red Card plus with unlimited labour market access. The aim of this measure is to eliminate these exceptional cases so that nobody is subject to worse conditions than people admitted according to the current legislation.

More information on the Red-White-Red Card, types of immigration, requirements for living and working in Austria, as well as service and contact details can be found on the Federal Government’s official website on migration to Austria: http://www.migration.gv.at/en/.

3 Shortage occupations are defined in an ordinance issued by the Federal Minister of Labour in agreement

with the Federal Minister of Economy. The Skilled Labour Ordinance of 2013 comprises 24 shortage occupations, including electricians, metalworkers, joiners, mechanical engineering technicians, wood machine operators as well as certified nurses.

4 Before entry, family members have to prove successfully completed language tests in German on (at least) level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages CEFR (pre-departure language tests). Furthermore, sufficient family income (means of subsistence) must be guaranteed. Family members of very highly qualified workers and holders of a EU Blue Card do not need to prove German language skills.


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Facilitated labour market access for young asylum seekers

Access to apprenticeships was granted for young asylum-seekers as of June 2012 (in a first step up to the age of 18, since March 2013 up to the age of 25). They are now admitted (via work permits) to professional training and employment in sectors that require additional apprentices. This measure offers young asylum-seekers the opportunity to participate in vocational training and increase their competitiveness on the labour market.

Migrants as target group of active labour market policy

Migrants are considered an official target group for labour market policies since 2012. In order to implement the Labour Minister’s respective guidelines, the individuals’ migration background is assessed by the Public Employment Service (AMS) in order to better target and personalize counselling services. In 2013, LMP measures provided to migrants are monitored and analysed systematically for the first time to better define the support needs of this target group (and sub-groups such as younger and older, returners to work; effectiveness of qualification measures for migrants) and develop a tailor-made support strategy. The AMS longer-term plan intends to reinforce participation of persons with a migrant background in professional qualification measures and technical language courses.

Qualification- and employment oriented language courses

AMS offers “integration language courses” – special German courses as preparatory measures for professional qualification measures. Approximately 22,400 unemployed persons with a migration background benefitted from this initiative in 2012.

Measures for young migrants or children of migrants

Persons with a migration background under the age of 25 benefit over-proportionally from active labour market policies for youth. They are over-represented in most measures facilitating the transition from school to work, such as youth coaching (Jugendcoaching, 51% with other mother tongue than German), production schools (Produktionsschulen, 60% with migrant background), or supra-company apprenticeship training (Überbetriebliche Lehrausbildung, m.b. 45% nation-wide / 69% in Vienna). All of these measures were developed since 2008, the newest one being “Ready for education and training” (AusbildungsFit) launched nation-wide in early 2013.

Recognition and validation of foreign qualifications

In order to make better use of the previously existing qualifications and skills of immigrants, an inter-ministerial working group drafted a plan for “Points of contact and additional measures for the recognition of qualifications earned abroad” in the first half of 2012. The implementation of these measures started in January 2013 with the establishment of four low-threshold regional information and counselling centres for persons who have questions regarding the recognition and professional use of their formal qualifications from abroad. For approximately 3,000 persons each year, these information, advising and support activities in the recognition or evaluation process should facilitate labour market integration in a manner appropriate to their qualifications. Additional information can be found on the website www.berufsanerkennung.at.

The Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS) is obliged to enter foreign qualifications in the personal record of clients since the end of 2011.

More than 27,500 persons with a migration background made use of one of the various counselling offers funded by AMS in 2012.


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Raising awareness and combating discrimination

In order to establish empirical evidence on discrimination against migrants when entering the labour market, two study projects were resp. are carried out – one report on discrimination in recruitment processes has already been published by the Danube University Krems5 and one research project including a testing module and calculation of a “migrant pay gap” has been commissioned by the Labour Ministry (BMASK, forthcoming). The findings are to be communicated to the public to raise awareness and consider further anti-discrimination measures.

Mentoring for Migrants

The “Mentoring for Migrants” programme was launched in 2008 at the initiative of the Federal Economic Chamber (WKO), the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) and the Public Employment Service (AMS). Well-connected members of the business community support qualified persons with a migrant background in their efforts to participate adequately in the Austrian labour market. To date, over 700 mentoring pairs have been formed. Mentors can help with occupational orientation, developing a career or business plan, establishing contacts and networking, know-how transfer (on labour market institutions as well as professional experience), etc. Results show high satisfaction with the programme (meaningful instrument: 79%) and labour market integration success rates of 44%.

Additional measures for low-qualified adults

As from July 2013, additional measures are taken in order to promote further education and training for disadvantaged resp. low-qualified adults (many of them with a migrant background), such as supported part-time work due to education (Bildungsteilzeit), qualified workers’ scholarship (Fachkräfte-Stipendium) and apprenticeship for adults (Lehre für Erwachsene). See also education policy.

Education policy

Reading and language strategy

Improving the language and reading outcomes of children, in particular those with a migrant background and/or from a socially disadvantaged background, is a major policy objective. Austria has decided on the extension until the school year 2013-14 of the two-year language courses for children who have the status of ‘special pupils’ and whose second language is German. This applies to all pupils in compulsory schools providing general education and the lower stage of academic secondary schools (AHS). Offers regarding first-language teaching (native language teaching) are being continued. By spring 2013, models of comprehensive language support are being further developed under the guidance of experts in the field in order to initiate one-year long pilot projects in all provinces from the school year 2013-14. These will take place at schools which have many children requiring a high level of language support.

The New secondary school (Neue Mittelschule, NMS)

This is a joint school for 10- to 14-year-olds which aims at avoiding early tracking at the age of 10 and is based on modern educational concepts and a performance-based teaching and learning culture. The objective is to create a modern performance-oriented school with a new learning culture. The new culture of learning and teaching is achieved through individualisation and targeted support in cases of weaknesses and strengths. According to the plan, in the school year 2012/13, 691 schools will be transformed into new

5 http://www.donau-uni.ac.at/de/department/migrationglobalisierung/forschung/progress/18846/index.php


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secondary schools overall. This means that until April 2013, 60% of all lower secondary schools will be new middle schools. Until the school year 2013/2014, an additional 254 lower secondary schools will have been transformed into new secondary schools. That means a general achievement of 80% transformation. Until the year 2016 all lower secondary schools will be transformed into new secondary schools.

Expansion of all-day school places

The aim of this measure is improving equality of opportunities and compensating for socio-economic disadvantages. All-day school types have a positive effect on pupils with migrant backgrounds, on the atmosphere in the school, social interaction and reconciliation of work and family life. The expansion of all-day care places at primary and secondary schools, based on annual needs assessments, should bring the number of all-day school places up to 200,000 (excluding the supervised places at care centres outside school) by 2018. Currently, 119,000 students (18%) make use of the offers of school-based (afternoon) care, or attend a combined all-day school – this represents a doubling of the number of places compared to the school year 2007/08.

Initiative for Adult Education

This initiative started in January 2012 enables adults who lack basic skills or never graduated from a lower secondary school to continue and finish their education free of charge. The measure works towards the reduction of the number of persons without basic educational qualifications and the increase in the permeability of the education system. It is based on uniform quality standards: a new Compulsory School Examination Act which contains adult-appropriate and modern forms of implementation with competence-orientated, cross-curricular programmes which are tailored to the target groups and take their living situations and their particular potential into account.


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BELGIUM

INTEGRATION POLICIES FOR PERSONS OF FOREIGN ORIGIN6

Introduction

It was hoped for a long time that migrants could be integrated without too much difficulty thanks to their willingness to participate in Belgian society and to the opportunities this society offered them, but it must be admitted that this was not the case. After years of inaction and little public funding of integration, the public authorities gradually became aware of the scale of the problem, which led them to change course and consider setting up a genuine integration policy. The aim now was not just to take measures to combat discrimination but instead to formulate a genuine integration policy, in order both to respond to the needs of the immigrant population and to allay the fears of the local population. The public authorities needed not only to raise the “integration of migrants issue” openly, to prevent the gap between the various populations that make up our country and our regions from widening, but also to respond to it by taking public action. This resolve led them in 2011 to set out measurable targets in line with the Europe 2020 Strategy.

This brief note presents the main initiatives taken in recent years. It confines itself to initiatives by the public authorities and will not address the ad hoc measures taken on the ground, in particular by enterprises and also by public employers. These initiatives are mainly what have been called “reasonable accommodations”, endeavours to find pragmatic solutions to cultural differences that may conflict with enterprises’ economic requirements or the obligations of administrations or schools.

Without pretending to be exhaustive, this note will try to describe four main components of the policies Belgium has developed in recent years to integrate people of foreign origin.

Integration or reception pathway

Since 2001, and initially in Flanders in particular, the idea of introducing integration pathways for migrants has been gaining ground in response to a difficult social climate of growing flows of migrants and rising tensions between the native population and immigrants. It then spread to the other part of the country.

This situation led to various initiatives taken at both federal level and regional and local level.

Integration pathway in Flanders and Brussels (Dutch-speaking)

Following several years of discussion, the “inburgering” (integration) decree the Flemish Parliament had adopted a year earlier entered into force on 1 April 2004. It was last amended on 29 May 2013.

Objectives of the civic integration pathway

The civic integration pathway is designed to enable newly arrived immigrants to acquire the knowledge they need in order to integrate in society and improve their skills. It is a training programme accompanied by individual and personalised support for the integrant.

The integration pathway is targeted at: 6 Contribution of the Federal Public Service (SPF) for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue to the

activities of the OECD.


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On a compulsory basis:

• Recent immigrants in Belgium who live in Flanders

• Ministers of religions recognised by the Flemish Government

On a voluntary basis:

• Persons belonging to the target group of civic integration policy.

It does not cover minor children, who will integrate mainly through their schooling. Many schools organise Dutch language courses for them to ensure that they very rapidly reach a level high enough to follow the normal curriculum on a regular basis.

The reception offices offer a guidance service for minor children to direct them towards schools and structures suited to their needs. There are a total of eight offices.

Content of the integration pathway

This integration pathway has three components:

A. Social guidance

This enables “integrants” to find out about the social and cultural opportunities, the opportunities to work on a voluntary basis in associations or other leisure activities. This form of guidance is also called “social participation”. External voluntary organisations also take part in the various activities in order to establish more informal contacts with the integrants.

B. Vocational guidance

This purpose is to help integrants find a job or start up a business. The regional public placement service provides this guidance.

Integrants who are still of student age are offered support to determine which suitable courses of study are available.

C. Dutch language courses

In regard to Dutch language courses, the aim is to reach elementary level NT2. A standard course takes 240 hours. In the case of persons who are illiterate or have serious difficulties, this number can be increased to 600 hours of lessons.

Other features of the pathway:

Obtaining a civic integration certificate

This integration pathway is subject to a contract between the integrant and the counsellor, under which the integrant undertakes to pursue the activities forming part of the training programme. On completion of the civic integration pathway, integrants obtain a “civic integration certificate”. The new decree of 29 May provides that the certificate may be granted only if the integrant achieves adequate results in the Dutch as a second language and social guidance tests.


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Obligation to comply with the integration contract – sanctions

Integrants who do not comply with the civic integration contract are liable to administrative fines (in the Flemish region but not in Brussels). This can therefore be called a compulsory pathway.

Organisation of the pathway

The decree of 29 May 2013 provides for the creation of an Integration Agency that will bring together and co-ordinate all the Flemish institutions operating in this area.

The secondary integration pathway

After completing the first integration pathway, immigrants may take part in a secondary pathway to enable them to consolidate these options and, for example, take part in vocational training or in-house training in enterprises. They may also follow additional Dutch-language courses and continue their studies. The activities involved in this secondary-level pathway are organised by the competent authorities rather than the integration centres.

Reception pathway for new arrivals in Wallonia and Brussels (French-speaking)

A first, quite ambitious project started in 2011, but budget funds proved too scarce to implement it. That project was based largely on a voluntary approach on the part of the new arrivals, while the new project tends more to follow the principle of encouraging them to act. It was aimed at a broader target group, including in particular immigrants without a residence permit or from non-EU countries. Moreover, the idea of introducing sanctions after the first module in the event of immigrants not following the pathway is still under consideration, although it has not yet been included in the new draft decree.

In early 2013, the respective governments7 of Wallonia and Brussels (French-speaking) adopted a draft decree on creating a reception pathway for new arrivals and organising co-ordination between the various authorities involved. The stages of this reception pathway would be identical in the two regions and would allow the persons concerned to take part in them according to the same procedures whether in Wallonia or in Brussels. This decree would replace the existing provisions on the integration of persons of foreign background. Systems of co-operation among these various authorities will be set up to ensure consistency of action (exchange of personal data, language training and certification module, conditions for granting subsidies to participating bodies). The decree is expected to be implemented in 2014.

The pathway will still function along the same lines as the Regional Integration Centres and will seek to network private and public operators; however, it will concentrate its activities on new arrivals rather than on the current, broader target group.

Its target group is new arrivals, i.e. immigrants from third countries8 who have resided in Wallonia and Brussels (French-speaking) for less than three years and hold a residence permit valid for more than three months.

In principle, new arrivals must present themselves before the Regional Integration Centre within three months from the date of their first registration at the commune. Yet there will be some exemptions from

7 Governments of Wallonia, Brussels and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. 8 i.e. nationals of non-EU countries, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, and family members.


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this obligation. A social interpretation service will be provided to facilitate communication between new arrivals and the various organisations and stakeholders they will have to meet.9

Composition of the reception pathway

This pathway will be made up of four modules:

• Initial reception (Regional Integration Centres)

• French-language lessons

• Information about the history and workings of Belgian society and the rights and duties of the individual

• Socio-professional guidance.

Module 1: Initial reception

New arrivals will be informed of their rights and duties, and a social report will be drawn up within six months of the initial meeting. A training plan can then be drawn up on the basis of the next three modules. Only this first module is compulsory. If new arrivals do not complete this first stage, they are liable to a fine, provided the region made the necessary resources available to offer them a chance to take part. The next three modules are optional and a matter of choice. On completion of the first module, new arrivals will receive a certificate of attendance.

Modules 2 to 4: Language, citizenship and socio-professional guidance

Once the first module has been completed and the social report drawn up, an agreement may be concluded between new arrivals and the CIR10 to organise their participation in other modules and ensure their personalised follow-up over a period of two years. At the end of that period, new arrivals will receive a certificate of attendance. That certificate does not confer any special rights or advantages but is evidence that both the new arrivals and the bodies concerned have met their commitments: the new arrivals have used the tools put at their disposal and the bodies concerned have fulfilled their contract. The object is to involve new arrivals in a dynamic learning process and integrate them in their host region.

Evaluation

The integration pathway will be evaluated every two years with a view to improving it, at which time new proposals may be put forward.

Financial resources

The draft decree provides for financial resources to back up the process, to support both the regional integration centres and the approved operators. A further sum will be allocated to enhancing the social interpreting services.

9 In the region of Wallonia, this service will be provided by SeTIS (which provides professionals from the

public and voluntary services working in Wallonia with foreign nationals with a team of professional translators and interpreters of proven competence to facilitate mutual communication and understanding between the two parties concerned).

10 Regional Integration Centre.


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Comments on the integration and reception pathways

In Flanders, the reception programme has been called “inburgering”, which could be translated as “learning to become a citizen”. It well describes the objective, which is to make migrants aware of their rights but also of their duties, in particular that of integrating. It reflects the underlying philosophy of activation while specifying the kind of support the public authorities must provide.

There is a fundamental reason why Wallonia has defined this process as a reception rather than an integration pathway: it is because reception can be organised whereas integration cannot be decreed, especially when there is still a very high level of discrimination.

These provisions have been criticised, mainly on the grounds of discrimination between types of migrants, based, for example, on their country of origin, and the fact that the public services play too small a part. In fact, the main burden of implementing these modules lies on the shoulders of private bodies. Moreover, participation in this integration pathway gives participants no new rights whatsoever. Nor is any special attention paid to combating discrimination, although migrants are often exploited and underpaid, especially in subcontracting chains. Finally, too little attention is devoted to making migrants more aware of their rights and how to uphold them.

There has also been some discussion about whether or not the reception or “inburgering” pathway should be compulsory, with some arguing that rights and duties should be put on a parallel basis and that some categories, such as women, should not be excluded. Furthermore, while certain modules are optional, some people would like to make a particular section of the pathway (such as language learning) compulsory, because of more specific regional features. In short, the issue has not been settled once and for all, and there is still some debate about whether a voluntary or compulsory approach is more effective in producing the best integration outcomes. In terms of target group, it has been suggested in Flanders that it should be broadened to include citizens of the other European countries. There is also some debate about the financial resources needed to establish these policies. Adequate funding is needed to achieve the set objectives, especially now that the compulsory nature of some pathways has been confirmed and accompanied by sanctions.11

Furthermore, this policy must be looked at alongside the reform of the nationality code, under which the grant of nationality is conditional on evidence of integration.

In conclusion, the debate on the integration of persons of foreign origin remains very sensitive, and it is not always very easy to demonstrate the outcomes of the integration pathways. It remains an open question whether these programmes have failed or succeeded, but the challenge of creating a peaceful multicultural society continues to grow.

Integration policies defined by Belgium in the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy

The Europe 2020 Strategy is the ten-year strategy for growth adopted by the European Union in 2010. Its priorities are set out under five measurable headline targets. The strategy is also based on economic governance in the context of what is known as the “European Semester”. Each country must draft an annual report on its follow-up of the targets, and the Commission then evaluates the outcomes achieved. The priorities for growth include inclusion, understood as labour market participation, and reduction of poverty. One of the main goals of inclusion is job creation. That goal is measured by employment rates. Countries can break down these targets into sub-targets. Accordingly, Belgium, both the federation and the

11 Speech by the Minister for Health, Social Action and Equal Opportunities, Éliane Tillieux, 16 January

2013.


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regions, has set itself the target of reducing the gap between the employment rate of Belgians and of non-EU citizens aged between 20 and 64 to below 16.5%. It was 27.5% in 2009, while the European average was 10.5%. Since then, Belgium has to report every year in its national programme on the measures taken to achieve that target.

The inclusion target highlights the part the labour market plays in this process. In that way, it is an indicator of a more complex reality. Nonetheless, employment programmes have always focused more on target audiences and, without any open reference to nationality, have had an indirect impact on the fragile marginal groups of foreigners and people of foreign origin. The national reform programme also makes it possible to pool the policies conducted at the various levels of governance in Belgium.

Contribution of the regions to achieving the integration objectives

Overall, the rate of employment of 20-64-year-olds has improved somewhat since 2000. It reached its peak in 2008, and since then it has, on the whole, proved resistant despite the difficult economic climate. Yet some groups suffer more than others, especially workers over the age of 55, young people and those of foreign origin. In the case of young people, the 2014 target is to offer all young people below the age of 25 a job, training or internship within four months from the date they register as unemployed. The regions have already or are proposing to take measures to ensure this. Some offer job-seekers more personalised support (Wallonia) and monitor job-seekers, especially young school leavers, more systematically. This monitoring could eventually lead to the grant of an allowance.

In regard to persons from an immigrant background, Flanders examines their knowledge of Dutch and, where necessary, proposes Dutch language courses. It reports that good results have been achieved since 2011. For its part, Wallonia will also propose specific measures targeted at new arrivals in the framework of the reception pathway.12

Upstream, the regions are also combating early school leaving by investing in the detection and analysis of the problems involved by means of analytical tools, vocational training and the early vocational experiences of the young in particular (Brussels), and by targeting basic knowledge (e.g. languages) and taking stronger measures to ensure its acquisition. They have also developed analytical tools and measures (Walloon Region) to identify the target groups and detect difficulties more clearly. This is accompanied by targeting support measures at groups that encounter difficulties (Flanders). The authorities are also devoting attention to groups furthest removed from the labour market, in particular by detecting literacy problems. That aspect is being addressed specifically by a flagship measure (Walloon Region) of literacy policy designed to give greater support to groups furthest removed from the labour market. A focal point was formalising close co-ordination between the Minister for Employment and Training and the Minister for Social Action and Equal Opportunities in order to implement this policy. For its part, the Brussels Region is pursuing its own language plan for its population and the unemployed in particular, with a view to facilitating their inclusion and integration in the labour market.

Reception facilities have also been established for newly arrived schoolchildren, to facilitate their reception, guide them and facilitate their integration (Walloon Region). As regards linguistic knowledge and vocational guidance, the various regions have organised or are providing support via the reception and integration pathways for new arrivals. The German-speaking community has also formulated a specific policy for language learning aimed particularly at new arrivals.

Diversity plans are another means of combating discrimination and promoting the integration of persons of foreign origin. They include a nationality or foreign origin component. This approach has been

12 See, in this regard, the section on the reception pathway in Wallonia.


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the subject of a reform aimed at labour market participation and diversity (Flanders). It seeks to adopt a strategic approach that integrates the development of skills, sustainable diversity, motivation to work and organisational change. In Brussels, measures to fight discrimination and promote diversity include awareness-raising tools, such as Diversity Labels and the Charter for Diversity. Every public entity has a diversity manager. Trials have also been conducted in relation to anonymous CVs. This region has endorsed the creation of a Council for non-discrimination and diversity, with the task of mobilising the social partners, employers and employment contractors to promote the policy of diversity and the employment of the target groups.

Finally, other tools to promote the integration of new arrivals are the integration support programmes, i.e. the reception and integration pathways.13 They include a language component on which special emphasis is laid. This programme is also linked (in Flanders) with the programmes targeted at the unemployed,14 which seek to detect language difficulties and support those concerned by a programme for learning Dutch as a second language. This approach produced good outcomes between July 2012 and June 2013.

Amendment of the Belgian Nationality Code15

The new Belgian Nationality Code introduced by the Law of 28 June 1984 came into force on 1 January 2013. While earlier legislative amendments were generally aimed at facilitating integration, the most recent amendment tends to make the acquisition of Belgian nationality neutral from the point of view of immigration. More specifically, the Belgian legislator has shifted the rules towards a framework in which Belgian nationality is no longer granted to facilitate integration but rather as a conclusion or final touch to the process of integration. The main aspects that have been amended are described under the six points set out below, to illustrate this shift in emphasis:

1. Acquisition of nationality and migration history

Before the reform:

• (Limited) chance of obtaining the right to enter/reside in Belgium if they have acquired Belgian nationality.

After the reform:

• Belgian nationality cannot be acquired without prior qualifying legal residence (in the case of both adults and children) – only nuance: the type of qualifying residence may differ (unlimited residence or residence of more than three months).

• As a general rule, it is no longer possible to apply for Belgian nationality from abroad.

13 See section on the reception and integration pathways. 14 The reception office for new arrivals and the regional employment services (VDAB) co-ordinate to this

end. 15 The points made below are closely based on the work of Patrick Wautelet of the University of Liège; his

complete work synthesising these amendments can now be consulted under: http://orbi.ulg.ac.be/handle/2268/142126. The most recent official version of the Belgian Nationality Code can be accessed at: http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_loi/change_lg.pl?language=fr&la=F&cn=1984062835&table_name=loi.


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Integration and willingness to integrate

Before the reform:

• It is presumed that (adult) foreigners are integrated (and willing to integrate) when they apply for the acquisition of Belgian nationality – no systematic checks of willingness to integrate (but irregular checks of willingness to integrate).

After the reform:

• Willingness to integrate is checked on the basis of various criteria: linguistic knowledge, social integration (education and training – e.g. upper secondary education certificate), participation in economic activity (two years of work over the past five years).

How many years does it take to become a Belgian?

Before the reform:

• “Simplified” acquisition of Belgian nationality after seven years of (legal) residence in Belgium by declaration.

• Possible acquisition of Belgian nationality after three years of (legal) residence.

After the reform:

• “Simplified” acquisition of Belgian nationality after ten years of (legal) residence in Belgium (subject to knowledge of one of its languages and participation in the life of the host community).

• Possible acquisition subject to onerous conditions (linguistic knowledge, social integration and participation in economic activity) after five years of legal residence.

• Naturalisation: reserved to exceptional circumstances.

Cost of the procedure

Before the reform:

• Free access to acquisition procedures (since the 2000 reform).

After the reform:

• Acquisition by declaration and naturalisation: payment of EUR 150.

Is access to Belgian nationality easier or more difficult for the most disadvantaged?

Before the reform:

• Several preferential means of access (e.g. easier access to naturalisation for recognised refugees or stateless persons, easy access to Belgian nationality for persons who have obtained the status of Belgian (e.g. right to vote) but whose nationality is under dispute).


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After the reform:

• Abolition of certain preferential means of access (recognised refugees no longer have preferential access to Belgian nationality; abolition of easy access to Belgian nationality for persons who have obtained the status of Belgian national but whose nationality is under dispute).

• New means of preferential access for a category of disadvantaged persons: easier access to Belgian nationality by declaration for foreign adults who have a disability, are invalids or have reached pension age (five years’ legal residence; no conditions in respect of linguistic knowledge, social inclusion or participation in economic activity).

Easier loss of Belgian nationality

Before the reform:

• Loss of Belgian nationality possible under limited conditions (grave breach of duties as a Belgian citizen).

After the reform: the text has been clarified, which certainly broadens the conditions for loss of nationality (as well as ensuring greater legal certainty):

• Fraud at the time of acquiring Belgian nationality: specified reason for loss of nationality.

• Introduction of new grounds for loss of nationality.

• Conviction of a serious crime (such as terrorism or trafficking in human beings).

• Acquisition of Belgian nationality by a marriage of convenience.

Monitoring

The purpose of monitoring in Belgium is to develop a tool that makes it easier to measure the integration of (first, second and third generation) migrants in its labour market.

For many years now, the gap in employment and unemployment rates between persons holding Belgian nationality and non-European nationals in Belgium has been among the widest in the European Union. If political measures are to become more effective and the results evaluated, the situation needs to be well understood. Yet traditional statistical sources relating to employment do not make it possible to link the origin of the migrants concerned to their situation on the labour market in a satisfactory manner. While information on their nationality and country of birth is generally available, there is very little analysis of the employment situation of many second and third generation migrants, although it is well known that it is very hard for them to find a job on the Belgian labour market.

That is why various institutions have now been looking for years for an appropriate means of making up for this shortfall. Not long ago, the Federal Public Service (SPF) for Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue, the Centre for Equal Opportunities and Combating Racism and the Crossroads Bank for Social Security decided to make united efforts to achieve this objective. The Crossroads Bank manages the “Datawarehouse labour market and social protection”, a database containing a wealth of administrative data held by the various administrations and institutions that can be used for socio-economic research. These administrative data make it possible to identify, for example, the exact number of recipients of social allowances, of employed persons by sector of activity, of unemployed persons in 2006 who were in


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employment in 2008, or of officials compared with the number of workers. The wealth of data in this database has been supplemented by data from the National Register on the migrants’ origins, acquisition of nationality and registration on the National Register.

A migrant’s origin is identified in two complementary ways: by the creation of an “origin” variable and a “migration history” variable. The object of the “origin” variable is to capture as best possible the “second generation” by distinguishing between country or groups of countries of origin, while the “migration history” variable distinguishes between recent and longer-term immigrants, immigrants and members of what are called the “second” or “third generation”,16 persons who have remained foreigners, who have obtained Belgian nationality or were born Belgian of parents of foreign origin, and so forth. This second variable can be used to evaluate the impact in terms of labour market participation of a set of indicators generally regarded as being possible factors of the integration of persons of immigrant background, such as length of residence, place of birth and that of their parents, and possession of nationality.17 The impact of the length of residence in Belgium18 can be evaluated, assuming that a longer stay on Belgian soil will promote inclusion in the labour market and integration in general. Similarly, the impact of immigrants or their parents being born in Belgium can be evaluated, on the assumption that socialisation and education in Belgium since birth promotes inclusion in the labour market and integration in general. The impact of obtaining nationality can also be evaluated,19 on the assumption that possession of nationality promotes access to certain types of job and integration in general, for example full participation in political life and access to all citizens’ rights.

The “origin” variable combines the “nationality” of the individual, “nationality at birth”20 of the individual and “nationality at birth”21 of the individual’s parents. Where the parents are not of Belgian origin and the father’s nationality differs from that of the mother, priority is given to the father’s nationality at birth.

The “migration history” variable combines the “nationality” of the individual, “nationality at birth” of the individual, “nationality at birth” of the individual’s parents, “country of birth” of the individual, “country of birth” of the individual’s parents, “country of birth” of the individual’s grandparents (only for persons of Belgian nationality born in Belgium of parents of Belgian nationality at birth), “date of registration on the National Register” of the individual and “date of obtaining nationality” of the individual. Where the parents are of foreign origin and where the father’s nationality at birth or country of birth differs from that of the mother, priority is given to the father’s nationality at birth or country of birth. The same rules apply to the grandparents.

The first report drawn up by the Centre and the SPF for Employment will appear in September 2013 and will deal only with persons registered on the 2008 National Register and aged between 18 and 60.

16 To a limited extent in this case, as will be explained in the report. 17 It is important to note that, where a person has dual nationality (Belgian and another nationality) at the

same point in time, Belgian nationality takes precedence over the other nationality. 18 Variable looked at on the basis of duration of registration on the National Register. 19 As of not obtaining nationality or possessing that nationality since birth. 20 In fact, this applies to nationality at the time of first registration on the National Register. For the great

majority of people, this is their nationality at birth. 21 See footnote 15 (above).


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CANADA

SETTLEMENT AND INTEGRATION OF NEWCOMERS TO CANADA

Canada’s immigration system supports national and regional economic growth, facilitates family reunification, and fulfills humanitarian objectives. Culturally, it promotes diversity and tolerance and enriches our multicultural fabric. It also remains an important source of population and labour force growth. Fundamentally, it builds a stronger Canada by helping immigrants and refugees settle and integrate into Canadian society and the economy, and by encouraging and facilitating Canadian citizenship.

Canada welcomes an average of 250,000 new permanent residents a year, with about 257,000 arriving in 2012. The key to maximizing the benefits of immigration is ensuring that newcomers have the information, tools and opportunities to realize their potential and become fully engaged in all aspects of Canadian society.

Settlement Services

Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) Settlement Program provides support and services to newcomers to assist in their settlement and long term integration in Canada. Services help newcomers contribute to economic, social, civic-political and cultural development activities of Canada and encourage participation by a range of players in the provision of settlement services and fostering welcoming communities for newcomers. Since 2006, the Government of Canada’s settlement allocations have almost tripled from less than $200 million in 2005-2006 to about $600 million (outside the province of Québec) for 2013-2014.

The following six activity components make up the Settlement Program:

• Information and orientation: Settlement-related information is provided to newcomers through a variety of pre- and post-arrival initiatives such as overseas orientation sessions (e.g., Canadian Orientation Abroad); online sources (e.g., Going to Canada Immigration Portal); and publications (e.g., Welcome to Canada guide). On April 2, 2013, CIC launched a completely redeveloped edition of Welcome to Canada. This is a flagship publication designed to help pre- and post-arrival newcomers with the transition to life in Canada.

• Needs assessment and referral services (including the development of Settlement Plans) are provided at the earliest possible opportunity, in order to encourage the uptake of settlement services by newcomers, and to establish pathways to publicly available services to better respond to their needs. In April 2013, CIC launched Living in Canada, an online interactive tool that provides a semi-customized settlement plan based on answers to questions about their settlement needs.

• Language and skills: Newcomers have access to language training options (e.g., traditional classroom settings, distance education, full-time or part-time with flexible course times) based on an assessment of their needs. Language classes also introduce newcomers to life in Canada, as


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well as combine language learning with other forms of skill building that are relevant to settlement. For 2011-2012, about 59,000 clients were enrolled in federal language training (outside of British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec).

• Labour market access/employment services: This involves services such as assisting newcomers to acquire Canadian work experience or skills including initial job search orientation and information, and building connections between employers and the immigrant labour pool.

− Community connections: Activities under this component aim to encourage interaction between newcomers, established residents and mainstream institutions (e.g., schools, libraries) to facilitate newcomer settlement in their local community. Under this component, CIC funds the Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs), community tables aimed at systematizing local engagement in newcomers’ integration process, supporting community-level research and planning, and improving coordination of services between all relevant stakeholders. LIPs have been identified as a best practice and are currently being expanded across the country.

− Support services (e.g., child minding, transportation, support for persons with disabilities, translation and interpretation, short-term settlement/crisis counselling) are another vital component for encouraging newcomer uptake of services.

CIC also supports and assists both French-speaking minority communities (FMCs) and English-speaking communities of Quebec (ESCQ) through immigration to contribute to their development and vitality. In 2008, a total of $20M was allocated to CIC to support the implementation of the Recruitment and Integration of French-Speaking Immigrants to Francophone Minority Communities Initiative. The Department also committed to set aside $10M in settlement funds from 2009-2013 for reception and integration services for French-speaking immigrants in FMCs. Between 2013-2018, CIC will continue to support work related to immigration to LMCs and language training for economic immigrants.

Settlement Services Governance

In the 1990s, Canada entered into agreements with provinces and territories from which responsibilities and funding for federal settlement services were transferred to British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec. Today, achieving national consistency and coherence, as well as ensuring that all newcomers have access to comparable federal settlement services and equality of outcomes, regardless of where they choose to settle, has become a priority of the federal government. In this light, the Government of Canada recently resumed the management of federally funded settlement programs in Manitoba and will resume them in British Columbia by April 2014, bringing these programs in line with every other province and territory outside Québec. As well, in 2010, federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) officials began developing the Pan-Canadian Framework for Settlement Outcomes, the purpose of which is to guide FPT collaboration on improving results for settlement and integration by establishing a cohesive, national approach to measuring settlement outcomes across Canada. CIC is also establishing new models of partnership with provinces and territories, based on shared principles, objectives and approaches.

Foreign Credential Recognition

Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) remains a challenge to immigrant labour market integration. In Canada, Provinces and Territories have jurisdiction over credential recognition for most regulated and non-regulated occupations as well as trades. The authority to determine licensing and certification requirements for most professions has been further delegated to regulatory bodies in each province or territory through legislation. For non-regulated occupations, employers are responsible for recognizing the


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credentials of prospective employees. There are more than 440 regulatory bodies across Canada governing approximately 55 professions. There are also more than 200 accredited post-secondary institutions that assess educational qualifications for academic placement, and five provincially mandated assessment agencies that evaluate educational qualifications for both academic placement and workforce entry.

Since 2002, the Government of Canada has played a facilitative role with Provinces and Territories and has provided strategic leadership to foster the development of consistent, common approaches to FCR. At the federal level, this responsibility is shared amongst three federal departments, each with a specific mandate but all working toward the same goal to facilitate better labour market integration of immigrants in jobs for which they have studied or been trained for. The three departments are: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (Foreign Credential Recognition Program, 2003); Health Canada (Internationally Educated Health Professionals Initiative, 2005), and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (Foreign Credentials Referral Office, 2007). The Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO) was established in May 2007 with a mandate to actively guide, monitor and facilitate the implementation of FCR processes in Canada by: (1) providing information, path-finding and referral services to internationally trained individuals in Canada and overseas; (2) assisting prospective immigrants and newcomers prepare for integration into the labour market; and (3) working closely with federal, provincial and territorial partners, employers, regulatory bodies and other stakeholders to improve FCR processes in Canada.

In collaboration with other federal departments and provincial and territorial partners and stakeholders, the FCRO is actively involved in facilitating the labour market integration of immigrants, including:

• Supporting overseas orientation programs, specifically the Canadian Immigrant Integration Program that provides customized advice and assistance with respect to credential assessment, skills and language upgrading, and job searches to Federal Skilled Worker and Provincial Nominee applicants (and their spouses and dependants) in up to 25 locations;

• Providing internship opportunities to immigrants through the Federal Internship for Newcomers Program to gain Canadian work experience and linking newcomers to public servants in related occupations to help them develop professional networks through the Federal Public Service Mentoring Pilot; and,

• Facilitating the exchange of information on promising FCR initiatives and best practices among the various players involved in FCR through International Qualifications Network (IQN) website, providing a virtual space for stakeholders in the area of foreign credential recognition to share innovative practices, joined in 2011–2012 by almost 300 members.

Moreover, the federal government collaborates with Provinces and Territories to improve FCR processes through the implementation of the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications (FQR Framework). The FQR Framework commits governments across Canada to work towards: (1) better pre-arrival services; (2) assessments and recognition processes that are fair, transparent, consistent and timely (within one year); and, (3) improved workforce participation for newcomers. Implementation of the Framework initially focused on the development of action plans for eight target occupations, completed by December 31, 2010 (architects, engineers, medical laboratory technologists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, registered nurses, and financial auditors and accountants); and a second set of six occupations, completed by December 31, 2012 (dentists, engineering technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical radiation technologists, and teachers K-12). The next set of target occupations will be announced shortly and will likely include skilled trades.


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Link Between Immigrant Selection and Integration

Despite progress to improve FCR processes, several challenges persist. A discrepancy between immigration selection requirements with labour market entry requirements has created further challenges as economic immigrants continue to arrive in Canada believing that the high points they receive for immigration through the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) selection will lead to successful licensure and labour market integration.

CIC continues to improve the FSWP, a major component of Canada's economic immigration selection system, to ensure that it attracts the right skills for Canada’s future labour force. CIC introduced modifications to the FSW points system in April 2013 to favour human characteristics that be have an impact on labour market integration, such as age, language proficiency, education, experience and adaptability.

As part of the modernization of the FSWP, CIC has introduced a mandatory requirement that FSW applicants have their foreign educational credentials authenticated and assessed against standards in Canada by designated credential assessment organizations. Based on the results of this assessment, CIC will award education points under the FSWP selection grid for the foreign educational credentials according to how an applicant’s foreign education compares to a completed credential in Canada. The introduction of the ECA requirement will provide FSW applicants with a better sense of how their education fits into the Canadian labour market and will allow them to make more informed choices about immigration and Canadian career paths. ECA is particularly beneficial for non-regulated professions as it may assist Canadian employers in determining if a newcomer has the academic training required for the job. However, this new requirement will not guarantee automatic employment or licensing in any particular occupation. Regulatory bodies may conduct different or more in-depth assessments as part of the licensure process.


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CZECH REPUBLIC

INTEGRATION IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC (2008 – 2012)

Some figures

Immigration into the Czech Republic has been declining since 2008. This trend continued in 2010, however, in 2011 and 2012, the decline has stopped and the total number of foreigners with residence permits in the Czech Republic increased again slightly and reached the level of 2008 before the start of the economic crisis .

National statistics registered about 22 600 immigrants in 2011, i.e. by 26 % fewer than the previous year (30 500). Similarly, the numbers of emigrants decreased to 5 700 persons. The figure of net migration thus reached the level of 16 900, 2 000 more than in 2010. Net migration maintained this level also in the first half of 2012.

The most frequent nationality of immigrants who entered the Czech Republic in 2012 continued to be Slovak, with 4 554 persons registered, followed by nationals of Germany (with 1 386 persons registered). Other immigrant groups included Romanians (822), Bulgarians (787), citizens of the Russian Federation (573), nationals of Kazakhstan (218) and Serbia (141).

As of December 31, 2012, a total of 438 213 foreigners having a residence permit was registered in the Czech Republic. The proportion of foreign population to the total population of the Czech Republic thus reached 4%. In comparison with 2011, the total number of foreigners slightly increased by 0, 4%. The increase concerned the category of the permanent residence holders (8,1%). The category of temporary residence holders was marked with a decreaseby 5, 9%.

Foreigners represented 1 % of the total labour force in 1993 and nearly 7 % in 2008. With the economic crisis, the proportion of foreigners in the Czech labour market decreased to 5,4% in 2010, before rising to 6 % in 2011 as the economy recovered. Nationals of EU member countries predominate (56 % of foreigners). Since 2008, there has been a sharp decline among economically active foreigners from non-EU member countries, concerning primarily salaried employees.

The “Green Card” scheme, introduced in 2009 to facilitate labour market access for qualified workers from selected countries, has continued in the Czech Republic. Until 2012, 415 applicants were registered, of which 74 % were Ukrainian. The EU Blue Card for highly skilled non-EU foreigners, introduced in 2011, has been used by 92 applicants in two years of its existence, primarily nationals of Uzbekistan, Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

The number of applications for asylum in the Czech Republic reached 753 in 2012. Although decrease in the number of applications slowed considerably in recent years, the year of 2012 recorded the lowest number of applications for international protection in the history of the Czech Republic. The main origin country for asylum seekers in the Czech Republic continues to be Ukraine, followed by Syria, Belarus, Russia and Vietnam. In 2012 a total of 189 persons was granted international protection. Additionaly, subsidiary protection was extended to another 176 persons. In comparison to previous years (2008 – 291, 2009 – 204, 2010 – 229, 2011 – 369 were granted international protection), a tendency of increasing number of cases of granted international protection since 2010 has stopped.

In 2012, citizens principally from Belorussia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Myanmar and Pakistan were granted international protection in a form of asylum, while international protection in the form of


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subsidiary protection was principally granted to citizens of Belarus, Syria, stateless persons, and applicants from Cuba, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Legal framework

Starting in 2000, the Government of the Czech Republic annually approves an update of the Policy for Integration of Immigrants, including further procedures in the subsequent year. In the state budget, there is regularly allocated around CZK 25 mil. per year, specifically earmarked for the purpose of foreigners' integration. Further financial sources are allocated in other specific parts of the state budget (health, education, culture, social affairs etc.), EU structural funds, municipality budgets and various other funds. The estimated total expenditure to support foreign integration reaches up to CZK 150 mil. per year.

On 1 January 2011, an amendment to the Act on Residence of Foreign Nationals entered into force. The amendment has introduced new (and tighter) requirements for an applicant (for a long-term visa, a long-term residence or permanent residence) to proof his/her secure accommodation and his/her health insurance. The proof of secured funds, required for certain types of permits, including permanent residence, has also been strengthened. In addition, the new legislation introduced some restrictions to the permit regime for the purpose of carrying out an independent economic activity, among which is a two-year legal residence requirement for those foreigners who wish to change the status of their residence permit into self-employment. Other measures have been introduced as a consequence of the transposition of the EU „Blue Card”–directive and the directive on employer sanctions. Finally, under the new legislation, the responsibility for the issuance of a long-term visas and residence permits has been transferred to the new regional offices of the Department for Asylum and Migration Policy of the Ministry of the Interior. The Foreign Police, which was previously in charge of this dossier, remains competent for the issuance of short-term visas and residence certificates.

Two amendments (367/2011 Coll. and 1/2012 Coll.) to the Employment Act came into effect in January 2012. These amendments regulate the assignment to employers of non-EU/EFTA nationals by private employment agencies and implementation Directive 2009/52/EC, applying new employer penalties for illegal employment of unauthorised foreigners.

Measures concerning employment were also implemented in 2012 by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA), to favour domestic job-seekers. The changes primarily regarded job vacancies for low-skilled workers. In early 2012, MoLSA ceased issuing work permits for these positions, and required all non-EU applicants for a job in the Czech Republic to provide proof of qualifications. Exemptions to the requirement to prove qualification are granted to intracompany transfers, managers and key personnel. In the recent years, the Czech government has taken various initiatives to promote the immigration of higly skilled workers. For this reason a long-term project of selection of qualified foreign workers has been launched, to attract young qualified people whishing to settle in the Czech Republic. This programme was closed in December 2012, until then it covered nationals from 51 non-EU countries and the final number of beneficiaries was about 1800 applicants and 1700 family members.

In October 2012 a proposal for the new law on the Acquisition of the Czech state citizenship was approved by the Government. The proposal contains some changes, including allowing dual citizenship and making naturalisation contingent on social, work and family integration, among other elements.

In January 2011 the Czech government adopted a resolution on the management of economic migration, protection of immigrant´s rights and return. A new Foreigners Law has been drafted based on this resolution, which favours wage employment over self-employment, and proposes progressive rights of immigrants to access social security system. This law will also protect labour market rights and reinforce


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integration policy. Curently (first half of 2013), the standard approval process of the new Law is under way.

Cooperation of stakeholders

The cooperation, consultation and coordination of stakeholders is one of the pillars of integration. The civil society is represented and involved in the integration policymaking and measures mainly through the participation of NGOs. The Ministries use different formal ways how to inform NGOs about current changes, funding and development in the field of integration. There are as well special information seminars organized, which are open for debate and exchange of opinions. Some NGOs are also actively involved as consultants into the process of approval of The Policy for Integration of Immigrants and their valuable remarks are often incorporated.

In 2009 the Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centers project was launched. The objective of the project is to create opportunities for long-term and strategic support of the integration process. The Integration Centers, disseminated in 12 out of the 14 regions in the Czech Republic, initiate, organize and carry out differnet kind of activities supporting social, legal, lingual and cultural position of foreign nationals. The Integration Centers ensure as well information and consultancy activities in social and legal fields; they organize social-cultural courses and courses of Czech language. The main target is to help immigrants to reach the level A1 (by Common European Framework for Languages) which is compulsory for third-country nationals applying for permanent residence permit. Special funds are available for schools providing Czech language courses for their foreign students and for support of the teachers working in multicultural classes. The Centers organise in each region regional platforms on integration. These platforms usually have 15-20 active participants (local stakeholders, NGOs, municipalities, etc.). All together with the regional Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centers, some NGOs and municipalities are receivers of financial support on integration which allows them to implement integration measures.

In 2011, the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic started, together with NGO´s participation, a project inspired by international experience and called Social Interpretation in Contact with Foreigners. The project aim to at least alleviate, better overcome the problematic area of language barriers and the lack of information, which both may often lead to the risk of illegal employment or illegal residence. Newcomers, especially foreign workers, have difficulties in initial orientation in society and their subsequent integration. The content of the project was to train candidates in professional interpreting. There has been a training module for potential social interpreters, and the subsequent internships with interpreting practice. Trained interpreters have increased their working skills, have acquired principles of interpreting work and have expanded their knowledge in many areas.

In 2012, due to a close cooperation among the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the NGO Slovo 21 (the majority of this NGO´s staff are immigrants), was developed the “Pre-departure package”. This package (movie, brochure and checklist) starts nowadays to being distributed, primarily by the Czech embassies, in different places mainly in those countries which represent the main source of immigrants to the Czech Republic. In addition to this cooperation, a special “Welcome course” for newly arrived immigrants was created. This one day course contains basic information about rights and obligations and should be provided on compulsory basis in the near future.

In 2012, several “Emergency Integration Programs” were subsidized in 8 local places by the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. These projects are based on a very close cooperation of the ministry and the municipalities and consist of activities such as social and law counselling, language courses, social-cultural minimum, support of education in schools and cultural exchange. The local government, which is subsidized by the Ministry and carry out projects, hires NGOs or local stakeholders to provide these tailor-made services.


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A new project, focusing the involvement of multicultural assistants with migration background in the communication between foreigners and the administrative bodies, was introduced in late 2012 and starts its activities.

According to the principles of the Policy for Integration of Immigrants, special training programmes for stakeholders on the treatment of immigrants were introduced. The Ministry of the Interior is financing a special 4 day course about integration of migrants – the course is designed for state officials, employees of Foreign Nationals Integration Support Centers and other stakeholders.

Intercultural competencies represent a significant part of the curriculum in the compulsive introductory course for civil servants, police, teachers and other stakeholders, when entering the public administration. In 2010, the NGO Slovo 21 prepared special intercultural courses for employees of the Ministry of the Interior which are directly working with immigrants. These courses are still successfully running.

Two Czech NGOs Poradna pro Integraci, o.s. Counseling Center for Integration) and Sdružení občanů zabývající se emigranty – SOZE (Association of Citizens Assisting Immigrants) participated regularly on European Integration Forum, the Ministry of the Interior controls the regular update of the European website on Integration (Country info) and actively cooperates in National Contact Points on Integration.

The Czech Republic has several informational brochures for immigrants translated into their languages. The most important publication - Information Booklet for Foreign Nationals has been updated tree times since 2007 and has been published in Czech, English, Ukrainian, Russian, Mongolian and Vietnamese. The publication is also available in an electronic version at

http://www.cizinci.cz (section Information Materials and Guides) and also

at http://www.imigracniportal.cz.

Both regularly updated websites aim at providing information to migrants including a list of NGOs` projects with short description, main legislative and non-legislative materials, connection to websites on statistics, etc.


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DENMARK

IMMIGRANTS AND DESCENDANTS IN DENMARK

The most significant developments that have occurred in Denmark within the past 5 years regarding integration of immigrants and their children as well as integration policies.

Facts and figures

This section will give key figures on immigrants and descendants in Denmark 1st of January 2012. It focuses on population figures, education and employment.

At 1 January 2012, Denmark had a total of 580,461 immigrants and descendants, or 10.4 per cent of the entire population. Two out of three immigrants and descendants in Denmark were of non-Western origin and the last third were of Western origin.

Nearly half of all immigrants and descendants lived in 10 of the 98 municipalities in Denmark, and 30 per cent of all immigrants and descendants lived in the country’s two largest municipalities: Copenhagen and Aarhus.

A proportion of 67 per cent of female descendants of non-Western origin aged 16-19 years were enrolled in upper secondary education, vocational training or higher education. The corresponding proportion among women of Danish origin was 65 per cent.

Among persons aged 20-24 years, female descendants of non-Western origin were also taking the lead. A proportion of 42 per cent were enrolled in higher education. The corresponding proportion among women of Danish origin was 41 per cent.

Half of all immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin aged 25-64 years were in employment. The lowest employment rate was found among female immigrants of non-Western origin (44 per cent).

The most pronounced difference in employment rates was seen among women aged 50-59 years. The difference between women of Danish origin and women of non-Western origin was 41 percentage points.

Employment rates peaked among immigrants, descendants and persons of Danish origin in 2008. Ever since, rates have fallen, the most pronounced decrease being among men of non-Western origin.

The highest employment rates among immigrants of non-Western origin in the age bracket of 25-39 years were found among persons who have completed a higher education programme or vocational training in Denmark. Immigrants benefit in particular from medium-cycle higher education programmes as a stepping stone to employment. In the same age group, the employment rates of descendants of non-Western origin are the highest among persons who have completed a short-cycle, medium-cycle or long-cycle higher education programme in Denmark.

The Government’s integration programme vision

For the past many years, the integration policy has focused on the integration of newcomers to the country - despite changing governments. But the challenges extend much further, as many newcomers never manage to build a good life for themselves in Denmark, despite many years’ stay in the country.


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The Government, which came into action in October 2011, wants to pursue an integration policy embracing both newcomers and immigrants who have lived in the country for some time. Efforts are required to focus even more on integration in all aspects of social life: from day-care institutions to schools, upper secondary and vocational education programmes, the labour market, associations, clubs, societies and NGOs. What is needed is that national and local governments, labour market parties and civil society stand together to take action.

The National Integration Barometer

The Government launched the National Integration Barometer on 28 November 2012.

The National Integration Barometer is intended to put focus on the Government’s nine integration goals and follow the progress made to meet the goals, both at national and municipal levels.

The Barometer is to make all players in the integration field head towards the same goals and trigger initiatives at local or national level if developments are not satisfactory.

The Integration Barometer consists of a national barometer and 98 local barometers, one for each municipality in Denmark.

The National Integration Barometer measures nationwide developments towards meeting the Government’s nine integration goals in terms of work, education, Danish language skills, responsible citizenship, equal treatment, self-determination, self-support, vulnerable neighbourhoods and crime.

Local integration barometers measure the local developments towards meeting the Government’s goals of work, education, Danish language skills, self-support, vulnerable neighbourhoods and crime. These goals are those for which data from the individual municipalities is currently available.

National goals

Goal 1, Work: More immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin will find jobs.

A job makes it possible for the individual citizen to support himself and contribute to society. Immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin do not have the same attachment to the labour market as persons of Danish origin. It is therefore essential to help them to find jobs. The Government has the goal of helping 10,000 more immigrants and descendants to find jobs before 2020.

Status and developments: In 2012, there was an employment rate gap of 25 percentage points between immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin aged 25-64 years and persons of Danish origin of the same age bracket, the employment rate of immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin being 52 per cent and of persons of Danish origin 77 per cent. The development from 2011 has been unchanged.

Goal 2, Education: More immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin will complete an upper secondary or vocational education and a higher education programme.

Education is essential to both the individual and to society as such. The Government has therefore set the goals that 95 per cent of any youth cohort comprising those born in the same year will complete at least an upper secondary or vocational education programme in 2015 and that 60 per cent of all young people will take a higher educational programme in 2020. To reach these goals for the whole population in any youth cohorts, it is essential that more immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin will complete an upper secondary or vocational education programme and a higher education programme. The main focus is


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on immigrants who came to Denmark at a tender age and on descendants as they grew up in Denmark and should have the same educational level as young person of Danish origin.

Status and developments: In 2012 53 per cent of the immigrants and descendants of non-Western countries aged 20-24 years had completed at least an upper secondary or vocational education programme, and 24 per cent of those aged 25-29 years had completed a higher education programme. By comparison, 68 per cent of the young persons of Danish origin had completed at least an upper secondary or vocational education programme and 40 per cent of persons of Danish origin in the age bracket of 25-39 years had completed a higher education programme. The development from 2011 has been positive.

Goal 3, Danish language skills: More immigrants will learn Danish.

Danish language skills are crucial for the integration of immigrants into the Danish society. For that reason it is essential that all new citizens and their children learn Danish. Newcomers to Denmark are entitled to three years of Danish language education. Newcomer children are also offered various possibilities of improving their Danish language skills at day-care institutions and schools, such as language stimulation activities.

Status: In 2012 65 per cent of all immigrants and descendants answered in a questionnaire that they did not or almost not experience any problems with their Danish language qualifications. 56 per cent of all students under the integration programme passed their exam in Danish within 3 years of beginning their Danish language studies.

Goal 4, Responsible citizenship: More immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin will feel included in the Danish society and involve themselves in social life.

The Government wishes Denmark to be a country in which everybody feels welcome despite his background and involves himself actively in the community. It is therefore essential that newcomers feel recognition of their contribution to society. More newcomers are also to involve themselves in associations, clubs, societies and NGOs, which will contribute to stronger personal networks and the creation of a sense of community. It is also important to foster active participation of newcomers in democracy.

Status: In 2012 48 per cent of the immigrants and descendants answering the questionnaire did not feel that they had been recognized for their involvement in the Danish society, 55 per cent were active in an association, club or similar (this number was 82 among people with Danish origin) and 64 per cent were political active (this number was 82 among people with Danish origin).

Goal 5, Equal treatment: Fewer immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin will experience differential treatment.

The Government will safeguard equal opportunities and equal rights for everyone. Discrimination and social exclusion of newcomers to Denmark is not acceptable as it constitutes a barrier to their integration into the Danish society.

Status: In 2012 48 per cent of the immigrants and descendants answering the questionnaire felt that they had experienced differential treatment because of their ethnic origin.


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Goal 6, Self-determination: Fewer young immigrants and descendants will feel restricted in their right to self-determination over their own lives.

All citizens must have equal opportunities and freedom to make their own choices in life. The Government will not accept any restrictions of the right of young newcomers to develop themselves that may be imposed on them by their own families for cultural or religious reasons. Young people must have the right to freely choose a partner and spouse and decide on their own choice of career and friends. It is also important that all children experience already in their tender years that girls and boys are treated equally and are of equal worth.

Status and developments: In 2012 24 per cent of the young immigrants and descendants experienced that their family was limiting their self-determination with regards to choosing sweethearts and wife/husbands and 6 per cent experience that their family was limiting their self-determination with regards to education and friends. 4 per cent of the young immigrants and descendants did not appreciate gender equality.

Goal 7, Self-support: Fewer immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin will receive public benefits.

It is a challenge to a welfare society when its citizens of the economically active age receive public benefits rather than having a job or studying. Unfortunately, the proportion of immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin receiving public benefits is particularly high. The Government therefore aims to contribute to a reduction of the number of newcomers to Denmark who receive public benefits.

Status: In 2011, the self-support gap between immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin aged 16-66 years and persons of Danish origin of the same age bracket was 15 percentage points, the proportion of persons of immigrant and descendant background receiving full-time public benefits being 29 per cent and the proportion of persons of Danish origin being 15 per cent.

Goal 8, Vulnerable neighbourhoods: Fewer vulnerable neighbourhoods.

The Government will reduce the number of vulnerable neighbourhoods. These areas, too, are to become vibrant with life and attractive and invite many people to settle there. The Government aims at reducing the number of vulnerable neighbourhoods by at least one fourth by 2016 and to half the current number by 2021.

Status: In 2012, the list of highly vulnerable neighbourhoods prepared by the Ministry of Housing, Urban and Rural Affairs comprised 33 neighbourhoods.

Goal 9, Crime: Fewer immigrants and descendants will commit crimes.

Crime is a serious problem, in particular to the victims of crime and to society as such, but also to the offenders themselves. The Government therefore intends to pursue a policy of consistency against the small minority committing crimes. Unfortunately, the crime rate among young male newcomers is far too high. The Government will take action against this situation.

Status and developments: 15 per cent of immigrants and descendants of non-Western origin aged 15-29 years were convicted of an offence in 2011. By comparison, the corresponding proportion of men of Danish origin aged 15-29 years was 8 per cent. The development from 2011 has been unchanged.


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Newest legal changes on integration issues

In March 2013 the Government introduced a bill in Parliament which, inter alia, will introduce medical screenings of all newly arrived refugees and their family members.

Following the bill the municipalities will be obliged to - as soon as possible and within 3 months of arrival – to offer a medical screening to all newly arrived refugees and their family members. The medical screenings will be carried out by their family doctor.

The purpose of medical screenings is to expose severe health problems at an early stage so that adequate health treatment or social support can be activated as early as possible preventing health problems from becoming a barrier for successful integration.

The introduction of medical screening is launched because a relatively large part of new arrived refugees and their family members have severe health problems. Also there are indications that every third new refugee in Denmark shows signs of trauma.

The bill is expected to come into force as of July 1st 2013.


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ESTONIA

ESTONIAN INTEGRATION POLICY22

Migration to and from Estonia

According to the results of the 2011 Population and Housing Census (PHC 2011), 1,294,455 permanent residents were enumerated in Estonia. Compared to the previous census of 2000, the population of Estonia has decreased by 75,597 persons, i.e. by 5.5%. 85% of permanent residents are born in Estonia23.

Population by nationality/citizenship (2011)

Total population 1294455

Estonian 1102618

Russian 90510

Ukrainian 4756

Latvian 1762

Finnish 1519

Belorussian 1488

Lithuanian 1354

Other 4216

Undetermined 85961

Unknown 271

Source: Statistics Estonia

Most of Estonian immigrant population formed after the Second World War and mostly came from other parts of the Soviet Union. Migration inflow was quite intense until 1988 and comparison of years of this period showed that the most intense migration was after the war until the beginning of the 1950s24.

Currently the majority of immigrants arriving Estonia are Estonian citizens (ca 70%); this may also be considered re-migration (people who were born in Estonia and their children born abroad come back to Estonia). The rest are mainly immigrants from Russia (24% of the immigrants in 2012). According to the trend of the past years, 30–40% of Estonian citizens having emigrated from Estonia return here25.

The share of immigrant population is continuously decreasing. On the one hand it is caused by third generation of immigrants already belonging to native population and on the other hand by very low

22 Maarja Kuldjärv, Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour Market Department 23 Statistics Estonia, Population and housing census 2011, www.stat.ee/phc2011 24 Statistics Estonia „Immigrant Population in Estonia“, 2009. http://www.stat.ee/31389 Here, immigrant

population is defined as comprising of people living in Estonia whose parents were born in a foreign state 25 Statistics Estonia, Population and housing census 2011


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migration rate to Estonia after Estonia gained re-independence in 1992. Although immigration remains low and little changed, Estonia retains a significant non-EU national population26.

Remarkable is the difference of age structure of native and immigrant population. The share of young people is much larger among native population than among immigrant population. Among native population, the share of persons aged 15–29 among persons aged 15–74 was over 30%, among immigrant population the share of persons aged 15–29 was only slightly over 10%27. The majority of persons born abroad have come to Estonia in the 1950s–1980s, they are now at their late working age or pension age and originate from the territory of the former Soviet Union. According to the data of the Population Census, the number of persons born in Western countries was the biggest among under-age children, the main countries of birth are Finland and USA and it can be assumed that they are mainly the children born abroad of those people who have returned to Estonia. People born in Estonia, but having lived permanently abroad in 2000–2011 have come mainly from Finland, the United Kingdom, USA and Russia28.

According to the data of 2012, people emigrate from Estonia mainly to Finland and the United Kingdom and people immigrate to Estonia from Finland and Russia. In 2012, emigration reduced the population number in Estonia by 6,629 people, 10,873 persons emigrated and 4,244 immigrated29.

Immigrants by country of departure

Total EU-15 EU-27 Germany Finland

United

Kingdom Ukraine Russia

2008 3671 1919 2191 184 1151 128 192 798

2009 3884 1902 2204 161 1214 133 237 757

2010 2810 1577 1739 70 1020 108 112 622

2011 3709 1583 1671 58 1149 118 272 1200

2012 4244 2249 2346 79 1503 258 237 1001


Immigrants by country of birth

Estonia Russia Finland

Other

country

Country

unknown

2008 1184 675 316 1416 80

2009 1250 672 317 1595 50

2010 1188 534 167 881 40

2011 1539 1085 56 991 38

2012 2133 923 69 1093 26


Immigrants by citizenship 26 Statistics Estonia Immigrant Population in Estonia, 2009. 27 Statistics Estonia Immigrant Population in Estonia, 2009. 28 Statistics Estonia, Population and housing census 2011. 29 Statistics Estonia, Population and housing census 2011, www.stat.ee/phc2011.


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Estonian citizenship

Russian citizenship

Other citizenship

Citizenship unknown

2008 1742 435 1494 02009 1655 505 1723 12010 1611 356 841 22011 2034 913 761 12012 2950 539 699 56


The number of asylum seekers coming to Estonia has constantly been the lowest among the EU countries. Still, there has been a clear trend of increase over the last years:

Year Number of asylum applications 2009 26 2010 30 2011 66 2012 77 Source: Centre of Migration Studies, „Rändemonitooring: Pagulusränne Euroopa Liidus sh Balti riikides ja Põhjamaades 2012. Aastal“ (2013) http://www.sisekaitse.ee/erv/muk/

The asylum seekers come from different countries. In 2011 the leading country of origin was Congo DV (11 applicants), in 2012 it was Georgia (35 applicants). Other countries of origin in 2012 were Russia (8), Armenia (5), Vietnam (4), Belarus (4), Syria (4). The share of positive decisions on asylum applications was 66% in 2011 and 77% in 201230.

Main institutions responsible for integration policy

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for policies relating to cultural diversity and integration. The Ministry of Culture is the leading institution in the process of drawing up the Estonian Integration Plan.

www.kul.ee

The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for migration policy. The ministry is also responsible for administering the European Refugee Fund and European Fund for Third Country Nationals as well as the future European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.

www.siseministeerium.ee

The Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for facilitating the transition of Russian-language schools to Estonian as the language of instruction as well as promoting the integration of children with immigrant background in the Estonian education system.

www.hm.ee

The Integration and Migration Foundation Our People (MISA). The tasks of the foundation include promoting integration processes in Estonia, coordinating activities related to immigration and emigration,

30 Centre of Migration Studies, „Rändemonitooring: Pagulusränne Euroopa Liidus sh Balti riikides ja

Põhjamaades 2012. Aastal“ (2013) http://www.sisekaitse.ee/erv/muk/


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publishing information in this regard and producing overviews. The activities of the Foundation have been based on the Estonian Integration Plan 2008-2013 (DP 2008-2013) since 2008.

www.meis.ee/eng

The Ministry of Social Affairs is responsible for setting up and organising the activities of the Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers.

http://www.sm.ee/eng.html

Main documents

Estonian Integration Strategy 2008-2013

http://www.kul.ee/webeditor/files/mitmekesisus/Estonian_Integration_Strategy_2008-2013_ENG_VV_11.06.09_nr_236.pdf

Monitoring of Integration in the Estonian Society (2011)

http://www.kul.ee/webeditor/files/integratsioon/Monitooring_2011_EN.pdf

Brief summary of the key results:

• Self-assessment of one’s command of the Estonian language among the Russian speaking population has improved.

• Contacts between the Estonian and Russian speaking population have increased. Participation in civil society associations and organisations has grown.

• Both language groups trust and recognise each other more than before. The Russian speaking respondents trust certain state institutions less than the Estonian speaking respondents.

• The majority of the Estonian and Russian speaking respondents are self-critical; they feel that their language group should contribute more into the integration process. People are not afraid of losing their national identity.

• The share of persons with undetermined citizenship in the population has been consistently decreasing and has to date reached 7.5%. The motivation to change their status has dropped among people with undetermined citizenship.

• The Russian speaking respondents experience the socio-economic inequality more than the Estonian speaking respondents.

• The level of consumption of media produced in Russia continues to be high among the Russian speaking respondents.

Some of the main developments in integration policy in recent years

Transition to Estonian as the language of instruction in Russian-language upper secondary schools

One of the main developments in the field of integration in Estonia over the past years has been the gradual transition to Estonian as the language of instruction of Russian-language upper secondary schools.


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The reform has been prepared since the 1990s. There are 62 upper secondary schools with Russian as the language of instruction in Estonia, all of which had to switch to Estonian language subject study in accordance with the schedule and procedure established in the regulation of the Government of the Republic. As of the 2011/2012 academic year, Estonian has been the language of instruction in all upper secondary schools in Estonia. The schools can choose either the Estonian curriculum or Estonian as a second language curriculum as the basis for teaching Estonian, and organize the state examination necessary for graduation according to the curriculum they have chosen (either a composition in Estonian or an examination in Estonian as a second language). The upper secondary school curriculum contains a minimum of 57 courses where Estonian is used as the language of instruction (one course equals 35 lessons).

The transition of compulsory subjects to Estonian language instruction in upper secondary schools where Russian has heretofore been used as the language of instruction has been gradual:

In the 2009/2010 academic year, it was compulsory for schools to provide one course of Estonian literature, two courses of Social Studies, and three courses of Music in Estonian.

In the 2010/2011 academic year, the pupils starting the 10th grade had one Estonian Literature course, two Social Studies courses, three Music courses, and two Estonian History courses in Estonian.

As of the 2011/2012 academic year, one Estonian Literature course, two Social Studies courses, three Music courses, two Estonian History courses, three Geography courses, and nine Estonian language courses as well as at least 37 additional courses chosen by the school are provided in Estonian, constituting 60% of the minimum required study volume.

Each subsequent stage of the transition concerned pupils who started the 10th grade in the given academic year. Pupils starting the 10th grade in 2011 or later study 60% of school subjects in Estonian. In basic schools, the owner of the school (generally the local government) will choose the language of instruction31.

Adaptation programmes for newly arrived immigrants

In many European countries there are adaptation programmes for immigrants which help them get acquainted with the receiving society. As immigration level to Estonia has constantly been low, such measures have been lacking until recent years. In 2009, the first adaptation programme in Estonia was designed in collaboration with the Estonian Integration Foundation and Tallinn University. It was supported by the European Foundation for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals and the Ministry of Culture. The programme was piloted in 3 counties in 2009, in cooperation with local authorities and employers. The programme is designed for newly arrived adults in Estonia, who are citizens of third countries, and is intended to facilitate their integration into Estonian society.

The volume of the basic course is 65 hours. Participants are prepared for entry into the labour market as well as for overall socio-economic integration. The basic course introduces the history, geography, culture, life and society in Estonia. As part of the basic course, knowledge of the country's current laws and the rights of residents can be acquired. Further assistance can be provided in finding information about housing, employment, health services, social support services, education, professional training etc.

The language course consists of 364 hours of basic Estonian aimed at the desired initial language level (A2), which should provide learners the with the opportunity to participate in daily life of Estonia.

31 Ministry of Education and Research (www.hm.ee).


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For those who wish to apply for long-term residence in Estonia, further possibilities will be offered to learn the Estonian language at B1 level32.

Since 2012 mentorship service has also been provided to newly arrived immigrants. It has been provided by an NGO (Johannes Mihkelsoni Keskus,, www.jmk.ee) and financed by the European Foundation for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals. The mentors are specifically trained to help new immigrants in Estonia. The mentoring service consists mainly of (1) giving information about different opportunities in language studies, working, education, medicine etc.; (2) explaining the social support system in Estonia; (3) introducing the Estonian society, living style, culture etc. and (4) providing other support services (for example translating the communication with the doctor or teacher etc.). The mentorship programme also includes an e-service through an internet environment: http://el-counselling.blogspot.com.

Adaptation programmes (and mentorship programmes) have so far been designed and piloted as project-based measures. As they have shown to be effective, it is now possible to overtake them to general migration and integration policy and implement them in a more regular and systematic way.

Newly arrived immigrants-children in the Estonian education system

Every child who resides on the territory of Estonia has the right and obligation to attend school. However, the education system is not always prepared for teaching pupils of different cultural background and very little language skills. In addition to immigrants of other nationalities, children of Estonian families who have been living abroad for several years and return to Estonia are also posing difficulties for the education system. In order to cope with the challenge, the Ministry of Education and Research and the Integration Foundation have in cooperation undertaken several activities in the field since 2003 and the activities are broadened and developed constantly. The main activities in recent years have been developing study materials for pupils with poor language skills, training sessions and guidance materials for teachers. Also, a study is being conducted on education facilities and results of immigrant-children in Estonian schools (to be published later in 2013)33.

The new national integration plan Lõimuv Eesti 2020

Estonia has drawn up multi-annual integration policy plans since 1997. The last integration plan was designed for the years 2008-2013, at the moment the process of compiling of the next plan for the year 2014-2020 (Lõimuv Eesti 2020) is underway. The process is led by the Ministry of Culture and many relevant stakeholders are involved. The new integration plan will have 2 directions: (1) measures for the immigrant population in order to facilitate their adaptation to the society, language-learning, naturalisation etc and (2) measures targeted to the whole population in order to raise social cohesion 34.

Reception centre for asylum seekers

In the field of asylum policy and the integration of asylum seekers, a remarkable development is the change of location of the reception centre for asylum seekers. The first and only Estonian Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers was established in April 1998 by a government regulation. It is located in a remote area near the Eastern Border of Estonia. Due to its isolated location it has been uncomfortable for both the asylum seekers and refugees living there (very few possibilities for finding ways to stay active) as well as the officials (long distance from the capital where the asylum application is processed, difficult to organise 32 More information: www.meis.ee/eng. 33 More information: http://www.meis.ee/uusimmigrantlaps2 (in Estonian). 34 More information on the process: www.integratsioon.ee/eng.


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integration measures in the centre due to lack of personnel). Also, the awareness of the general public of asylum issues remains low if the asylum seekers are isolated from the society. Over the years, several international organisations (e.g. the UNHCR, IOM) and local NGOs (e.g. The Estonian Human Rights Centre, Estonian Refugee Council) have made proposals for moving the centre to a more suitable location. By the end of 2013 the centre will be closed and a new reception centre will be opened in a different location, nearby a town in North-Estonia.

Until April 2013 the Ministry of Social Affairs was directly responsible for managing the reception centre and providing services for asylum seekers. Since April 2013 the responsibility has been delegated to AS Hoolekandeteenused (www.hoolekandeteenused.ee) which is a 100% state-owned enterprise and the main areas of activity of the organisation is providing social welfare services to adults with special mental needs, offering substitute home and childcare service to children with special mental needs and care services to elderly people. Therefore the organisation has wide expertise in providing social services and is in a good position to engage with the asylum seekers. The services provided to asylum seekers in the reception centre include information and support services (information about their rights and obligations, Estonian language learning, counselling and assistance according to special needs, assistance in finding education institution for children, provision of basic clothing and footwear, transport according to needs), health care services (examination upon arrival and according to needs, purchase of medications, translation), work (possibility to participate in upkeep and gardening activities around the centre), leisure activities (lectures on Estonian culture and society, hiking, sports, TV and internet facilities), specific services for unaccompanied minors.


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FINLAND

POLICY, DEVELOPMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN FINLAND, 2008-2013

Immigrant integration in Finland as a concept became established as part of national legislation in 1999, when the Integration Act (493/1999) came into effect, making Finland one of the first countries to adopt comprehensive legislation concerning the integration and inclusion of immigrants. The fundamental aims of the Act included immigrant equality of participation in Finnish societal activity and to recognize the key actors in the undertaking of successful integration to be immigrants themselves, municipalities, Employment Offices, and non-governmental organizations.

The Integration Act came under total review in 2009, following the 2008 submission of the Government report on the implementation of the Integration Act to Parliament. The proposed amendments to the Integration Act led to the adoption of the Act on the Promotion of Integration35 in December 2010. The Act came into force on 1 September 2011. The scope of application of the Act was extended to cover all immigrants bearing a valid residence permit or whose right of residence has been registered in Finland. Thus new immigrants to Finland receive initially basic information on Finnish society, rights and obligations upon being issued a residence permit. In addition, immigrants receive information on the integration system and other relevant services, and are entitled to an initial assessment in which their needs for language training or an integration plan is reviewed.

Integration Plans are meant to act on a case-by-case basis, in which the needs of the individual are taken into account in the development of a personalized plan for successful integration as defined by the aforementioned Act. The personal Integration Plan's implementation is to cover at most three years, keeping in the mind the aim to speed up integration and employment and make integration measures more responsive to the client36.

Municipal integration programme became a part of municipal budgeting, with municipalities receiving computational state subsidies for three years based on the number of refugees or persons under international protection for whom they have organized reception. Municipalities are thus responsible for the appropriate planning regarding the integration of newly arriving foreign residents in cooperative work with agencies of the Ministry of Labour and the Economy, namely the ELY Centres and TE Offices. ELY Centres provide municipalities with support in the planning of their integration programming and strategies and provide other assistive services. TE Offices handle issues related to the integration of immigrants who have registered as jobseekers, most notably the organization of appropriate education (from literacy education to job training) to aid in the integration into the Finnish labour market. One of the points of focus in the Government Integration Programme for 2012-2015 has been the improvement of cooperation between the State and municipalities to expedite the process of placing those under refugee status or international protection into their respective receiving municipalities.

With the steady growth in numbers of immigrants coming to Finland, successful integration has become a relevant concern in Finnish public discourse. Diversity in immigrant populations and their reasons for coming to Finland demand in turn diversity in strategies for their successful integration into 35 Act on the Promotion of Integration (In Finnish) http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2010/20101386. 36 Annual Report on Immigration 2012, Ministry of the Interior,

http://www.migri.fi/download/46518_46515_Maahanmuuton_tilastokatsaus_2012_ENG_web.pdf?66390980696cd088.


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Finnish society. Current points of focus in the domain of integration are employment strategies for immigrants and the expedition of delivery of integration services to families, children and young people. The delivery of information related to immigrants' rights and obligations is aided by the website 'Life in Finland'37, launched in Autumn 2011, which contains extensive practical and contact information about housing, employment and other services.

The Government Integration Programme, Focus Areas for 2012-2015

In September 2012, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy published the State Integration Program, highlighting the Government's focus areas for the years 2012-2015 in development of integration services. The Integration Programme, made up of goals and measures for the advancement of integration of immigrants in Finland, is prepared in accordance with the Act on the Promotion of Integration for the current term of government. The measures for 2012-2015 take into account the rapid changes in demographics in Finland, the increase in multiculturalism and multilingualism and the challenges that come therewith, namely the unemployment rate of foreigners in Finland, which stands at three times higher than that of Finns. Immigrant youth are five times more susceptible to marginalization or social exclusion.

The Government Integration Programme recognizes in its reasoning that the growth in the influx of immigrants to Finland increases both the need for development in the field of integration as well as the importance of integration measures currently in place. The programme endeavours to improve the planning, implementation and monitoring of integration measures, all with the key goal of improving and increasing the participation of immigrants in all sectors of Finnish society. In drafting the programme, the aim was to create a comprehensive and concrete set of strategies in a process of addressing immigrant needs across all political domains, with particular attention paid to employment, education, housing, social and health service developments.

37 http://www.lifeinfinland.fi.


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Employment rates of immigrants in Finland, Strategies and Development 2008-2013

As is often noted in immigration and integration-related discourse in Finland, unemployment rates between immigrants and Finns exhibit a sizable disparity, with the immigrant unemployment rate sitting at three times that of Finns (22.7% at the end of February, 2012). This is of course an obstacle to successful integration and individual and/or family wellbeing, and stable, gainful employment continues to be regarded as essential for successful integration. Foreign residents of Finland benefit from policy interventions in the labour market as do Finns, and monitoring conducted by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy have confirmed that these interventions give foreign citizens equal or better chances at employment than Finns. However, these interventions were negatively affected by the 2009 recession and unemployed jobseekers were less successful in finding work. The exception to this trend was the effectiveness of subsidised employment measures, which were fairly effective in 2009.

Source: The Annual Report on Immigration 2012, Ministry of the Interior

Foreign residents in Finland have continued to pursue entrepreneurship, with 6 960 businesses with foreign residents in positions of responsibility or ownership, 900 more than in 2005 (Ministry of the Interior). 40% of these immigrant-run businesses are under the complete control of female entrepreneurs or of partnerships between men and women.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy released a report in 2012 on the state of discrimination in the Finnish labour market in recruitment, workplace harassment or bullying and termination. In the study's look at discrimination of foreign residents in Finland, a Europe-wide study was cited to show that while the 2009 European average stood at 38%, among Finnish respondents 52% presumed that 'ethnic origin/skin colour' would have an effect in an employer's recruitment decision38. Conclusions stemming from the report's field experiment also suggest part of integration and successful entry into the Finnish labour market may be staggered by discrimination. Currently there are continuing initiatives to aid in foreign residents' employment in Finland, including AFRO3 Project, which is in its third stage and aims, through education, awareness and positive special treatment to facilitate more people of immigrant background into careers in public administration to curb further discrimination and promote intercultural dialogue.

38 Discrimination in the Finnish Labor Market : An overview and a field experiment on recruitment,

Publications of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, 07/2012, http://www.tem.fi/files/32827/TEMjul_16_2012_web.pdf.


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Diversity, multilingualism and ethnic relations in Finland

Finland has seen unprecedented growth in the number of arrivals of foreign residents in the past decade, changing the demographic of its population and as a result bringing a need for anti-discrimination efforts and recognition of cultural diversity, in particular among young generations. At the end of 2012, 4,9% of Finland's population spoke a foreign language (i.e. not Finnish, Swedish or Sami) as their mother tongue. In the Capital City Region, foreign language speakers make up 11,8% of the population, the highest in the country (Ministry of the Interior). The Equality Act, in force since 2004, prohibits direct and indirect discrimination based on age, ethnic or national origin, nationality, language, religion, conviction, opinion, state of health, disability, sexual orientation or any other individual reason.

Source: The Annual Report on Immigration 2012, Ministry of the Interior Finland Authorities responsible for monitoring of discrimination include the Ombudsman for Minorities,

which is responsible for the surveillance and advancement of rights and legal status of ethnic minorities in Finland, as well as the promotion of positive relations between ethnic groups. Advisory boards, assembled by the government to promote and monitor the situation of their respective interest groups, are also active in this domain including the Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations (ETNO), which works to promote positive ethnic relations in Finland's emerging diverse society.

Further programming and initiatives have been active recently including the Good Relations project, funded by the European Union Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme and aimed at improving the state of ethnic relations and eliminating xenophobia in Finland39.

Advancement of immigrant societal participation and inclusion

Societal participation and the inclusion of immigrants to Finland in diverse sectors of societal activity and the promotion thereof have risen to priority status in the Government's strategy on the successful integration of foreigners into Finnish society. The Immigrant Barometer 2012, published by the Ministry of Employment and the Economy in 2013, evaluates immigrants' own opinions and reflections on the 39 Good Relations Project, Ministry of the Interior,

http://www.intermin.fi/en/development_projects/good_relations.


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accessibility of services, participation in social goings-on and political life, quality and effectiveness of immigrant integration education and more indicators of general wellbeing and quality of life. The report examines the current state of integration in multiple contexts focussing on contributors to wellbeing and successful integration. In terms of societal and political participation, the barometer's results revealed that 22% of respondents were unaware of their right to vote40.

The 'Participative Integration in Finland' project41 (2011-2013)aims through experiments and trials to improve and advance the state of integration education in Finland by making it respond better to the needs of those accessing it, be more cost-effective and more applicable to young immigrants and children of immigrants. The project's key points of focus are employment, education and societal participation for immigrants as well as seeking to develop the existing integration frameworks in Finland.

Projects, initiatives, studies and monitoring of immigrant integration and wellbeing

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy is responsible for monitoring ethnic relations and different aspects of integration. The monitoring system consists of indicators describing the living conditions of immigrants, the immigrant barometer and service surveys directed at municipalities and Employment and Economic Development Offices.

An overall review is drawn up based on information gathered from the various sections of the monitoring system, in order to evaluate the status of ethnic relations and the different aspects of integration. An overall review is published every four years.

The National Institute for Health and Wellbeing (THL) conducted a study from 2010-2012 in which the health and wellbeing of immigrants to Finland was evaluated in such a way that it could then be compared with the corresponding collected data available about Finns (Maamu: Study on the Health and Wellbeing of Immigrants42 ).

The study collected comprehensive information related not only to health care services and the general state of health, but also to discrimination, lifestyle and social activities contributing to wellbeing. Results of the study indicated there was a need to further improve accessibility of mental and public health services as well as to further promote health and wellbeing as part of the integration process.

Etnokids, a cooperative project (THL, Family Foundation of Finland) funded in part by the European Integration Fund, collects data to determine special needs and/or factors in integration of children as well as to evaluate the wellbeing of children of immigrant background in Finland43.

40 Immigrant Barometer, Ministry of Employment and the Economy, (in Finnish)

http://www.tem.fi/files/35826/Maahanmuuttajabarometri2012_11_2013.pdf. 41 Osallisena Suomessa (Participative Integration in Finland), Ministry of Employment and the Economy,

http://www.tem.fi/tyo/maahanmuuttajien_kotouttaminen/kotouttamisen_kehittamishankkeet/osallisena_suomessa_-hanke (in Finnish).

42Study on the Health of Wellbeing of Immigrants, National Institution for Health and Wellbeing (THL) http://www.thl.fi/fi_FI/web/fi/hankesivu?id=22131 , in Finnish.

43Säävälä, Minna: The Burden of Difference? School Welfare Personnel´s and Parents´ Views on Wellbeing of Migrant Children in Finland, http://www.vaestoliitto.fi/tieto_ja_tutkimus/vaestontutkimuslaitos/maahanmuuttotutkimus/etnokids/.


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FRANCE

FRENCH POLICY ON THE INTEGRATION OF MIGRANTS BY EMPLOYMENT AND PROMOTING DIVERSITY

Access to employment is one of the key components of integrating migrants in France, in that it provides economic independence and facilitates socialisation.

Foreigners encounter many obstacles to employment. The Ministry of the Interior is taking measures to promote every means of facilitating job-searching immediately upon arrival in France and business start-up by migrants if they so wish, while encouraging employers to be more open to diversity.

Promote rapid access to employment of signatories of the reception and integration contract (CAI) on arrival in France

• By a skills assessment, which is compulsory for all migrants of working age who are not in employment or initial training. This assessment, which has been conducted since February 2009, covered 61 000 migrants in 2012.

• By mobilising the public employment service, in particular the employment pole, under a multiannual agreement signed with the State and the French Bureau for Immigration and Integration (OFII): a computer link has recently been set up between the OFII and the employment pole, to utilise the results of the skills assessment and follow-up new arrivals on their access to employment pathways.

• By concluding partnership agreements with occupational branches facing recruitment difficulties and with large economic networks and enterprises.

Support business start-ups by migrants

• Business start-ups by foreigners of non-EU origin are evidence of their dynamism, given that they account for an annual 7.3% (24 000) of the 325 000 business start-ups France, while representing only 5.4% of the working population. Moreover, foreigners create more jobs than the French, although their businesses are more fragile, since 60% of them disappear within five years.

• It seems vital, therefore, in order to promote and consolidate business start-ups by this population group, to develop tools and methods to raise the awareness of and mobilise the main business start-up support and counselling networks more effectively and make the immigrant population more aware of them. To that end, agreements have been signed with the French Business Start-up Agency (Agence Pour la Création d’Activités, APCE) and with the major business start-up support networks.

Promote diversity in recruitment and careers

Enterprises do not adequately reflect the composition of the French population (such as origin, age, sex, persons with a disability) and there is still too much discrimination in hiring and career prospects.


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1/ The Charter for Diversity was introduced at the end of 2004, and some 3 500 enterprises and other public and private organisations have now signed it. The Ministry of the Interior (DAIC) has been a partner since the origin of the charter, is a member of its steering committee and is one of its main funders.

2/ The Diversity Label. The Directorate of Reception, Integration and Citizenship (DAIC) and the National Association of Directors of Human Resources (ANDRH), with the support of the Ministries of Labour and of Employment, developed the Diversity Label in order to go a step further and objectively recognise the progress employers make in preventing discrimination and promoting diversity in their recruitment and human resource management policies.

The label is the property of the State and covers all public and private employers, whatever their size, requiring them to set out objective recruitment and career management criteria.

It is designed to prevent all forms of discrimination recognised as such by the law: e.g. on the grounds of origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion, involvement in unions or mutual insurance companies, or political opinions.

It takes account of the nature of the candidate’s organisation and the measures taken by the candidate are assessed more highly where they more than merely meet the specifications of the Diversity Label.

The label is awarded for a period of four years, with an interim assessment after two years, by AFNOR Certification, a labelling organisation, on the advice of a 20-member labelling commission chaired by the DAIC (State, employers, unions, experts appointed by the ANDRH).

To date, the label has been awarded to 381 companies and organisations, relating to nearly 820 000 employees.

The European Commission has recognised the Diversity Label as a key best practice at national level to combat discrimination in employment.


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Statistical Annex: Immigrant employment 2005-2011

The period 2005-2011 was chosen because the perimeter of the third countries has not changed. The employment survey data are regarded as fairly solid, even in relation to 2005. The detailed statistics can be found in Infos Migrations 14 and 48.

Between 2005 and 2008, the growth in the employed population slowed down a little compared with previous years, while the unemployment rate, which was fairly stable before that time, fell markedly. The economic downturn following the crisis in the late 2000s proved brutal: in 2011, the unemployment rate was higher than in 2005.

Table: Employment and unemployment rates Employment rate Unemployment rate 2005 2008 2011 2005 2008 2011 Immigrants from the EEA 71 69 74 8.2 6.9 8.0 Men 79 75 80 6.1 6.1 7.1 Women 63 64 69 10.5 7.1 9.0 Immigrants from third countries 65 67 65 21.4 16.4 20.8 Men 77 80 78 18 15.3 18.9 Women 52 55 54 26.4 17.9 23 Foreigners from third countries 59 62 60 24.5 19 25.4 Men 74 76 75 19.7 17.4 22.6 Women 44 47 47 32.5 21.5 29.5 Population in France Men 75 74.6 74.6 8.1 6.9 8.8 Women 64.7 65.5 66.1 9.8 7.9 9.7 Total 69.8 70 70.2 8.9 7.4 9.3

Overall, the gap between men and women’s unemployment rates is narrowing, but less quickly since the crisis. Immigrant males from third countries have suffered more from the crisis: their unemployment rates were higher in 2011 than in 2005, markedly so in the case of foreigners from third countries. By contrast, although the unemployment rate for women, whatever their origin, rose between 2005 and 2011, in 2011 it was still below the 2005 rate. Over a six-year period, therefore, the relative gaps in the unemployment rates between third-country immigrants and the working population as a whole have narrowed a little.44

Three aspects deserve mention:

Women tend to work more in the services sector, especially unskilled services (less easy to “relocate”), than men, most of whom, on the contrary, work in construction and industry. The fall in industrial employment has remained constant for about 40 years, although it has recently accelerated. Construction work is very sensitive to the economic situation.

44 By contrast, the descendants of immigrants of third-country origin have suffered particularly severely from

the crisis, and the unemployment rate among this group rose from 15% to 22% (for men, 17% to 23%) between 2008 and 2011.


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Unemployment remains higher among those who are less skilled, young or have little experience, which to some extent explains the gaps between foreigners and French immigrants.

By contrast, although there has been a slight change to immigrants’ origins – the past six years have seen a slightly higher number of immigrants of African or Turkish origin – this has had no tangible effect on unemployment rates.


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GERMANY

INTEGRATION OF PERSONS WITH A MIGRANT BACKGROUND IN GERMANY: KEY DEVELOPMENTS OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS45

Federal Policy Context

Approximately 16 million persons with a migrant background currently live in Germany. This means that some 19 percent of the population are either immigrants themselves, the children of immigrants or of foreign nationality. For the past three years, Germany’s immigrant balance has been on the rise. Whereas in 2010 it rose by 128,000 persons, by 2012 this figure was already 340,000. More than four out of ten immigrants are academics. In addition, there are quite a number of migrants who have been living in Germany for many years now with their families. In the meantime, a large number of them also possess German nationality. Most immigrants have Turkish roots (around three million) followed by persons of Polish (1.5 million) and Russian descent (1.2 million). Since the micro-census that was conducted in 2005, the Land Statistical Offices and the Federal Statistical Office no longer record only a migrant’s nationality; they also record the parents’ place of birth. As a result, it is also possible now to illustrate the migrant background of persons born in Germany which greatly improve the data situation with respect to Germany’s migrants.

German integration policy has displayed immense dynamism over the past five years. Upon taking office in 2005, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel declared integration policy to be a personal priority. That term of office saw the reform of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz) in 2007 with the introduction of integration courses, the regulation of family reunification with proof of basic language skills, as well as the Act to recognise Qualifications acquired Abroad (Gesetz zur Anerkennung von im Ausland erworbenen Qualifikationen).

Integration policy in Germany is a cross-section task. Responsibility for different aspects of the subject is distributed across various ministries. It is therefore all the more important to find a common framework in which, among other things, the initiatives from labour market and social policy as well as from education, health and family policy can be brought together.

This framework for integration policy in Germany is provided by the National Integration Plan, which was drawn up with the participation of the Federal Government, the Laender and the municipalities as well as non-governmental stakeholders such as migrant self-help organisations, welfare associations and representatives of the media. The participants met in working groups to discuss different approaches intended to give a fillip to integration. The Federal Chancellor initiated this process and, with the first Integration Summit in 2006, sent a clear public signal that integration is to be understood as a task incumbent on all of society and its stakeholders. The principle of “Support and Challenge” underlies the agreed measures from all areas of public life. Almost all of the approximately 400 undertakings made by the participants themselves, and contained in the National Integration Plan, have been fully implemented.

Subsequently, in 2010/2011, the National Integration Plan was further developed into a National Action Plan on Integration (http://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Bundesregierung/BeauftragtefuerIntegration/nap/nationaler-aktionsplan/_node.html) so as to make integration policy a more measureable and, in so doing, a more binding undertaking. Here, too, the objectives were formulated and adopted jointly in dialogue with

45 Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend


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all of the societal actors. The eleven dialogue fora dealt with topics that are important for making progress in integration, such as: early childhood stimulation; education, training, further training; labour market and working life; migrants in the public service; health and long-term care; civic commitment and integration; media and integration.

Within the framework of the National Action Plan, the Federal Government and the Laender agreed, for the first time, on joint goals which include:

• strengthening individual promotion as well as recognising the potential of children, young people and young adults,

• improving the recognition of qualifications obtained abroad,

• increasing the proportion of immigrants in the public service of the Federal Government and the Laender.

In measuring the successes of integration, based on selected indicators, it must be possible to fall back on reliable data. With the introduction of the Federal Government’s Integration Indicator Reports in 2009, an important foundation was laid. The reports not only show in which precise areas integration measures are effective and progress can be observed; they also show where there is still a need for action. They facilitate an objective and data-based insight into the life situation of persons with a migrant background. With the assistance of these indicators, the effectiveness of integration measures can be checked. This provides the basis for further steps and facilitates the improvement of integration measures.

The second Integration Indicator Report that was published in 2012 (http://www.bundesregierung.de/Webs/Breg/DE/Bundesregierung/BeauftragtefuerIntegration/weitereschwerpunkte/monitoring/monitoring.html) shows that considerable progress has been made in integration. In key areas – such as early education and stimulation – there has been significant improvement in the participation of persons with a migrant background. This applies particularly to persons with a migrant background who were born in Germany. Worthy of special mention is the positive development with regard to the care of children with a migrant background in day-care facilities for children or in the transition phase from school to vocational training.

Regular integration policy opportunities already in place in Germany

With the entry into force of the Integration Act in 2005, a multitude of regular opportunities were created to facilitate and promote the integration of persons with a migrant background. The Federal Government funds various nationwide counselling opportunities for immigrants:

• Immigration Counselling for Adult Migrants, and

• Youth Immigration Services for children, young people and young adults from the ages of 12 to 27.

The presence of these services is guaranteed by the central organisations of the voluntary welfare associations and by the League of Expellees (Bund der Vertriebenen). The aim of the counselling service is to purposefully initiate, guide and accompany immigrants throughout the integration process and in doing so empower them to take charge of all of their day-to-day affairs independently.

The opportunities available in the area of integration courses were also revamped. Under specific circumstances, new immigrants have a right or an obligation to attend integration courses. An integration


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course is a sponsored language course comprising a basic and an advanced level course amounting to a total of 900 teaching hours. This is followed by an orientation course (60 teaching hours) on topics such as: the legal system, German culture and German history. Special integration courses are offered for women, parents and young people.

Integration in the labour market

Demographic trends and the lack of skilled workers in Germany are already taking a toll. The number of persons of working age in our country will continue to fall in the coming years and decades. For Germany to remain competitive on the international market, it will also require skilled workers from abroad. The integration of immigrants into the labour market is an essential part of the concept for securing skilled personnel adopted in 2011 by the Federal Government which, among other things, pursues the objective of making better use of qualified workers in Germany while promoting qualified immigration.

In the wake of the generally improved labour market situation, the situation for persons with a migrant background – especially foreigners – has improved as well. In 2011, for example, on average, the number of foreigners registered as unemployed dropped by over 200,000 compared with 2005. On the other hand it became evident that, when compared with the labour market participation of Germans, foreigners were still not able to profit to the same extent from the positive dynamic trends taking place on the market. Especially women and mothers with a migrant background have difficulty entering the labour market and finding employment that matches their level of qualification.

Since 1st April 2012, the possibilities for recognising qualifications acquired abroad have improved considerably. The Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Act (Anerkennungsgesetz) creates, for the first time, a general legal right to an assessment of the equivalence of a foreign diploma based on the German reference profession. The law improves the chances for persons who acquired their professional qualifications abroad, to find work in Germany in the profession in which they are trained. The procedures and criteria for professional recognition were standardised, expanded and improved. At the same time, counselling opportunities were set up along with an information website. The experience gained over the period of one year shows that the law is a success.

Another institution that is concerned with employment opportunities for persons with a migrant background is the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (www.antidiskriminierungsstelle.de). This independent contact point for persons who are victims of discrimination was set up in 2006. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, and the tasks for which it is responsible, are stipulated in the General Equal Treatment Act and are in keeping with the EU directives on equal treatment. Based on the positive experience of other countries, the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency conducted a nationwide pilot project in which various enterprises, authorities and municipalities tested anonymous job application procedures.

Over the past five years, the integration of persons with a migrant background has been looked at increasingly from the family policy perspective. This is based on the notion that migration often takes place in a family context or that frequently young people migrate and later go on to start families themselves. Some studies show that families can operate both as a driver of integration and as a hindrance to the same.

Consequently, the following objectives were at the forefront of the activities undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Young People:

• collecting and analysing reliable data on the life situation of families with a migrant background;


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• anchoring the family policy aspect within the Federal Government’s integration policy concepts, informing the drawing up of draft legislation and initiatives;

• developing specific opportunities for families with a migrant background.

In the process, the following priority topics emerged:

Employment perspectives for mothers with a migrant background

For mothers with a migrant background, felt and genuine integration is closely associated with the pursuit of gainful employment. Despite a high degree of motivation, many mothers with a migrant background have difficulties entering the labour market. Just under one million mothers with a migrant background, whose children are under the age of 18, are currently unemployed. In spite of rising demand on the labour market, many women with a migrant background do not succeed in their efforts to become gainfully employed. Whereas 72 percent of mothers without a migrant background are employed, only 50 percent of mothers with a migrant background have jobs.

In October 2012, funding started for pilot projects within the framework of the “Strengthening Resources – Securing the Future: Employment Perspectives for Mothers with a Migrant Background” initiative. Sixteen pilot locations all over Germany have commenced activities and are developing transferable approaches to assist these women in their job-seeking efforts. (www.ressourcen.staerken.de)

The aim of the initiative is to improve the support opportunities for these mothers. In addition to the offerings that already exist for this target group, projects such as “Perspectives after Integration/Language Courses” accompany the transition from the existing opportunities to employment integration. They provide support in the organisation of day-to-day life – in this instance, especially in organising childcare – promote the discovery of personal potential in preparing for/taking-up employment to secure their livelihood and aim to eliminate the remaining prejudices about this target group which still partly exist among some employers. In the process, co-operation schemes with job-centres/employment agencies, migrant self-help organisations, enterprises, associations, chambers of commerce and other organisations are being expanded.

The selected projects reflect the diversity of the stakeholders involved in the success of this employment integration endeavour; they include job-centres and educational providers as well as integration course providers and migrant organisations. Special emphasis was placed on the participation of migrant self-help organisations in the selection process.

Special focus nursery schools for language and integration

The earlier one begins to learn the language, the greater one’s chances of success. This is why the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth launched the “Early Opportunity Offensive: Special Focus Nursery Schools for Language and Integration” two years ago. In these special focus nursery schools, language education that is integrated into everyday life for children under three years of age is being funded. Especially children with a migrant background and children from educationally disadvantaged families stand to gain from this funding. (www.fruehe-chancen.de)

Since March 2011, some 4,000 special focus nursery schools are being funded through the Early Opportunities Offensive and funding will continue until 31st December 2014. For this purpose, the Federal Government has made some 400 million euros available.


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In these special nursery schools, language experts provide assistance to the nursery school teachers. They provide important impetus for the qualification of the teams, the implementation of language education and co-operation with parents.

Initiative to strengthen young people

Still too many young people in Germany today have no school or vocational qualifications (approximately 35,000 and 156,000, respectively, of those under the age of 25 in March 2013); among young people with a migrant background, the rate is still twice as high as among those without a migrant background.

These young people are in a difficult situation:

• They have no access to vocational training.

• Most often they obtain no vocational qualification because they were insufficiently prepared for vocational training owing to a lack of schooling.

• They are unable to respond with adequate flexibility to the precise matching of supply to the demand for apprenticeship places and jobs which is necessary.

These young people are not being suitably reached by the numerous opportunities offered, in the area of schooling and vocational training, by the employment agencies and job centres.

This is where the ‘STRENGTHEN YOUTH’ initiative comes into play with its four programmes (Truancy – the Second Chance, Competence Agencies, Youth Migration Services and Active in the Region).

Young people from educationally disadvantaged families, with and without a migrant background, are being assisted in finding their way into a profession or vocation and being taught not to give up despite setbacks or failures. In particular the 430 youth migration services are helping young migrants on their path towards vocational training. Last year alone, it was possible to reach 65,000 young migrants and guide approximately 40,000 quite individually through the transition from school into a profession.

The programmes show that targeted and personal guidance and precisely matched offerings are able to facilitate young migrants in relatively ‘intractable’ life situations in getting back onto their path. (www.jugend-staerken.de)


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GREECE

GREEK INTEGRATION POLICIES FOR MIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN46

A new national integration strategy was put in force in April 2013. The main axes of this new strategy concern: the mainstreaming of integration to all sections of policy decision making, the enhancement of coordination among all levels of the public administration and the regional and local authorities and tailored made policies for migrant women, minors and other vulnerable migrants. An action plan comprising the main objectives, priorities and targeted measures has been elaborated with a view to provide guidance to all stakeholders about projects to be undertaken within this strategy.

Fifty nine projects have been implemented in Greece from the year 2008 till the year 2013, in the framework of the European Integration Fund, of a total budget of 9.584.777 €.

Emphasis has been given to the education of migrant children. The Ministry of Education & Religious Affairs, Culture & Sports, through the Action Plan ‘’Education and Long-life learning’’, has implemented projects on intercultural learning, on psychological and social support of migrant pupils, on tailored made courses for non-native speakers and on intercultural training of teachers, aiming to their smooth integration in the school life, to the prevention of school dropping and the enhancement of school achievement. The Ministry of the Interior, within the framework of the European integration Fund (EIF), has implemented projects of language learning targeting migrant mothers and migrant parents (Annual Programs 2008-2010) in order to assist their children at school and to encourage them to participate in organizations dealing with school life.

As far as the integration of family members and specifically women originating from low income countries is concerned, the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Welfare has implemented a number of targeted projects through the ‘’Progress Program’’, aiming to the fighting of social exclusion and discrimination against -among others, vulnerable groups – migrant women.

The Ministry of Interior has financed through EIF a ‘’Study of women migrants in Greece’’. This study has been posted to a web page which has been visited by 5.000 persons up today. Another project that was financed was a ‘’Research on women working as domestic workers’’, with a view to elaborate policies tackling social exclusion and undeclared labor. Another project financed by the EIF has dealt with an information campaign through the mass media on issues of trafficking in human beings, domestic violence and sexual harassment. According to the final beneficiary, approximately 1.200 persons have watched the trailer of the campaign.

Other projects promoting the integration of migrants’ family members deal with the set- up of Centers providing legal and administrative support to migrants and the elaboration and distribution of tailored made information guides on issues of access to the social services, to the health system and to the long term residence status. Five hundred sixty three (5063) migrants have visited this center asking for information.

46 Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Interior, Secretariat General of Population and Social Cohesion, Directorate

General of Migration Policy and Social Integration, Directorate for Social Integration, Athens, 31 May 2013.


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For highly skilled migrants, no specific projects have been implemented, bearing in mind that since recently Greece has not recruited this specific category and that the majority of migrants destinated to our country were semi-skilled or low skilled ones.

Concerning migrants hosted in Greece on humanitarian grounds, a Guide, financed by the EIF has been published in order to provide information to handicap migrants legally residing in our country.

Through the European Social Fund, a number of activities have been undertaken to empower vulnerable groups like migrants, minority members and people with specific needs.

With regard to the challenges which should be faced in relation to the integration of first and second generation of migrants, efforts have been made to identify problems through a project financed by the EIF, based on a ‘’Study on the integration of second generation migrants’’. A questionnaire has been distributed to 786 second generation migrants with a view to provide information on problems related to this specific group of youth. A targeted project is underway providing for the establishment of youth centers (for natives and migrants) and for mixed sport activities for the youth.” Approximately 150 youth migrants visit the youth centers on an everyday basis for sport activities.

As far as new overall challenges that Greek integration policy has to face for the years to come, these are closely related to the serious economic crisis which the country goes through the last three years. This on going crisis has heavily affected both natives and migrants. Migrants in Greece have had low unemployment rates the last few years, due to their flexibility in taking jobs of low prestige that the natives rejected. Entering the labor market was the main factor of their integration in the Greek society and the social bond to other native workers. The first and the second generations of migrants are facing now high rates of unemployment which force a great number of the first generation to return to their countries of origin or to explore opportunities in other EU countries (long term residents). The conditions are worse for second generation migrants who are fully integrated in the Greek society at the cultural level (they have attended Greek schools and universities) but they have less labor opportunities due - amongst other reasons – to the increasing xenophobic climate that has been created by facts (raise of criminality specifically provoked by illegal migrants), as well as by the public discourse of extremist political organizations and certain mass media.

National integration policies have to tackle this emerging problem by taking initiatives of positive action, tailored-made for second generation migrants in close cooperation with the immigration services which fight against illegal migration and to promote orderly migration in the country.


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HUNGARY

MIGRANTS’ INTEGRATION IN HUNGARY

Migration and integration situation

Hungary is a country with approximately 10 million inhabitants where the proportion of immigrants is relatively low, it equals 2%. The majority (about two-third) of foreigners living in Hungary are ethnic Hungarians coming from neighbouring countries. Due to the common mother tongue and knowledge of the Hungarian social-cultural-historical background, the question of integration does not occur in general. The need for integration of immigrants emerges primarily in connection with non-Hungarian migrants, especially from outside of Europe. Despite the fact that the importance of third-country immigration has been growing in the recent years, the total number of third-country immigrants still remained low. Because of this, political and social demand for policies and action on integration of immigrants remained limited.

Foreign population in Hungary

Number of immigrants from the neighbouring countries47and outside (Source: Hungarian Central Statistical Office)

Legal background

Immigrants living in Hungary have relatively broad rights but these are regulated by each policy field separately as part of the mainstream legislation.

Hungarian legislation operates with three main categories of legal migrants: 47 In this context the neighbouring countries where mainly ethnic Hungarian immigrants come from are:

Romania, the Slovak Republic, Serbia and Ukraine. Statistics however do not cover data on ethnicity therefore the data contains also non-Hungarian immigrants from neighbouring countries. According to estimations around 90% of these immigrants are ethnic Hungarians.

97.020 106.557 110.39368.171 57.952

87.33891.262 98.809

75.190 83.405

0.000

50.000

100.000

150.000

200.000

250.000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Immigrants from neighbouring countries Immigrants from other countries


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• EU citizens have access to social protection system, labour market, education and higher education equivalent to Hungarian citizens.

• Legally staying third country migrants: eligibility differs by the purpose and length of stay. Those long-term residents working at least 6 months in Hungary have broad eligibility to social security benefits, education, etc.

• Beneficiaries of international protection: after recognition they enjoy the same rights as Hungarian nationals.

Integration ‘policy’ and institutional background

Hungary does not have a comprehensive integration programme and the institutional background, stakeholders and responsibilities, tasks, co-ordination and co-operation are not regulated by law.

Since 2007 Hungary takes part in the ‘SOLID – Management of Migration Flows’ Programme. The preparation (especially in the case of the European Integration Fund (EIF) and the European Refugee Fund (ERF)) required broad co-operation of different policy fields. Therefore, the Ministry of Justice and Law Enforcement set up a working group with the participation of all relevant stakeholders48. This was a good starting point for discussion and co-operation, which also continued during the implementation of the programmes.

In October 2013 the Government approved a Migration Strategy for the period of 2014-2020. The Strategy establishes strategic objectives in all fields of migration, including visa policy, free movement and legal immigration, fight against illegal migration, international protection and integration and defines the activities aiming at these objectives. The Migration Strategy also called for the establishment of an independent Integration Strategy.

Besides, a new refugee integration system will be introduced from 1st January 2014. The integration will be based on individual integration contracts, which contain a tailor-made ‘integration package’ with all rights, obligations and support for beneficiaries of international protection. Upon the contract beneficiaries will receive services provided by the family assistance services and financial assistance provided by the refugee authority. The services may include language training, facilitating access to labour market, housing etc. (In 2012 more than 400 persons were granted international protection in Hungary.)

Main fields of integration

Language

Most of the immigrants are ethnic Hungarians and therefore speak Hungarian perfectly. For other immigrant groups, language training is optional. Free language courses (supported by EIF) are available for third-country nationals; however interest for these courses remained only moderate in the last years.49

48 Participants in Integration WG: international organisations (UNHCR, IOM, Hungarian Helsinki

Committee), other ministries (Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Social Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Municipalities), the Office of Immigration and Nationality, the Central Statistical Office and its research institutes and the NGO’s (Menedék – Hungarian Association for Migrants, Demos Foundation).

49 In 2007-2010 135 persons participated in language training course supported by the European Integration Fund. According to the evaluation report of EIA the main reason behind might be that a significant


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Until 31 December 2013 the Office of Immigration and Nationality provides free Hungarian language courses for beneficiaries of international protection. From 1 January 2014, language learning will be a possible element of the integration contract. The European Refugee Fund supports additional language training courses of refugees.50 The willingness to learn Hungarian is higher among those immigrants who plan to settle down in Hungary permanently. Besides, the knowledge of Hungarian language is also required for naturalisation as the language of the naturalisation exam is in Hungarian.

Education

Children above 3 and of the mandatory school age (6-16 yrs.) are entitled to attend public nursery schools and schools along the same rules as Hungarians if parents are EU citizens, beneficiaries of international protection or third country nationals who stay in Hungary for a minimum period of 3 months and are conducting economic activities. In practice however, children of economic migrants often attend international private schools. Besides, a unique Hungarian-Chinese Bilingual School operates within the framework of the Hungarian public administration system. Hungarian and Chinese pupils both attend the school, where intercultural pedagogy plays an essential role and lessons are held in Hungarian (65%) and in Chinese (35%).

EU citizens, long-term resident third-country nationals, holders of the EU Blue Card and the single work and residence permit, beneficiaries of international protection and stateless persons are entitled to participate in higher education along the same rules as Hungarian nationals. Third country students have to pay a tuition fee for the studies. (Third county students falling under the scope of bilateral agreements on student exchange are not necessarily subject to payment obligations.)

Number of foreign pupils/students in Hungary

Kindergarten Primary school

Vocational school

Secondary education

Higher education

2007/2008 1603 4399 633 4281 15459 2008/2009 1629 4224 448 4075 16916 2009/2010 1516 4200 462 3667 18154 2010/2011 1701 4288 487 3659 18850 2011/2012 2366 5954 520 4190 20176 (Data source: Annual Statistical Yearbook of Education, 2012)

Most of the pupils come from surrounding countries and from China, Vietnam and Afghanistan. Another major part of the students comes from EU countries, Iran, Turkey, Nigeria, the US and Ukraine.

In 2004 the Ministry of Education published ‘Guidelines on intercultural pedagogy in the education of migrant pupils’. This material is widely used, however a common method, which could measure skills and competencies of migrant pupils, does not exist.

Since 2007 ESF support is available aiming at ‘Access to qualitative education for all’. One component of the programme supports schools with migrant children. Besides, the European Integration

percentage of non-Hungarian third country migrants do not plan to settle down in Hungary permanently but only stay for financial or economic reasons.

50 In 2008-2010 363 persons participated on Hungarian language courses with the support of the European Refugee Fund.


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Fund and the European Refugee Fund both support actions aiming at promoting better school performance and the integration of migrant children.

Employment

Employment is the major reason for immigrants to come to Hungary. Traditionally, labour migrants come from the neighbouring countries, primarily from Romania, Ukraine, Serbia and Slovakia but labour migration from Asia – especially from China – is also significant and has been growing in the recent years.

The number of work permits issued and new registrations 2008-2012

Data source: National Labour Office

The number of valid work permits and registrations 2004-2012

Data source: National Labour Office

29349

9730 11337 10557 11227

13108

18485 13198 11847 7835

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Number of registrated foreign workers

Number of issued work permits

10996 16463 18638

42140

22161

42248 46652 50513 51191

55136 46391 45988

17296

27471

2011517854

18513 18418

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Number of valid registrations Number of valid work permits


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EEA citizens do not need a work permit, third-country nationals – with certain exceptions – have to hold a valid permit (valid up to 2 years). As from 1 January 2014, third-country nationals will be issued a single work and residence permit thus the administrative procedure will be significantly simplified. Beneficiaries of international protection are entitled to work in Hungary without work permit under the same conditions as Hungarian nationals, while asylum seekers can only work within the refugee reception centres up to 9 months from lodging their application. After 9 months they have access to the labour market under the general conditions for non-EU/EEA nationals. The average educational background of immigrants is somewhat better than of nationals but it varies also by country of origin. Migrants (especially from China) are overrepresented among entrepreneurs

Labour market participation of immigrants (especially of EU-citizens) is somewhat higher than of nationals. According to the statistics of EUROSTAT employment rate of EU-citizens (15-64 yrs.) was 61.2% while employment rate of non-EU citizens (15-64 yrs.) was 59.3% in 2012. Both numbers are somewhat higher than the employment rate of nationals which, for the same age group was 57.2% in 2012. Due to the low number of immigrants - and especially the very low number of those who contact PES – data on the unemployment of immigrants is not available. Unemployed EEA citizens and beneficiaries of international protection after registration as job-seekers have access to mainstream labour market measures (job-search assistance, counselling, wage support, trainings etc.) if they fulfil the criteria of the programmes. However the lack of knowledge of the Hungarian language is a serious obstacle to utilize these supports.51 No migrant-specific employment programme was implemented in the framework of the European Social Fund in 2007-2013. For third-country nationals residing in Hungary for other purpose than employment, the European Integration Fund provides support, while the European Refugee Fund aims at improving labour market situation of refugees. In total around 1000 immigrants participated in trainings, labour market counselling or vocational training supported by EIF and ERF since 2008.

Social and health situation, housing

Appropriate income (which also covers housing, health insurance and living costs) is one of the eligibility criteria of residence permit. According to surveys52, the economic situation of immigrants is not unfavourable but there are differences among migrant groups: ethnic Hungarians53 and Vietnamese are in a somewhat worse while Arabian, Turkish and Chinese immigrants are in a better financial situation than the average.54

Long-term residents, beneficiaries of international protection and stateless persons are eligible for social (including family) supports and health assistance like Hungarian nationals. Persons who stay temporarily in Hungary can be entitled to a limited scope of social security services. Their rights are also settled in bilateral social security agreements.

Due to younger age and higher activity, health condition of immigrants is more favourable than nationals. However, immigrants can face problems accessing health services due to linguistic problems, lack of information and the lack of intercultural competencies of medical staff.

51 Authorities do not collect data on migration background basis therefore the participation rate is not known. 52 Gödri – Tóth 2005, Melegh et al 2010. 53 The research related only to third-country immigrants, in this case ethnic Hungarian means only Ukrainian. 54 However, the survey also points out that subjective satisfaction under the same circumstances seems to be

higher among immigrants than among nationals.


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Most of the immigrants are settled down in the capital city of Budapest (42.6%)55 or in bigger Hungarian cities and their agglomerations. Since the number of non-ethnic Hungarian immigrants is relatively low, no real ‘immigrant quarters’ evolved. However, the presence of Chinese immigrants in certain parts of Budapest is already characteristic. Outcome of surveys56 show that housing circumstances of immigrants are somewhat less favourable than of Hungarians but it improves parallel with the time spent in Hungary. Non-European third country migrants (especially from Africa and Middle Eastern countries) more often face difficulties in finding an apartment than Hungarians or migrants from Western countries57. Limited housing support is available for immigrants in need, mainly through NGOs who also provide help to rent a flat.

Beneficiaries of international protection are granted housing support. From 1 January 2014 housing support will be provided in the framework of the integration contract up to 2 years after granting of their status. Since 31 August 2011 unaccompanied minor asylum-seekers and beneficiaries of international protection live in the István Károlyi Child Centre in Fót. They may stay in the centre until the age of 21 (or 25 when in regular education). At present, 39 unaccompanied minors and 61 post-cared youth live in this institution; their number is increasing year by year. Unaccompanied minors who do not seek asylum may be accommodated at two child centres in Ópusztaszer and Hódmezővásárhely operated by the Catholic Church in cooperation with the Ministry of Human Resources.

Political and social participation

Around 150 actively operating third-country migrants’ organisations were identified in Hungary in 2012 (90% of them in Budapest). The number of organisations and the presence of the migrant community does not show close correlation: 30% of the organisations represent the East-Asian, 30% the Middle-Eastern, 16% the European and 15% the African community. The size, form of operation, representative power, financial background and visibility show wide variety. Most of the organisations operate in cultural, educational and social as well as religious and charity fields. In general, these organisations carry out highly useful activities; however their involvement into negotiations on migration remains rather limited.58

According to Article 23 of the Fundamental Law of Hungary ‘every adult citizen of another Member State of the European Union with residence in Hungary shall have the right to vote and to be voted for in elections of local government representatives and mayors, and of Members of the European Parliament’ and ’every adult person recognised as a refugee, permanent resident or long-term resident in Hungary shall have the right to vote in elections of local government representatives and mayors’ and have the right to participate in local referendums.

Hungarian citizenship can be acquired in two ways. In general, a minimum length of stay in Hungary (8, 5 or 3 years), clean records, sufficient financial resources for living and housing and a successful exam in the constitutional issues in Hungarian language are required to become a Hungarian citizen. In January 2011 preferential naturalisation was introduced for those foreigners with Hungarian origin who prove their knowledge of the Hungarian language, have no criminal record and the naturalisation does not violate the public and national security of Hungary. 55 Source: Hungary, 2012 Hungarian Central Statistical Office. 56 Immigration and integration – Hungarian data, European indicators, MTA KTI, 2013. 57 Idegenellenesség és diszkrimináció a mai Magyarországon, (Xenophobia and discrimination in Hungary

today) Bori Simonovits and Boglárka Szalai in Magyar Tudomány, 2013/2, Budapest original research by Antal Örkény and Mária Székhelyi (2009).

58 End study of research ’Migrants’ organisations in Hungary’ by András Kovács, 2012, Budapest (Research project supported by EIF).


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Discrimination and intercultural dialogue

Despite the fact that the number of immigrants is not high in Hungary, their composition is relatively heterogeneous. According to the outcomes of the Citizens Survey59 (held in 15 European cities including Budapest), immigrants face significantly less discrimination in Budapest than in other European cities. Hungarian research institute TÁRKI also carries out annual surveys on discrimination and xenophobia.60 Results show that Hungarians overestimate the presence of immigrants and the future immigration trends. Fears are more likely to be economic and employment-related than cultural. The answers were strongly determined by educational background and political views. Surveys also point out that different immigrant groups face different level of discrimination: ethnic-Hungarians are more or less accepted; however they also reported negative attitudes. European, Chinese, Arabian and African immigrants reported different level and scenes of discrimination (such as authorities, labour market, renting a house etc.)

One main reason for discrimination is the lack of information on immigrants and their background. Room for personal interaction between immigrants and the host society is rather limited. Since 2007 EIF and ERF have supported several projects aiming at strengthening intercultural dialogue. According to the evaluation report of EIF programmes ‘information campaigns to tackle xenophobia, to inform all segments of the host society about the need of immigration and migrant integration, as several large-scale campaigns received funding, which reached various groups of society. Significant media campaigns have been implemented, the viewer numbers and satisfaction data of which have surpassed expectations.’

Further plans for 2014-2020

The Migration Strategy requires the establishment of an Integration Strategy of Hungary in order to promote better integration of immigrants. The integration strategy will establish an ‘integrated co-operation network’ between key actors (including national bodies, local municipalities and their institutions) that ensures coherent governmental activity. The local dimension of integration will be enhanced too: municipalities are planned to play an essential role in the integration process. According to plans co-operation will be compulsory for beneficiaries of international protection in the framework of integration contracts and voluntary for other legally staying third-country nationals.

In accordance with the objectives of the Hungarian Migration Strategy, the following actions in the field of integration are planned to be completed with the support of the Asylum and Migration Fund.

• Establishment and implementation of the Integration Strategy of Hungary (including enhanced co-operation of stakeholders, statistical and system developments, capacity development and training of organisation staff dealing with migrants);

• Intercultural education (special programmes for migrant pupils and their teachers including special teaching methodology and teaching materials) Labour market integration programmes for migrant students (linguistic training, skills and competency development and labour market integration programmes);

• Supporting labour market integration of migrants through trainings and labour market programmes (ALMPs, skills and competency development, supporting entrepreneurship among migrants, qualification, information brochures, training of PES staff, researches on the employment contribution and performance of migrant workers);

59 Huddleston –Tjaden 2012. 60 TÁRKI Omnibus Survey on xenophobia, 2013.


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• Enhancing social and political participation of migrants;

• Housing, focusing on vulnerable migrant groups;

• Intercultural dialogue;

• Special support for the integration of unaccompanied minors.

Also in line with EU2020 Strategy intra-EU mobility has to be boosted in the next years. Therefore actions (at national and EU level) will be carried out to promote EU citizens’ working and living in another EU Member State. Such activities will include language training, information on living and working conditions, enhanced services etc. These supports – besides enhanced labour mobility – could contribute to the integration of foreign workers with the right of free movement as well.


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IRELAND

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE LAST 5 YEARS REGARDING INTEGRATION ISSUES IN IRELAND

Demographics

In 2006, approximately 10% of Ireland’s population of 4.2 million were non-Irish nationals. This was an 87% increase over the four year period since the previous Census in 2002. More recent data from the 2011 Census shows that 544,357 people or 12% of the usually resident and present population in Ireland on Census night were non-Irish nationals. This represents an increase of 29.7% since 2006. Ireland’s changing demographic over the last 10 years has helped to shape a more socially and culturally diverse society. There is no doubt that Ireland will remain a diverse society and it important that we celebrate and harness this diversity and ensure that our communities are inclusive.

Commitment in the Programme for Government 2011

The 2011 Programme for Government states “ We will promote policies which integrate minority ethnic groups in Ireland, and which promote social inclusion, equality, diversity and the participation of immigrants in the economic, social, political and cultural life of their communities”.

Integration Policy

Integration policy in Ireland is based on an intercultural approach (rather than assimilation on the one hand or multiculturalism on the other) with rights and responsibilities for both the receiving society and migrants. Everyone has a role to play including individuals, organisations, businesses, government and non-governmental organisations. Ireland adopts a policy of mainstream service provision in the integration area while recognising the need for targeted initiatives to meet specific short-term needs. The concept of mainstreaming is critical to success in integration. The planning and delivery of both services and policies for immigrants should be part of the normal planning and delivery of services for all society, including immigrants, and not seen as an adjunct or a targeted endeavour. Overall responsibility for the promotion and coordination of integration measures for legally resident immigrants rests with the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration (formerly the Office of the Minister of State for Integration) but, in general, the actual delivery of integration services is the responsibility of mainstream Government Departments.

The Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration (OPMI)

The Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration (OPMI) (formerly the Office of the Minister for Integration) was set up in June 2007 following the appointment by the Government of a Minister of State with responsibility for the development of integration policy for migrants. The Office has a cross-Departmental mandate to develop, drive and co-ordinate integration policy across Government Departments, agencies and services. The functions of the Office include the promotion of the integration of legal immigrants into Irish society, the management and co-ordination of the resettlement of refugees admitted as part of the United Nations Resettlement Programme and the administration of funding from national and EU sources to promote integration.


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Migration Nation – Statement on Integration Strategy and Diversity Management

In May 2008, the then Minister of State, Mr. Conor Lenihan T.D. launched Migration Nation – Statement on Integration Strategy and Diversity Management. The document contains four key principles which inform and underpin policy in this area i.e. a partnership approach, a mainstream approach to service delivery, a strong link between integration policy and wider social inclusion measures and a commitment to effective local delivery mechanisms. The policy focused particularly on the role of local authorities, sporting bodies and faith based groups in building integrated communities.

Developments since the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration was established in 2007

Funding:

New funding lines were established by the Office in 2008 to promote migrant integration. Funding has been allocated to local authorities and national sporting bodies to encourage integration related activities. A range of other bodies also received funding such as Fáilte Isteach (who provide conversational English classes to migrants), Localise, Show Racism the Red Card etc. A full list of beneficiaries is provided on www.integration.ie.

Between 2008 and 2012, the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration gave grant funding of €12,607,210 for integration purposes. In 2012, the Office paid grants of €156,240 to local authorities, €175,000 to sporting bodies and €964,604 to other organisations.

EU Funding

In addition to the national funding referred to above, the Office manages EU funding to support integration and related measures for immigrants.

The Office is the responsible authority in Ireland for the European Refugee Fund (ERF) and European Integration Fund (EIF). The ERF target group is refugees and asylum seekers and the EIF target group is newly arrived legally resident third country nationals. The Funds provide 50% or, in certain cases, 75% financing for projects. The national co-financing must, in general, be raised by projects themselves.

National Integration Strategies

An Intercultural Education Strategy 2010-2015 was launched by the Department of Education and Skills in September 2010. This Strategy, developed after extensive consultation, was based on international and national research and best practice.

A National Intercultural Health Strategy 2007 - 2012 was launched by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in early 2008 and provides a framework through which both staff and service users may be supported to participate actively and meaningfully in designing, delivering and evaluating provision of health care to minority ethnic service users in Ireland. This Strategy has not lapsed. A number of actions under the strategy continue to be progressed regardless of its 2012 time frame. The HSE National Operational Plan for 2013 contains references to reviewing and implementing outstanding recommendations of the strategy where feasible.

The Garda Síochána (National Police Force) developed a Diversity Strategy and Implementation Plan 2009 -2012. In order to prepare for the next Diversity Strategy, the Garda Síochána is currently hosting a series of consultation meetings with representatives from various bodies and organisations covering the 9 grounds of Diversity as defined in Irish Equality Legislation, including race and ethnic origin.


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Integration Strategies and Action Plans have been developed by some of the national sporting bodies such as the Football Association of Ireland and the Gaelic (Irish) Athletic Association.

A Diversity Strategy for the Arts Sector was also launched in September 2010 along with a Pamphlet ‘Cultural Diversity and the Arts: Language and Meaning’. This can be assessed at the following web address:

http://www.artscouncil.ie/Publications/Microsoft_Word_-_Final_CD_Policy_and_Strategy_Aug2010_OM.pdf

Many Government Departments and agencies have also made efforts to make their services more accessible to migrant clients. Some of the ways in which this has been done have included translating existing materials into a range of different languages, providing interpretation in key areas such as in the Courts Service and hospitals, developing specific information about services aimed at migrants and intercultural and diversity training for staff.

Integration at a local level

A number of local authorities have also developed integration strategies and action plans, linked in many cases to the funding provided by the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration. Please refer to the following link for more information - http://integration.ie/website/omi/omiwebv6.nsf/page/managingdiversity-strategies-local-en

Website

A website (www.integration.ie) for the Office was developed and launched in 2009 and this provides immigrants with access to information on a wide range of relevant topics and in a range of languages.

The Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration tries to keep migrants, representative groups as well as embassy officials aware of new resources of interest developed, changing conditions attached to various schemes, opportunities for appointment to various bodies and material developed specifically for migrants in a range of languages through its website and mailing lists. The Office also circulates relevant Ministerial speeches, announcements etc. A repository of the circulated material is available in the News section of the website.

Cross-Departmental Group on Integration

This is an inter-departmental committee comprising senior civil servants to drive forward the integration agenda in relevant Departments and agencies. The Committee is representative of the Departments and Offices with a significant role in integration. The Committee meets as required to review activities in relation to integration and to resolve issues which arise.

Education

The results of the 2011 census showed that the proportion of non-Irish nationals with a degree or higher was 30.7 per cent. Indian nationals had the highest percentage of persons with a third level degree or higher (77.3%), followed by Filipinos (64.5%) and US nationals (55.9%).

When looking at the population as a whole, a greater proportion of non-Irish nationals have third level qualifications when compared to their native Irish peer group, with the difference in the younger adult group (those aged 25 to 34) being smaller.


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An analysis of the 3,937 15-year-old students participating in Ireland in the 2009 PISA study (Programme for International Student Assessment undertaken by the OECD) showed that 8% came from an immigrant background. English-speaking immigrants were shown to have similar scores to their Irish peers in both reading and mathematics, whereas the scores of non-English-speaking immigrant students were significantly lower than their Irish peers. The gap between immigrants who do not speak English at home and non-immigrant Irish students is larger for English reading than for mathematics in PISA 2009.

Language

Based on the results of the national census for 2011, 514,068 persons spoke a language other than Irish or English at home in 2011. Of these 145,919 were Irish nationals with French (41,243 persons), German (16,160) and Spanish (12,590) being the most common languages spoken in Irish homes reflecting the most popular foreign languages taught in Irish schools.

Amongst European nationals living in Ireland in 2011, Polish was the most common language with 112,811 speakers, followed by Lithuanian, Russian, Romanian and Latvian.

Lithuanian nationals had a high proportion who could not speak English well or at all (29.9%). Somalian (29.5%), Latvian (28.8%), Polish (24.5%), Brazilian (24.3%) and Chinese (23.9%) nationals also had higher than average rates who could not speak English well or at all.

Ireland does not require immigrants to attend mandatory classes in either English or Irish but rather encourages participation on an individual, voluntary basis. Further information on language training is provided at this page of the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration website at http://www.integration.ie/website/omi/omiwebv6.nsf/page/infoformigrants-learningenglish-en

Language Learning – Fáilte Isteach Programme

Fáilte Isteach is a community project with older volunteers welcoming new migrants through conversational English classes. There are approximately 50 Fáilte Isteach projects throughout the country. Every week over 540 volunteers teach over 1,600 students from over 63 countries, collectively offering over a thousand hours of tuition each week. It is a unique project which utilises the skills, talents and expertise of older volunteers and harnesses their desire to contribute positively to society. Fáilte Isteach works at breaking down the barriers that migrants and communities face by extending the hands of friendship and goodwill through the practical, welcoming and inclusive manner in which the programme is delivered. In 2012, funding of €126,420 was granted to this project. Since 2008, a total of €484,830 has been provided to the project. http://www.thirdageireland.ie/what-we-do/15/failte-isteach/

Labour Market Participation

The current economic difficulties being faced in Ireland have, like many other countries, impacted upon labour market participation. The unemployment rate for 2012 provides a figure of 14.7% for Irish nationals and a corresponding figure of 18.5% for non-Irish nationals. This rate has remained unchanged when compared to the previous year.

There were 268,180 non-Irish resident nationals at work in Ireland in April 2011. This accounts for 15.1% of the total number of workers at the time. Polish and UK nationals accounted for 116,375 (43.4%) of these workers, while the remaining 151,805 workers came from a total of 185 different nations. Non-Irish nationals looking after the home/family numbered 37,164 and accounted for 8 per cent of all non-Irish nationals. This compared to 9.7 per cent for Irish nationals.


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Labour Market Integration Initiative – EPIC Programme

The EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities) measure also comes within the responsibility of the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration. It aims to facilitate immigrants in accessing the labour market or further training. It is open to EEA nationals and persons who can work here without a work permit. It is operated on behalf of the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration by Business in the Community (http://www.bitc.ie/). In 2012, €444,000 was spent on this measure and 50% will be recouped in due course from the European Social Fund.

EPIC aims to assist both European Economic Area nationals and other immigrants who have the right to work in Ireland without a work permit to find employment and/or further training and education in Ireland. The programme includes training in English for work, interview skills, living and working in Ireland and IT.

Between 2007 and 2012, EPIC staff placed 1,088 people from immigrant communities in jobs, training/education or work placements. In that period, citizens from over 90 different countries, both EU and non EU took part in EPIC training. There are 10 EPIC staff, representing 6 different nationalities.

Detailed information on the EPIC Programme is available on the webpage below - http://www.integration.ie/website/omi/omiwebv6.nsf/page/funding-fundforintegration-esfEPIC-en. Examples of the experiences of those who have participated in the programme can be found through the following links (information taken from ESF Newsletters): - EPIC participant's story in 2012 ESF Newsletter and EPIC participant's story in 2011 ESF Newsletter

Action Strategy for Integrated Workplaces / Workplace Diversity Initiative

An Action Strategy for Integrated Workplaces was launched by the then Minister for Integration, Mr Conor Lenihan T.D., on 12 October 2008. The Office of the Minister for Integration provided €120,000 for the initiative in 2008 and a further €70,000 in December 2009 to fund its programme of activity for 2010. The initiative was renamed the Workplace Diversity Initiative in 2009. The Office of the Minister for Integration provided a final €70,000 in 2010 to enable activities funded under the Workplace Diversity Initiative to continue into 2011 and 2012.

The strategy was designed to support Integrated Workplaces and is a social partner initiative organised by representatives of the Congress of Trades Unions, Irish Business Employers Confederation (IBEC), the Small Firms Association, the Construction Industry Federation, Chambers Ireland, the Office of the Minister for Integration (now the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration) and the Equality Authority. Funding for this strategy was been provided by the Office of the Minister for Integration in conjunction with the Equality Authority.

The aim of the strategy was to ensure integrated workplaces that, for example, are free from discrimination and harassment, are welcoming to all migrant workers and other Black and minority ethnic groups and customers or service users, acknowledge and provide for cultural and linguistic diversity among employees and customers as well as making adjustments for diversity among all migrant workers and other minority ethnic employees including those with disabilities.

Employers were encouraged to communicate a message promoting greater equality within the wider culturally diverse community served by the business.

A range of initiatives were created to assist employers and trade unions to respond effectively to the potential and challenges of a culturally diverse workforce and to create integrated workplaces by supporting all employees to operate effectively and without discrimination or harassment within a


86

culturally diverse workforce. In addition, employers were encouraged to review and further develop all workplace policies, procedures and practices to ensure that they adequately take into account and adjust for cultural and linguistic diversity within the workplace.

A copy of the material developed for use by employers can be found at the following link: http://www.equality.ie/Files/Integrated%20Workplaces.pdf and a review of the process can be found here - http://www.integration.ie/website/omi/omiwebv6.nsf/page/managingdiversity-strategies-nationalworkplaces-en

New Communities Partnership Citizenship Application Support Service

The Office for the Promotion of Migrant integration has provided funding to the New Communities Partnership (NCP) to run a Citizenship Application Support Service (CASS) since 2011. This is a free support and information service to immigrants applying for naturalisation. Callers can ring a National Helpline or call to Drop in Clinics in Dublin City and County, Dun Laoghaire, Cork and Limerick. Callers speak to a trained experienced advisor who helps to explain exactly what documentation is needed for a successful application etc.


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ISRAEL

Language training of adult migrants and its effectiveness61

Acquiring the language of the absorption society community is an essential and primary condition for successful cultural absorption and social integration, as well as transferability of the immigrant human capital.

Thus one of the main goals of the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is to promote optimal acquisition of Hebrew which will enable Jewish migrants to integrate as smoothly as possible within Israeli society.

In order to accomplish this goal, there is a unique educational system of Ulpanim. An ulpan is an institute or school for the intensive study of Hebrew. Ulpan (plural: ulpanim ) is a Hebrew word meaning studio for teaching, instruction.

The ulpan is designed to teach adult immigrants to Israel the basic language skills of conversation, writing and comprehension. Most ulpanim also provide instruction in the fundamentals of culture, identity, history, heritage values and geography. The primary purpose of the ulpan is to help new citizens to be integrated as quickly and as easily as possible into the social, cultural and economic life of their new country.

The language training system (ulpanim) is also a unique phenomenon in her prominence: there are more than 100 Ulpanim and more than 400 classes per year.

The participation in these state institutions is free of charge to new immigrants (olim). Moreover, they are entitled to financial support during their first 18 months in Israel, in order to enable them to study.

The relevant research literature reveals that success in language training in general and Hebrew training in particular depends on four basic parameters:

1. The teacher (his/ her personal abilities, experience and the kind of training to this profession).

2. Educational curriculum and teaching materials (i.e. books, exercises etc.)

3. The student (motivation, age, basic knowledge of Hebrew if at all, education, cultural characters).

4. The social milieu in which the language is acquired.

There are several methods of Hebrew training of adult migrants and indeed not all the institutions for Hebrew training use the same method. In addition, most of the teaching methods are eclectic ones, meaning – combine several teaching methods simultaneously.

One of the significant factors in predicting student success of acquiring language, albeit the most important one, is the teacher. A good teacher can promote high achievements in acquisition of language

61 Dr. Sary Fayer, Senior Director, Department of Education Community Absorption, Ministry of Immigrant

Absorption


88

even if the educational program he uses is not perfect. On the other hand, an unskilled teacher can cause his student failure even if he holds a heavy arsenal of very efficient study methods.

Additional important factors which can contribute to the prediction of the students' success are minimal foundations and infrastructure in class as well as computerization of the ulpan in order to facilitate use of modern teaching studying and exercising methods which use such technologies. How does it work?

The state of Israel conducts Institutions for Hebrew trainings (Ulpanim) through collaboration between three actors:

• The Department of adult education at the Ministry of Education is responsible for the various pedagogical aspects of the ulpan – teaching, instruction, training and supervision, as well as producing teaching syllabus, books etc., which are relevant and suitable for Language training of adult migrants and salary for the teachers.

• The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is responsible for the allocation of the language training institutions (ulpanim, as well as financing part of the teachers' salary.

• The Jewish agency is responsible for finding locations and renting buildings in order to operate language training institutions (ulpanim).

Curriculum of the Hebrew Ulpan

The basic normative educational program is called primary ulpan. In this program the immigrant students study twenty five hours a week for five months (approximately 400 hours).

Standard capacity of ulpan class is 25 students and each Jewish immigrant can implement his right to learn free of charge at the primary ulpan within a year and a half of his status as an "Oleh"(the Hebrew word for Jewish immigrant) to the state of Israel. 75% of the adult immigrants choose to do so as close as possible to their arrival date.

There are some variations for this basic format such as Ulpan for people with academic degrees, Ulpan for youngsters, Ulpan for seniors, primary ulpanim for various vocational training (i.e. medical doctors, engineers' Para-medicals jobs etc.)

Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia learn in special Ulpan which is allocated within their absorption center and its' length is ten months. There are also primary Ulpanim for populations with special needs.

For graduators of primary ulpan who wish to continue their studies in Hebrew, the state of Israel offers secondary modules of ulpan. It is important to emphasize that these secondary modules have a significant contribution in language acquiring process and in an academic or vocational integration.

The language training system of adult migrants at the state of Israel is very developed and has many achievements. Components of this educational system have been used as a model worldwide.

Of course, there is always a room for development, improvement and expansion in this field of language training of adult migrants, since this is a dynamic cultural related field.


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Immigration trends and immigration policies in Israel, 2008-201262

General Background

Israel is, by definition, a country of permanent immigration. Aliyah (Jewish repatriation to Israel) is a unique phenomenon that differs structurally from migration to other places. The “Law of Return” allows Jews and their families to immigrate permanently to Israel and receive citizenship, generally immediately. In 1970 the Law was amended and accorded the right to immigrate to non-Jews who are either children or grandchildren of Jews, or Spouses of Jews or spouses of children or grandchildren of Jews Israeli citizenship becomes effective on the day of arrival.63

Jewish immigration is a central tenet and objective of the State and is actively encouraged as the major instrument of its nation-building policy. Thus, unlike many countries, Israel not only welcomes Jewish refugees and immigrants without limitation, the State helps them to adjust to their new setting through a comprehensive process of absorption. At present, more than a quarter of the current Israeli population and about a third of the labor force (not including temporary foreign workers) was born abroad.

In the course of the recent four or five years Israeli immigration policy enjoyed substantial change vis-à-vis the experience of integration of Jewish immigrants and their family members during previous decades of the Israeli history.

The policy of the State of Israel towards immigrants has evolved since statehood, from emergency reception to the current institutional framework and a “basket” of benefits. Until 1968, responsibility for integration was largely in the hands of The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI). In 1968, the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption (MOIA) was created, and currently shares responsibility for integration with JAFI and other government bodies.

The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, on the behalf of the Israeli government and assisted by private contributions from world Jewry, is responsible for providing government assistance to new immigrants and returning residents – from their first steps in the country to their integration into every area of life in Israeli society. This includes housing, Hebrew language classes, job training and placement assistance, and other social services.

The Ministry’s policy is to foster integration through concentrated investment in the following main processes:

• Identifying each new immigrant’s potential for growth and contribution.

• Developing appropriate opportunities for realizing such potential.

• Providing resources for personal, family, and community assistance, at a level of quality that meets the needs of new immigrants.

62 Dr. Vladimir (Ze'ev) Khanin, Chief Scientist, Israeli Ministry for Immigrant Absorption and Dept. of

Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University. Position papers, presented on the behalf of the Israeli Ministry for Immigrant Absorption and Integration.

63 Non-Jewish immigration to Israel, i.e., family unifications, legal and illegal labor migration and infiltration of foreign citizens through Israeli borders, which is a very important issue by itself, is beyond the field of responsibility of the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and thus beyond the scope of this paper.


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The immigration rate to Israel has varied throughout the country’s history. The first of the two most significant waves followed independence, between 1948 and 1951. During the following years immigration declined to a trickle from 1973 until the unexpected and, in absolute terms, largest wave of immigration in 1990-1991. Since then 1.35 million Jewish immigrants (in addition to 112,000 Israeli citizens who returned after a period of stay abroad, 47,833 in the years of 2007-2012) came to Israel.64

Of this number some 1,020,000 came from the USSR and its successor states. This was due to the end of restrictions on Jewish emigration during the course of the liberalization processes in the USSR, and the beginning of the mass Russian Jewish emigration that accompanied the breakup of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Others came from Ethiopia (76,000), North America (66,500) France (45,600), Latin America (42,700), and Britain (13,300), and 72,000 came from other countries.

Aliyah to Israel experienced a dramatic drop since 2001, and only 90,816 Jews and their family members resettled in Israel in 2008-2012.

Aliyah to Israel, 2008-12

Year Total N of Immigrants % to the previous year 2008 16,333 2009 17,218 5.4% 2010 19,275 11.9% 2011 19,347 0.4% 2012 18,643 -0.6%

This group of immigrants was relatively young (29.4% were 19 years old and younger; 39.6% - 20-44; 18.9% - 45-64; and 12.2% were 65 years old and more)

FSU Immigration: successes and challenges

Still, Russian Jews and their family members composed the largest proportion (44-47% annually) as well as remain the largest immigrant group in Israel. Today Israel is home to approximately 40 percent of former Soviet Jews, who make up more than 15 percent of the general Israeli population, and 17 percent of the country's Jewish population. 65 As a result immigrants from the former Soviet Union are the second largest group, after native Israelis, of the Israeli Jewish population.

Because of Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union, Israel received an influx of significant human capital. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), approximately 70% of immigrants from the former Soviet Union were employed before emigration. This trend persisted in Israel, and today the proportion of employed among this immigrant group is approximately 61.1% , which is higher than the ratio of employed among the general population. No less importantly, Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union entered the labor market more quickly. Therefore, former Soviet immigrants that currently

64 All the demographic statistics used in this paper is of the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, unless

otherwise is stated. 65 Mark Tolts, "Post-Soviet Jewish Diaspora: Contemporary Estimations." Paper, presented at the

International Conference "Contemporary Russian-speaking Diaspora", Boston, Harvard University, 13-15 November 2011.


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compose 17% to 18% of all employed persons substantially contributed to the Israeli labor force, especially within the professional sectors.66

The aliyah of this highly educated and professionally qualified group has made a great impact on various spheres of Israeli life, including the rapid development of the hi-tech and military industries, as well as educational, cultural, and health care systems, and the opening of new internal and external markets. According to data from the Ministry of Immigrant Absorption, the number of engineers that arrived in Israel from the Former Soviet Union since 1989, was, (110,000) more than three times larger than the number of local specialists. Further, because of the “wave of aliyah”(large scale migration) of the 1990s, the country received more than 80,000 technicians, more than 50,000 teachers, approximately 14,000 scientists, about 40,000 medical doctors, dentists and nurses, as well as more than 60,000 qualified industrial workers.

For example, the total number of scientists who immigrated to Israel between 1989 and 2007 is 16,076 individuals, including 7,735 who came to Israel between 1990 and 1993. 14,838 are immigrants and 1,238 are returning Israeli residents. The majority of new-immigrant and returning-resident scientists work in technical and mathematical sciences.

We can therefore conclude that the “technological revolution” of the 1990’s, the rapid growth of the GDP and the impressive expansion of the hi-tech industry, resulting in Israel’s emergence as a developed, post-industrial country by the end of the decade, is definitively identified by many Israelis as the result of the “aliyah wave” of that same decade.

At the same time, the immigration of hundreds of thousands of people with different cultural and professional backgrounds became a challenging factor for Israeli public policy planning. Large numbers of immigrant professionals had to change their occupations in one way or another. In spite of this, during this decade immigrants composed 30% of all engineers; and even more electric and electronic engineers (45%), which were respectively, figures two and three times larger proportionally than the percentage of these same professions among the native Israeli population.

Unsurprisingly, since the early days of the “Aliyah of the 1990s,” there has been an ongoing debate whether these immigrants, as many believe, received “the best possible treatment” in the country, mainly due to the most favorable policies and public opinion in response to Jewish immigration. Others question whether the absorption polices of Israeli Government, on the contrary, despite some successful programs, resulted in the misuse or underutilization of a large part of this human capital.

Integration Policies

The need to find an optimal way of assisting and optimizing immigrants' human and professional capital stimulated a substantial series of strategic and operative public policy decisions.

In the 1970s and until the very late 1980s, the policy of absorption of immigrants in Israel was based on the concept of "individual assistance and placement.” That means that each immigrant was an individual client of the relevant branch of the Israeli Government and/or of the Jewish Agency for Israel, which had to find a suitable housing, professional, educational etc. accommodation for every immigrant family. Clearly, a huge influx of immigrants in early 1990s made this policy almost totally irrelevant. To

66 For details see Vladimir (Ze'ev) Khanin, "Aliyah from the Former Soviet Union: Contribution to the

National Security Balance". Position paper, presented on the behalf of the Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption to the 10th Annual Herzliya Conference, "Israel’s National Security Balance", IDC Herzliya, 31 January – 3 February 2010.


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avoid the system's collapse, there was a need to move from individual to group absorption methods, which demanded massive Government organizational and financial involvement in the process.

However, such a policy shift might come into direct confrontation with the general post-1977 policy trend of Israeli Governments towards liberalization of the economy and increasing the role of market mechanisms at the expense of the state regulations. In the spirit of this strategy, the government policy of direct absorption of new immigrants was adopted at the end of the 1980s. (A pilot version of this policy was first implemented in 1987 in relation of a group of a few hundreds of Jewish immigrants from the Republic of South Africa). This policy sent immigrants to reside in established Israeli communities rather than separate absorption centers, and supported with an institutional service framework and a “basket” of benefits. Coincidentally, the country entered the advanced stage of the economic liberalization policy, including the “direct immigrant absorption” component, almost simultaneously with the beginning of the immigration wave from the USSR.

This concept meant a shift from the strategy of individual "guided" intervention to a strategy of absorption by market forces. It included such elements as freedom to choose and decide where to live; financial assistance (Sal Klita,), designed to help immigrants to make initial arrangements, with living expenses during the period of ulpan (Hebrew language school) study (6 months) and includes rent for their first twelve months in Israel, as well as ongoing Absorption Ministry assistance in various fields of life. (The current amount of Sal Klita is $15,070US per couple with two children, plus special payments for Hebrew language studies, additional expenses related to housing, social services, professional courses, etc.)

Although it was clear that this approach might also be counterproductive to the integration of specific groups of immigrants in specific professions, Israeli decision-makers at that time were sure that the “direct absorption” policy, which was successful primarily due to independent development of the intellectual, economic, and social resources of the immigrants, would be the only viable answer to the challenges of the “great Soviet Jewish immigration."67

In fact this policy brought an obvious success. Thus, immigrants comprised about 19% of the employed during 2004, when they were 17.8 % of the population 15+. On the other hand they comprised 19 % of the unemployed. (CBS, 2005) The level of unemployment among all former Soviet immigrants in 1990-1999 was higher than among the veteran population. Thanks to the improving market conditions of that decades and Government involvement in the field, there has been a turnaround in these figures. This was a sharp decrease from the unemployment rate among the immigrants who arrived in 1990-91 of 38.5% in the last quarter of 1991 to 7.8 % in 2004 (compared to 10.4%. among the non-immigrants) and some 6% in 2008.

On the other hand, during 2004 less than a quarter of the total immigrants were employed in these professions while among the total population this figure increased to almost 30%. Many of immigrants went through a downgrading process within this professional grouping (e.g. engineers working as junior engineers or technicians, physicians working as nurses etc.). The reasons for the failure to benefit from this source of human capital are obvious. Even in such countries as Switzerland, Belgium or Austria – countries whose economies are traditionally based on machine-building, it would have been hardly

67 See Daviv Hacohen, “Direct Absorption System and Its Consequences: Social and Cultural Integration of

CIS Immigrants in early 1990s”. Jerusalem: Institute for Study of Israel, 1994 [Hebrew]; and Vladimir (Ze'ev) Khanin and Moshe Yanovsky, “Immigrant Scientists in Israel: Integration Policy Development and Contribution to the National Economy, 1989–2009”, in Vladimir Khanin, et al (Eds.), Immigrant Scientists in Israel: Achievements and Challenges of Integration in Comparative Context (Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem: Publication of Tel-Aviv University, Israeli Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and International Comparative Policy Analyses Forum, 2010), pp. 13 – 25.


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possible to provide jobs to the huge number of engineers and technicians, according to their specialization in their country of origin. Thousands of lawyers, economists and bookkeepers had little chance of finding employment in their field. This was due to the differences between the economic systems in their former countries and their new home. It was similarly impossible to place almost 50 thousand teachers into teaching positions even had they spoke fluent Hebrew. To all this may be added the simultaneous challenges of typical immigration problems, such as the difficulties of adapting to a new language and culture, the challenges of the job search, and a radically different socio-economic and political system (similar to problems of adapting in post-communist countries in transition).

Nevertheless, the situation continued to improve gradually in the course of subsequent years, many due to the booming Israeli economy of 2000s, which immigrants, as it was already mentioned, made a great contribution as well. This provided an opportunity for obviously needed reassessment and restructuring of the immigrant absorption policies. Hence, starting from 2009, a new "combined absorption" policy was introduced, which means the combination of best dimensions and experience of the "direct absorption" model with the focus on specific immigrants' social, cultural and professional groups, including various models of short-term adaptation in Absorption Residences followed by entrance into "open absorption market".


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ITALY

THE MOST IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING INTEGRATION ISSUES FOR IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN AND INTEGRATION POLICIES IN ITALY

(2008-2013)68

Introduction

As at January 2012, non-EU nationals regularly residing in Italy amount to 3,637,724 (source: ISTAT), nearly 2,600,000 of which are placed in the labour market, accounting for over 11% of the Italian working population (the employment rate of non-EU foreign workers accounts for 58.8%). The crisis affecting the national labour market also had considerable effects on the employment rate of migrant workers, increasing from 8.5% in 2008 to 12.5% in 2012.

The economic crisis generated, among migrants, nearly 350,000 redundancies per year on average, although with partly contradictory and peculiar results, mainly due to the specific sectors of employment, including not only the manufacturing and construction sectors, that traditionally are mainly affected by the crisis, but also the personal care sector. During the crisis, the dual character of the labour market became more marked and the migrant population has been mainly placed in the less skilled, remunerated and protected sectors, in order to meet the low-profile labour demand expressed by the Italian productive and social system. In absolute terms, the employment of foreign nationals continued to increase also during the period of crisis: between 2007 and 2010 it grew by 580 thousand units, about half of which during the critical two-year period 2008-2010. Furthermore, migrant workers continued to contribute to the national GDP in a percentage markedly higher than their demographic incidence, also during the recession phase: in fact, they produced 12% of national GDP, against a demographic weight of 7.5%.

The combination between the drop in labour demand ensuing from the economic crisis, the increase of the unemployment rate of migrants and the growth in foreign active population linked to family reunifications and second generation led to an increase in the workforce exceeding the demand. This brought to the need to reposition labour policies, prioritising measures including employment reintegration and support to the social mobility of migrants, guaranteeing a higher level of participation in labour policies and services, and compliance with the provisions regulating the new entry flows.

For additional information on the situation of the labour market, with particular reference to migrants, please see:

Annual Report 2012 -

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/Documenti/Documents/Lavoro/II_Rapporto_immigrati_2012.pdf

A summary is available in the following link:

http://www.lavoro.gov.it/NR/rdonlyres/24D1C5F2-37A0-4346-A76C-A49D7B2CC53A/0/II_Rapporto_immigrazione_sintesi.pdf

68 Ministero del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali, DIREZIONE GENERALE DELL’IMMIGRAZIONE E

DELLE POLITICHE DI INTEGRAZIONE.


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The six-month report as at January 2013:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/Documenti/Documents/Lavoro/Nota%20Semestrale%20stranieri_leggera.pdf

The National Regulatory Framework

Competences

At national level, the public administrations committed in the integration of migrants include the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Ministry of the Interior. They participate in the activities of the European Union as National Contact Point on Integration. Furthermore, the Ministry of Integration was also set up in the framework of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. In consideration of the areas of action involved in the management of migration and integration policies, some activities were implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, University and Research and the Ministry of Health.

The national legislation on immigration and legal status of foreigners is Legislative Decree no. 286/1998 (consolidated law on immigration), regulating the procedures for the entry and residence of migrants in the national territory, as well as social integration measures. As regards the latter, Legislative Decree 286/1998 provides for a series of activities – such as education, health, housing, social welfare - to be exercised by the State in close coordination with Regional Governments. Such approach is confirmed and enhanced by the Reform of Title V of the Italian Constitution of 2001, redistributing the competences between the State and the Regions with an extension of regional legislative competences in the areas above, whereas the State maintains its exclusive legislative competences on the legal status of migrants and immigration.

The Italian Constitutional Court clarified that the nature of the interests involved in the migration phenomenon may also authorise the intervention by the Central Government, as it concerns the controls on the entry and the residence of foreign nationals in the national territory (art. 117, second paragraph, lett. b) and the definition of the legal status of foreigners (art. 117, second paragraph, lett. a), but also interventions by Regional Governments as to the conditions deriving from the single areas of expertise: health, labour, housing, social welfare, whose determination pertains to either joint regulations between State and Regions, or to the residual regulations of the Regions (ex multis, judgement 300/2005 and judgement 61/2011). As far as matters pertaining to the Regional competence are concerned, the State shall not establish financial resources with objectives and activities pre-determined at Central level (judgement 50/2008).

In the light of such constitutional organisation, Legislative Decree no. 286/1998 is supported by specific Regional Legislations that regulate the actions to be planned and implemented within the regional territory in the field of social integration. An important role in the governance of immigration is also played at local level, mainly as concerns the reception and the access to services by migrants. Also relevant is the activity of non profit organisations operating in the third sector. The Registry of Associations and Authorities operating in favour of migrants was established at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy in 1999. It is divided into two sections: the first one relating to authorities and associations performing activities in favour of the social integration of foreigners; the second one concerns the associations and authorities that perform assistance and social protection programmes in favour of the victims of trafficking in human beings. As at 30th April 2013, 995 organisations are registered: 793 in the first section and 202 in the second one.


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Recent legislative amendments

In the last few years, some amendments were introduced in the national legislative framework on the integration of migrants:

1) Law no. 94/2009 amended the Legislative Decree no. 286/1998 by introducing the integration agreement: it is a pact, organized into credits, that immigrants shall sign while entering Italy, through which they commit themselves to achieving specific integration objectives during the period of validity of the residence permit. The signing of the integration agreement is a pre-requirement for the issuance of residence permits, and it is aimed to make immigrants aware of their responsibilities, representing a significant stimulus for a faster and more fruitful inclusion in the society of the country of destination.

2) With a view to implementing EU obligations, Legislative Decree no. 109/2012 transposed directive 2009/52/EC concerning the sanctions imposed on employers hiring illegal Third Country nationals. Since such prohibition was already provided for by Legislative Decree 286/1998, the new Legislative Decree only introduced some amendments to the existing regulation. Such measure also allowed the regularisation of undeclared employment (as at October 2012, the deadline for the submission of applications, no. 134,576 regularisation applications were filed, 86.17% of which relating to the regularisation of domestic work). Legislative Decree 108/2012 transposed the directive 2009/50/EC concerning the rules for the entry of highly skilled migrant workers, and introduced the EU Blue Card, valid for two years in case of open-ended employment, and in all the other cases having the same validity as the duration of the employment contract (provided that it lasts at least one year). Highly skilled workers may enter Italy outside of the quotas (in any period of the year and without any limits, as it conversely applies for the rest of migrant workers in the framework of specific measures called “Flows Decrees”). Highly skilled foreign workers include those owning a higher education title issued by the competent Authority in the Country in which such title was obtained, certifying the completion of a post-secondary education programme of at least three years and the related higher professional qualification. The higher professional qualification, certified by the Country of Origin, shall both be recognised in Italy and fall within the “levels 1, 2 and 3 of the ISTAT classification of professions CP 2011”. As concerns the requirements for the permit application by the employer, according to the new provisions the amount of workers’ salaries shall not be lower than the triple of the minimum threshold envisaged for the exemption from the contributions to health expenditure (amounting to 24,789 Euros).

3) The Decree Law no. 5/2012, as converted by Law no. 35/2012, streamlined the employment of seasonal workers that already entered Italy in the previous year and that returned to their Country of Origin once their permits expired. In particular, a tacit approval procedure has been in force since 2012 according to which whenever the One-Stop Shop for Immigration, after twenty days, does not notify its rejection to the application, the latter shall be considered as accepted if the following conditions are met: the application concerns a foreigner already authorised in the previous year to perform seasonal work for the same applicant employer; the seasonal worker was regularly employed in the previous year by the same employer and he/she repatriated on the date of permit expiration. This law also extended the “social card” (financial support measure for people with economic difficulties, aimed to meet their daily lives’ needs) to immigrants holding an EC resident permit for long-term residents.

4) Law no. 92/2012 provided for the extension of residence permits for pending employment (article 22, paragraph 11, of Legislative Decree no. 286/1998) from 6 months to one year. The new rules also allow workers to obtain additional renewals of such permit in case they are able to demonstrate that either them or their cohabiting family members receive an overall annual income not lower than the annual amount of social allowance (€ 5,577 in 2012).


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5) The extraordinary inflow of migrants from Northern African Countries since 2010 led the Italian Government to declare a humanitarian emergency in the national territory until 31th December 2012. Art. 23, paragraph 11, of Law no. 135/2012, converting Decree Law no. 95/2012, established within the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy the National Fund for the reception of unaccompanied migrant minors, in order to ensure the continuation of actions related to the overcoming of the humanitarian emergency and to allow an the ordinary management of reception procedures in 2012 (endowment of 5 million Euros for 2012). This provision also regulated the financial coverage of expenditures for the reception of adult migrants coming from North Africa, authorising a maximum expenditure of 495 million Euros for 2012.

6) In order to foster the integration of migrants entering the national territory as unaccompanied minors, the conditions for the issuance of the residence permit once turning 18 years old have been amended. Law no. 129/2011, converting Decree Law no. 89/2011, provided the issue of a resident permit (for reasons including study, access to the labour market) upon the positive opinion by the Committee for foreign minors. The tasks and functions of the Committee for foreign minors are presently transferred to the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (General Directorate for Immigration and Integration Policies), in compliance with the above mentioned Decree Law no. 95/2012.

Financial Resources

The financial source devoted to the integration of migrants is the National Fund for Migration Policies, which represents a unit of the National Fund for Social Policies. In 2007 the National Fund for Social Inclusion was also set up, although subsequently considered as non-complying with the Italian Constitution, since it was bound to affairs pertaining to regional competence. The sharp reduction in the allocation to the Fund for Social Policy (decreasing from 1,624,922,940 Euros in 2006 to 69,954,000 Euros in 2012) led to a remarkable reduction in the endowment of the Fund for Migration Policies (decreased in the same period from 16,477,000 Euros to 6,250,000 Euros). Many actions were therefore funded through EU resources: the European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals - EIF (whose managing Authority is the Ministry of the Interior) and the European Social Fund – ESF (as from 2010, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy – General Directorate for Immigration and Integration Policies is the intermediate authority of the National Operational Programme “System Actions” 2007-2013, Competitiveness Objective, and of the National Operational programme “Governance and System Actions” 2007-2013, Convergence Objective, for the performance of the tasks pertaining to the Management Authority). As particularly concerns the European Integration Fund, it is possible to highlight the progressive increase of EU contributions in the last few years (from 15,062,036.85 Euros in 2009 to 36,956,522.00 Euros in 2013). Through such source of funding, several projects were implemented throughout the national territory, in the framework of the actions set at European Union level.

For a detailed description of the EIF programmes approved from 2007 to 2013, please see:

http://www.interno.gov.it/mininterno/export/sites/default/it/sezioni/sala_stampa/notizie/immigrazione/0167_2009_07_03_programmi.html

Additional information on the projects approved is available in the website of the Ministry of the Interior:

http://www.interno.gov.it/mininterno/export/sites/default/it/temi/immigrazione/Fondo_Europeo_per_lxIntegrazione_di_cittadini_di_Paesi_Terzi.html


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Social Integration Policies and Actions

On 10th June 2010, the Council of Ministers adopted the Integration Plan “Identity and Encounter”, which identifies the main lines of action and the tools to be adopted in order to promote an effective integration of immigrants, combining reception and security. The Plan is divided into five axes: employment; access to basic services; minors and second generations; education and learning; housing and territorial governance. The integration actions enforced in recent years, therefore, complied with such guidelines.

The Italian version of the Plan is available through the following link:

http://www.lavoro.gov.it/NR/rdonlyres/02A1BA64-6AF8-4EC2-ADD3-EF601C360D34/0/piano integrazione_web.pdf

For the English translation, please see:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/en/Documents/file%20vec/Pianointegrazionesicurezzaidentitaincontro%20(%20inglese).pdf

Placement in the Labour Market

Particular attention has been paid to labour, in consideration of the close relationship existing between access to employment and social integration, as also highlighted by the European Parliament with its Resolution of 14th March 2013.

Among the projects financed in the last few years, particularly noteworthy is a project aimed to the regularisation of undeclared work. It was implemented through the ESF resources, jointly with the 4 Convergence Objective Regions (Sicily, Puglia, Campania and Calabria), and it also involved public and private services as well as One-Stop Shops for Immigration in the construction, agriculture and tourism sectors. 2030 apprenticeships for migrant workers were activated in Campania (559), Calabria (390), Puglia (425) and Sicily (656) in the sectors of agriculture (12%), construction (26%) and tourism (62%). This project also involved 101 sponsoring bodies (accredited training institutions, bilateral organisations, private subjects authorised to job demand/supply intermediation).

A job placement action is being implemented for vulnerable groups of migrants (refugees, asylum seekers, applicants and holders of humanitarian and international protection), in the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy for the placement in the labour market of migrants applying for/owning international protection, and by way of implementation of the “Guidelines for the overcoming of Northern Africa Emergency” approved within the State-Regions Conference on 26th September 2012. The project is implemented in the Convergence Objective Regions through ESF resources and, in a perspective of complementarity, in the rest of Italian Regions by means of national resources. This measure is aimed to overcome the emergency phase of initial reception of migrants by deploying empowerment actions to strengthen and qualify their skill in order to allow them to be autonomous and to be placed in the Italian society and labour market.

The National Observatory on the Financial Inclusion of Migrants was set up in the framework of a multiannual project (expiring in 2014), stemming from the collaboration between the Ministry of the Interior and the Italian Banking Association (ABI) and funded through the EIF. The Observatory intends to provide a tool for the analysis and monitoring of the financial inclusion of migrants in Italy as a pre-


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requirement to foster the integration process in the territory (job placement, home buying, the creation of savings with an insurance-based profile and the eventual start-up of entrepreneurial activities), providing operators and institutions with knowledge and interaction tools allowing to identify and define integrated strategies for its strengthening and enlargement.

Specific job placement and unemployment prevention measures were carried out in the personal services sector, both in the Convergence Objective Regions (ESF resources) and in the rest of the national territory (national funds). Such action, still in progress, allowed to foster the matching between job demand and supply for personal services, to promote the spreading of dedicated services, and to stimulate training pathways.

Some projects concerned the access to microcredit (EIF resources), the support to immigrant entrepreneurship (EIF resources), whereas a social-labour integration project destined to young migrants (aged from 17 to 30) is under way.

Furthermore, a programme destined to strengthen inter-institutional cooperation and improve the planning of migration policies is being implemented, through a close coordination between labour policies and integration policies. This programme, funded through ESF resources and through the National Fund for Migration Policies, is addressed to all central, regional and local public administrations, as well as to labour market public and private operators and to third sector bodies.

The improvement of the matching between job demand and supply represents one of the objectives of the bilateral agreements signed with some third Countries (Egypt, Albania, Morocco, Moldova, Sri Lanka, Republic of Mauritius) and of the pre-departure training activities (implemented through both the EIF resources and national funds) whose aims include, among others, allowing migrant workers to more easily be placed in the national labour market after entering Italy.

Finally, in the framework of the 2012 EIF annual programme, the project “Autonomy and integration for young foreign women” was approved, in order to promote in the national territory the development, the spreading and the exchange of innovative models and action tools for the support of the autonomy of a particularly vulnerable group of migrants, namely unaccompanied foreign minors in a phase of transition to adulthood (16-17 years of age) and young migrant women at risk of social exclusion until they turn 24.

Access to basic services

The Migrants Integration Portal (www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it) is a website developed with the purpose of fostering the integration of foreign nationals in the Italian society. The project is co-funded by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals and it is coordinated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy – Directorate General for Immigration and Integration Policy, with the support of Italia Lavoro and the participation of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Education, University and Research, and the Ministry of Integration. The Portal is destined both to all the parties that, for different reasons, deal with integration policies, and to migrants. It represents the place in which the good practices promoted at territorial level are collected and exchanged, and allows a clear and targeted dissemination to migrants of the necessary information on the access to basic services. As from January 2013, the Portal is Multilanguage through the spreading of a newsletter translated into 10 languages: Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, French, English, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog and Ukrainian. A simplified version of the English language Portal will be on-line as from May 2013. Furthermore, a telephone Contact Centre (Linea Amica) is available in Italian, English, French, Spanish and Arabic to support the migrants living in the national territory.


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On 20th December 2012, State and Regions signed an agreement on healthcare to foreign population; it aims to implement more effective initiatives to guarantee higher uniformity, in Regions and autonomous Provinces, of the paths to access and provide healthcare. The Ministry of Health allocated 30 million Euros to Regions for the protection of the health of non-EU nationals not owning a residence permit.

The text of the agreement is available under the following link:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/Attualita/News/Documents/DOC_038879_255%20csr%20-%205%20quater.pdf

In 2011, a project aimed to improve the media approach to the migration phenomenon was implemented. Awareness-raising campaigns were devoted to journalists to thoroughly, objectively and positively channel the information on migration and integration (EIF resources). Furthermore, a practical guide “Communicating integration” destined to mass-media operators was drafted and distributed, with a view to fostering an unbiased mass-media description of the migration phenomenon.

The guide is available under the following link:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/Attualita/News/Documents/Comunicare_limmigrazione_COMPLETO.pdf

Minors and second generations

The presence of unaccompanied migrant minors is particularly high in Italy, mainly as a consequence of the Northern African migration flows as from 2010. As at 31st December 2012, in Italy there were 5,821 unaccompanied foreign minors, 4,794 of which aged between 16 and 17.

National resources were used to finance the “National Programme for the Protection of Unaccompanied Foreign Minors”, implemented in collaboration with ANCI (The Italian Association of Italian Municipalities), in order to set up a decentralised and networked national system of reception and integration of unaccompanied minors within the territory. The programme was funded for two periods (from 2007 to 2012).

In 2012, specific pathways for the social and labour integration of unaccompanied migrant minors were financed, in order to ensure the continuation of their stay in Italy once turning eighteen. The measure is based on the financing of an “individual grant” for for the carrying out of an individual intervention plan, in order to promote training and skills qualifications (grants of € 3,000) or access to the labour market (grants of € 5,000). This action was funded through resources from the ESF in the Convergence Objective Regions, and through national funds in the rest of Italy, for a total of 1,126 individual grants.

Furthermore, an on-line information system is being developed, aimed to the traceability of the reception pathway of unaccompanied migrant minors since they enter the Italian territory. This system will allow all the involved parties (Police Headquarters, Regions, Municipalities, Communities, Tribunals, etc.) to access a shared database where each one of them, according to one’s competence, may enter and read the information on minors in order to suitably organise the reception and integration pathways of minors.

Students that are not Italian nationals represent a structural reality of Italy. During the school year 2011/2012, non-Italian foreign students amounted to 756,000, nearly 9% of the entire school population. 334,284 of them were born in Italy, and account for 44.,2% of total pupils that are not Italian nationals. Romanians are the most numerous ones. For the sixth consecutive year, Romanian pupils are the largest


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national group in Italian schools (141,050 units), followed by Albanians (102,719) and Moroccans (95,912). The most relevant annual growths include Moldovan students (+ 12.3%) in the different educational levels, and Ukrainians (+ 11.7%) in Primary schools and Filipinos in first grade (+8.5%) and second grade (+11.2%) secondary schools. Within the Migrants Integration Portal, an area of the “Experiences in the Territory” section is devoted to the collection of projects implemented locally, regionally and nationally in the field of school integration of foreign students.

The data on the presence of foreign pupils in schools are available under the following link:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/Documenti/Documents/Educazione%20e%20apprendimento/Alunni_con_cittadinanza_non_italiana.pdf

The projects implemented throughout the Italian territory are available under the following link:

http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/esperienze-territorio/Pagine/default.aspx

Education and Learning

During the period 2005-2011, a series of programmes aimed to the spreading of the knowledge of the Italian language were financed through national resources and destined to migrants regularly resident in Italy. Specific agreement were signed with Italian Regions, in compliance with the constitutional principle of fair collaboration. These agreements promoted the consolidation of the inter-institutional collaboration developed by the Regions with the networks of the centres for adult education, so that the teaching of Italian and of the civic education principles destined to foreign workers were included in the training paths provided for by the labour regulation in force. Starting from 2012, 30 million Euros were allocated to this action, thanks to the EIF resources (programming period 2011-2012).

On 7th August 2012 the Ministry of Interior signed a specific agreement with the Ministry of Education, University and Research, in order to give effect to the rules governing the integration agreement, with particular reference to training sessions and civic information and to test for the allocation of credits related to knowledge of the Italian language, civic culture and civic life in Italy. A similar agreement was signed in 10th November 2010 with reference to the modalities of the test of Italian language knowledge required to the issuance of a residence permit for EC long-term residents.

Housing

Several interventions in the field of access to housing for migrants have been carried out since 2001, both in the framework of the Fund for Migration Policies and – more recently – within the Fund for Social Inclusion of Migrants. In 2010 these interventions were repeated, always with national resources, through the signing of programme agreements on the access to housing for immigrants with the 4 Convergence Objective Regions and with the 4 Northern Italy Regions with the highest presence of immigrants (Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy and Veneto).


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JAPAN

THE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN

Development of policy measures relating to the employment of foreign nationals

(a) Basic regulation concerning the employment of foreign nationals

The promotion of the employment of foreign workers with highly professional knowledge and technological skill, the improvement of working conditions and the prevention of illegal employment are specified as state measures in the revised Employment Measures Law, which was enforced from October 1, 2007.

In addition, as the basic regulation concerning the employment of foreign nationals, the following systems have been introduced: (1) mandatory report system on the employment situation of foreigners (with penalty in case of breach of obligation), (2) formulation of guidelines (in the form of public notices by the Ministry) for employers on the improvement of employment management and (3) enhancement of guidance to employers based on the guidelines (mainly by Public Employment Security Offices, but in cooperation with Labor Standards Inspection Offices and Social Insurance Agencies).

(b) Report system of the employment situation of foreigners

While foreign workers working in Japan are increasing in recent years, problems are observed in their employment situation. Unstable employment and having many workers that are not covered by social insurances are some examples, and also, illegal employments giving bad influence on the labour market are still remaining a lot.

To improve this situation, the report system was developed under the revised Employment Measures Law which was enacted in the 166th regular Diet session. This system will form the foundation in promoting employment measures of foreigners through, for example, providing employment management guidance intending to arrange an environment which allows foreign workers to make the most of their ability within their residence status. And by this report system every employer who employs foreign workers are obliged from October 1, 2008 to report their employment situation of foreigners (Employment Measures Law Article 28 etc.).

(c) Employment promotion of foreign workers in “professional or technical fields”

In promoting employment of foreigners, Employment Service Centers for Foreigners are playing the core role as facilities where job consultation and job placement, support and guidance on employment management are provided professionally. In addition, Public Employment Security Offices are actively working to secure job offers in “professional or technical fields” from business establishments that are considered to be able to accept foreign workers in an appropriate manner.

In addition, Public Employment Security Offices take a positive approach to enable improving foreign worker’s employment management by providing adequate advice and guidance based on the “Guideline for employers in taking action to improve employment management of foreign workers etc” (Guideline on Foreigners) which was formulated in line with the revision of the Employment Measures Law.

Other than the support above, for foreign students who prefer to find a job in Japan after graduation as a foreign worker in “professional or technical fields”, activities like bellow are taken to steadily lead their


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individual desire to employment: development of job offers for active foreign students, efficient provision of information on job hunting and employment support for foreign students and promotion of job matching utilizing the nationwide network.

Furthermore, internships for foreign students, which promote mutual understanding between foreign students and enterprises and provide practical and preparatory opportunities aimed at actual employment after graduation, have started from April 1, 2008.

Thus, the use of foreign highly skilled professionals in enterprises and the employment of foreign students in Japan are being facilitated.

(d) Promotion of appropriate employment of foreigners through improvement of employment management

Recently, various problems are pointed out frequently mainly among Japanese descent. For example, no stable employment, poor labour condition, insufficient health and safety measures and low coverage of social insurance. Having this background, guidance for employers in order to improve adequate employment management and secure appropriate labour condition has been implemented.

Specifically, the Guideline on Foreigners is widespread to gain understanding by visiting establishments that are listed up through the report system of employment situation of foreigners by administrators of Public Employment Security Office. Advice and guidance will be provided if the establishment visited appears to need improvement in its employment management.

(e) Reemployment support by the government responding to the report on employment situation of foreigners

The revised Employment Measures Law obliges employers to make an effort to support foreign workers who are willing to find the next job after leaving the establishment according to the employer’s convenience. Public Employment Security Offices support the employer’s initiative by providing information on job offers and possible vocational training in response to the employer’s request.

In addition, Public Employment Security Offices are available to the foreigners. Support for reemployment that make the most of the foreigner’s ability within their resident status is provided in Public Employment Security Offices. Specifically, detailed job consultation, bridging to adequate vocational trainings, job creation and job placement according to the status of residence are provided while taking into account the foreign workers desire, knowledge and experience that can be comprehended from the report on employment situation of foreigners.

(f) Employment support and ensuring secure employment for Japanese descent

Recently, foreigners represented by Japanese descents, are strengthening the movement to call their family to Japan and settle down. The burden of local authorities is getting bigger along with the increase of Japanese descents. Furthermore, problems of unstable employment or working environments are pointed out which implies possibility to lead to severe problems on social security such as public pensions or education for children in the future, if no countermeasures are taken.

Under this situation, guidance for young Japanese descents, countermeasures against unemployment including advice on career building by individual counseling and promotion of secure employment for Japanese descents through detailed job search support by appointing an individual coordinator are implemented in the Public Employment Security Offices located in regions where many Japanese descents reside.


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In addition, after the world economic crisis occurred in October 2008, the number of Japanese descents in unstable employments (e.g. dispatched or contracted workers) who were dismissed or denied the renewal of employment contract has been increasing. Public Employment Security Offices in regions with a high density of Japanese descents were having rushes of unemployed Japanese descents. If they get off from a job, it will be extremely difficult for them to get a job again; this is due to their lack of ability of Japanese language and of knowledge of Japanese labour traditions. Because of this situation, Public Employment Security offices have implemented appropriate measures suited to the demands of unemployed Japanese descents; such as precise job counseling supported by increased number of interpreters and counselors: employment preparation training including developing Japanese language skills:

Furthermore, from April 2009 to March 2010, Public Employment Security offices had implemented the measures to provide some funds for returning to their home countries if the unemployed Japanese descents abandoned the hope of reemployment and wished to return to their home countries.

(g) Programs for ensuring proper channels for employment

The number of illegal residents tends to have decreased in the recent years owing to the effective measures against illegal foreign nationals.

We have also strengthened close relationships with relevant administrative organizations such as National Policy Agency, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and have held conventions to deal with illegal foreign workers.

The integration of immigrant’s children

Acceptance of foreign children in schooling

In Japan, foreigners are not obliged to give their children a school education. However, if they want their children to receive education in Japan, foreign children can study at public compulsory schools with no school fee. Every foreign child in Japanese public schools is treated as equivalent to Japanese students including free textbook, study assistance etc. In addition, the municipal boards of education send school guidance for foreign residents who have children at school age, to prevent them from miss the opportunity to send their children to the schools.

In addition, in order to give special support to the foreign students who don't have enough ability of Japanese, in compulsory schools, MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) has implemented a variety of measures such as allocating additional teachers mainly for teaching Japanese, and holding training programs for teachers who are engaged in teaching Japanese for foreign students. In addition, MEXT disseminates “JSL (Japanese as a Second Language) Curriculum for School Education", which supports the beginning students to be going to learn school subjects in Japanese as advanced learners. Moreover, MEXT is undertaking projects to promote the acceptance of foreign children in public schools and their adaptation to the schools. Particularly, MEXT facilitates the smooth transfer of children who are not attending school because of their economic hardships into public schools by implementing Japanese language instruction and securing the chance to learn.

On the other hand, some foreign children who do not wish to be educated in Japanese schools are studying in foreign schools in Japan. Japan provides the qualification necessary for taking the Upper Secondary School Equivalency Examination (Examination to ascertain whether examinees have attained a level equivalent to upper secondary school graduates）and the Examination for Granting an Equivalency Certificate of Lower Secondary School Graduation so that the foreign children who graduated from private


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institutions for foreign children in Japan can institutionally have a chance to enter Japanese universities, etc. and upper secondary schools.

Moreover Japan has made more flexible the qualification needed for entering Japanese universities in 2003, including authorizing individual universities to admit those who reached 18 years old and recognized to be equivalent to, or higher than, those who have graduated from upper secondary school.


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KOREA

SOCIAL INTEGRATION PROGRAMME

The Korean government operates the Social Integration Program for foreign immigrants in Korea. This program was enforced since 2009, based on the Ministry of Justice order number 612, which was enacted on 12th March 2008 based on "Act on the Treatment of Foreigners in Korea" and "Immigration Act". The details of the Social Integration Program are as follows.

Targeted population for participation

Every immigrants and citizens in Korea, such as immigrants by marriage, foreign workers, refugees, international students, and foreigners hoping to naturalize, can participate in the Social Integration Program.

But since its enforcement in 2009, the major participatory groups in this program have been foreigners with Korean ethnicity and immigrants by marriage. Participants in this program are exempt from taking written exam and interview in the process of acquiring Korean nationality and the waiting period is also shortened; thus, immigrants by marriage that plan to settle in Korea have a strong tendency to complete the program for the purpose of acquiring nationality.

In order to participate in the Social Integration Program, applicants must first submit an online application. And before the actual education starts, they are evaluated based on their basic knowledge at the Immigration office or other designated offices; they can then register for suitable educational courses after identifying their level of knowledge based on their pre-evaluation. After the completion of education, they take a comprehensive exam on the materials and receive a certificate if they pass the exam.

Organization of the Courses

The Social Integration Program largely consists of courses on Korean language and courses on understanding Korean Society. The Korean language program is divided into five levels: fundamental, basic 1, basic 2, intermediate 1 and intermediate 2. Participants are placed in one of the levels based on the results from the pre-evaluation exam. The fundamental course is 15 hours in total, but the rest of the courses from basic 1 to intermediate 2 are 100 hours each.

The courses on understanding Korean society are designed for those who are deemed as having the capacity to complete the Korean language courses. In the case of immigrants by marriage, they can start taking these courses without completing the Korean language courses if they can get 50 out of 100 points in the pre-evaluation exam. However, other immigrants, who are not immigrants by marriage, will be placed in the intermediate 1 Korean class if they get points between 50-69, in the intermediate 2 Korean class if they get points between 70-89, and only those who get points between 90-100 will be allowed to directly take the courses on the understanding of Korean society without taking language courses.


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Table 1 Organization of Courses for Social Integration Program

Level

Categories Level-0 Level-1 Level-2 Level-3 Level-4 Level-5

Courses Korean Language Understanding

Korean society Fundamental Basic1 Basic2 Intermediate1 Intermediate2

Hours 15 100 100 100 100 50

Pre-evaluation

Marrige Migrant 0-10 11-29 30-49

50-100

Others 0-10 11-29 30-49 50-69 70-89 90-100

The instructors for the courses are those who meet certain requirements and they are selected by educational institutions. The requirements for the instructors of the Korean language courses as of November 30, 2011, are those who possess a level-three teacher’s license or higher, or have completed the training program for teachers based on the “Fundamental Act on Korean Language”, or have more than 120-hour experience of teaching Korean at governmental or civic organizations. The requirements will be strengthened from January 1, 2012, so that the instructors are chosen among those who have a level-three teacher’s license or higher according to the enforcement degree of the Fundamental Act on Korean Language, or have completed more than 120 hours of educational training program for teachers based on the Fundamental Act on Korean Language and have taught more than 500 hours of Korean to immigrants at governmental or civil/social organizations, or possess an elementary teacher’s license (level-two) or higher and have more than two-year experience of teaching at an elementary school and in addition have completed the training program for Korean instructors (120 hours necessary for completion) from the Fundamental Act on Korean Language.

On the other hand, the instructors for courses on the understanding of Korean society are selected from among those who have completed the training program for experts on multicultural society within certain educational institutions designated by the Minister of Justice. These experts must have acquired level two or one on the multicultural society expert qualification, or have completed registered courses from colleges (or graduate schools) related to immigration and multicultural society, provided that those university programmes that have been founded through consultation or an MOU with the Minister of Justice.

Reference source: "Migration Profile of the Republic of Korea", IOM migration research & training center,

2012


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MEXICO

POLICIES TO ENCOURAGE INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN MEXICO

Introduction

The phenomenon of migration in Mexico is extremely complex due to its distinctive feature as a country of origin, transit, destination and return of migrants, which has resulted in recent years in the implementation of measures and actions oriented towards a comprehensive and coherent frame for migration management and public policy. Likewise, the goal has envisaged the incorporation of new features and new players of the international mobility of people at the global stage.

To this day, the vision of a public policy on migration follows a regulatory framework harmonized with international instruments to which the Mexican State is part and has ratified, whose main objective is the unconditional respect for the human rights of migrants, regardless of their immigration status.

While it is true that in certain regions the tradition of emigration to the United States led to the creation of a variety of programs oriented to the protection of Mexicans abroad, and gradually to the support of their relatives in Mexico, it is also true that the evolution of institutional care towards other dimensions of migration, has been limited to the protection of refugees and asylum seekers. However, with the reform in 2011 of the Constitution of the United Mexican States, known as "From human rights and guarantees", it now requires for the three levels of government to promote, respect, protect and guarantee the human rights; grants constitutional status to the international protection in a form of asylum, to any person who is persecuted for political reasons; and recognizes the "right to seek refugee" to any individual on humanitarian grounds. Hence, it expands the historical international solidarity of Mexico towards people who suffer rights violations in their home countries.

On the other hand, from the enactment of the Migration Act in 201169 (Ley de Migración, LM) and the amendments to the General Population Act, it is now considered fundamental the integration of immigrant population in the country. In addition, the public policies carried out up to today recognize the contributions of Mexicans abroad to national development, while incorporating elements of protection and assistance during their journey, as well as during their stay in the destination country and their reintegration into Mexican society when they return.

The institutional transformation has been designed to propel the formulation of strategic public policies on migration. Therefore the creation of the Migration Policy Bureau (Unidad de Política Migratoria, UPM) in 2012, which purpose is to grow to be the agency responsible to design and propose strategies, programs and actions that constitute a comprehensive and multi-sectorial policy; and moreover, derivative from the National Development Plan 2013-2018, the Mexican Government is working, for the first time, in the elaboration of the Special Migration Program (Programa Especial de Migración, PEM), which will coordinate and outline the formulation of the migration policy of the Mexican government, aiming to comprehensively address the migrants necessities from Mexican origin and the migrant residents

69 The provisions of the Migration Act amended the General Population Act in the sake of greater openness

of Mexico to globalization and regional integration, to strengthen national and border security, and to provide legal basis and certainty to the criteria for entry, stay and residence for foreign residents in the country. The fundamental purpose has been is the facilitation and management of migration flows to and from Mexico, favoring the protection and respect of human rights of migrants.


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in the country, safeguarding at all times their human rights. The PEM will direct efforts to the strategic objective of local integration through approaches that will aim to strengthen human development of the population as a whole.

Integration policy for foreigners in Mexico

The enactment of the Migration Act expanded the rights and obligations of the foreign population in Mexico. On the one hand, guaranteed the right of access to educational services provided by public and private sectors, regardless of immigration status, and according to the laws and regulations applicable to the general population. Similarly, medical care provided by public and private sectors is guaranteed, particularly the cases of emergency medical care necessary to preserve life, will be granted free of charge and without any restriction. The endorsement to fundamental rights also includes access to the administration and enforcement of justice, the family unit, to information and the recognition of his legal status.

The Mexican government now has an obligation to promote access to the various areas of economic life and the integration of migrants who obtain the status of temporary residents stay and permanent residents, by ensuring respect for their identity and ethnic and cultural diversity.

It also establishes the obligation for the Secretariat of Governance (Secretaría de Gobernación, SEGOB) to collect and take into account the positions and demands of civil society organizations; as well as this, it reinforces the humanitarian tradition and emphasizes the commitment to a human rights approach framed by the twelve principles that govern Mexico's immigration policy. In reference to the integration policy, it highlights the following:

• Comprehensive approach according to the complexity of the international mobility designed to deal with the various manifestations of migration in Mexico, considering its structural causes and their immediate and future consequences.

• Hospitality and international solidarity with the people who need a new place of temporary or permanent residence due to extreme conditions in their home country threatening their life or cohabitation ...

• Family unity and the best interest of the children or adolescent, as a priority criteria for the admission and residence of aliens for temporary or permanent residence in Mexico, along with labor needs and humanitarian causes.

• Social and cultural integration between nationals and foreign residents based on multiculturalism and freedom of choice, as well as full respect for the cultures and traditions of their communities of origin, on condition that they are not contrary to the Mexican laws...

• Facilitate the return and the social reintegration of Mexican migrants and their families, through inter-agency programs and actions to strengthen the links between the communities of origin and destination of Mexican migrants for the benefit of family welfare and the regional and national development...

One of the innovations protected by the regulatory framework is to recognize the acquired rights of immigrants, while foreigners that have family ties, that are currently employed or that are involved in an entrepreneurial activity in Mexico have created rights and obligations by living in the country.


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Regularization of immigrants in Mexico

In 2000 the National Institute of Migration70 (Instituto Nacional de Migración, INM) promoted the first program for the regularization of immigrants (Programa de Regularización Migratoria, PRM) that had as one of its main objectives to reduce the number of unauthorized foreigners who have lived in the country for an average of two years. Afterwards, the government put in place other five programs designed to increase its capacity to protect and ensure the fulfillment of the human rights of foreigners, as well as to make them comply with the law.

The commencement of the first PRM was February 1, 2000 lasting until July 31 of the same year. It was the first time the government recognized a large foreign population living in Mexico without the necessary documents for a regular stay.

The second PRM was unveiled on March 2, 2001, lasting seven months. The third program was announced in December 2003 lasting twelve months; it was the first to be related to the 2001-2006 National Development Plan with references to the 2001-2006 National Population Program.

The last day of August 2005 the government put in place the fourth PRM, lasting fifteen months and in December 2006 a fifth program came into force. In both programs, foreigners were only required to submit a written application for regularization, not being necessary an interview process nor a hearing.

The last PRM was implemented in November 11, 2008, which was important due to give more benefits and work permits to foreign immigrants by recognizing that the regularization option helps strengthen human, public and national security. It also recognized their contributions to the economic development and gave greater guarantees to their children, in accordance with the principle of the best interests of children. The program lasted until May 2011 and prohibited the detention of irregular immigrants. These two reasons explain that a greater number of people were benefited with this regularization program.71

An important provision of the LM is the possibility of irregular immigrants can regularize their status if they have a valid interest to live in the country. Particularly, if they have family ties with Mexican nationals or with foreigners with legal status in Mexico; if they are victims or witnesses of a crime; if they are especially vulnerable for a return process; or, if they are minors pending to a process of subtraction and international restitution.

According to data from the Center for Migration Studies (Centro de Estudios Migratorios, CEM) and data from the INM, since the enactment of the Regulation to the LM (2012), a total of 5,521 foreigners were regularized between November 2012 and July 2013, of which 925 regularized their immigration status and 2,196 their conditions of stay for family unity reasons; 190 for humanitarian reasons and 2,210 for having expired documents.

Specifically, the LM made permanent the option of regularization, and now it is not related to a program.

70 A unit of the government of Mexico linked and dependent on the Secretariat of Governance that enforces

regulatory criteria related to migration management and operation related to the immigration status of foreigners; immigration controls and inspections; and enforcement of the procedures to ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of migrants at all times in Mexico.

71 10,190 foreigners received benefits, according to data from the Center for Migration Studies of the National Institute of Migration.


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Policy for the attention of refugee seekers, asylum and complementary protection

Mexico has made important achievements when it comes to asylum seekers of refuge, refugees and people that benefit from complementary protection. The country is at the forefront in serving this population. However, the policy for the integration of migrants remains as a series of isolated actions that lack coordination among the federal government agencies.

In 1980 the Mexican government created the Mexican Commission of Aid to Refugees (Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados, COMAR) to assist refugees. The Commission laid the foundation to establish partnerships with agencies from other governments, international organizations, civil society organizations and, broadly, with any institution that directly supports or serves to foreign population. In a way, these schemes have gradually helped towards the social integration of migrants.

With the enactment of the Refugees and Complementary Protection Act (Ley sobre Refugiados y Protección Complementaria) in January 2011, the necessary measures were taken to provide institutional assistance to refugees and help their integration in Mexico. In order to better accomplish this objective, many factors were taken into account, such as: social and cultural background; if they are children, teenagers or elderly; if they have any disability; if they are pregnant women; if they suffer from a chronic disease; if they are victims of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, or of sexual abuse, gender violence and human smuggling; or if they are vulnerable for any other reason.

The institutional assistance provided by the new legal framework, launches actions that help the social, economic and political cohabitation. They are based in the following:

• Social attention: Spanish language lessons, health and education services, as well as social welfare programs.

• Children or teenagers asylum seekers and refugees: comprehensive care to non-accompanied or separated children or teenagers, considering in every moment their best interests.

• Family reunification: applications for entry to the country for refugee relatives, among those are the spouse, concubine, children, blood relatives up to the fourth degree, spouse or concubine and blood relatives up to the second degree, who are economically dependent.

• Integration to the country: Job training, support for naturalization, and help for administrative processes.

• Migration issues: regularization as well as identity and travel documents.

Regarding social care, the COMAR and the National Commission on Social Health Protection collaborate to ensure that refugee families can enroll for the "Seguro Popular" program and for the "Health Insurance for a New Generation".

From 2002 to July 2013 there were 1,368 refugees registered in Mexico. From 2002 to 2013 the COMAR has given the refugee status to 1.616 foreigners, and the status of complementary protection to 84 migrants.

Public policies for the attention of migrants that were victims of a crime

The General Act for Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Crimes on Human Trafficking and for the Protection and Assistance to their Victims (Ley General para Prevenir, Sancionar y Erradicar los


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Delitos en Materia de Trata de Personas y para la Protección y Asistencia a las Víctimas de estos Delitos) serves as secondary law in order to state the rights and obligations of immigrants in Mexico. This law sets an assistance and protection protocol for victims, potential victims, plaintiffs and witnesses of human trafficking crimes, to be conducted by personnel of the federal government. This protection and assistance shall include employment opportunities, education and training as part of their integration into social programs.

Along with these government efforts for the integration of migrants, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) implements since 2005 the Program for Direct Assistance for Victims of Trafficking, especially Women and Children (Programa de Asistencia Directa a Víctimas de Trata, especialmente Mujeres, Niños y Niñas) in Mexico City and Tapachula, Chiapas, with the financial support from the Undersecretary for Population, Refugees and Migration of the U.S. Department of State. This program provides immediate protection to victims by identifying their basic needs in the short and medium terms, and by giving them comprehensive assistance for their reintegration in their countries of origin or in Mexico, including efforts to ensure the safe and voluntary return to their home communities with IOM reception and continuous monitoring of the case.

The reintegration process comprehends providing accommodation in a safe hostel, follow-up of their psychological therapy, training or vocational training, in order to help people regain independence and to rapidly join the workforce, and at the same time increase their levels of self-esteem and wellbeing. These actions involve broad coordination between government agencies, non-governmental organizations, public institutions and international organizations that are in charge of continuing the assistance provided from the time that the victims are identified.

Public policies for the attention of Mexicans abroad

For Mexican communities abroad, the dissemination of their cultural roots and national identity are of a particular concern, which is why since 1990, through the Program for Mexican Communities Abroad the goal was to create active linkages between these communities and their hometowns. Later on, the National Council for Mexican Communities Abroad was installed and eventually turned into the Institute of Mexicans Abroad (Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior, IME)72 and the Advisory Council of the IME73, in order to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Mexican Government and the development of policies oriented to reinforce the community ties with their families in national territory.

The IME has been given the task of promoting the awareness of Mexican culture and traditions as a way to contribute to increase the living standards of the communities abroad, particularly in the United States where it is estimated a population of around 12 million immigrants of Mexican origin, and where the consular network of the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, SRE) plays an

72 Among the attributes of the IME on regard on integration of migrants, are the following:

I. Promote appreciation of the migration phenomenon and dignified treatment of Mexicans living abroad. II. Support the creation of spaces for recreation and promote communication with and among Mexican

communities living abroad. III. Operates as a liaison with the Mexican communities living abroad, in coordination with the diplomatic

representations of Mexico. IV. Establish an appropriate coordination with governments, institutions and organizations within states and

municipalities in matters of prevention, care and support to Mexican communities abroad, and related and complementary topics.

73 Composed of 101 members, representatives of the Mexican and Mexican-American in the United States, four in Canada, 10 Latino organizations and 10 special advisers.


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important role to support the development and growth of the community through the intensification of opportunities for public participation of leaders, hometown associations and federations.

The main interest of the Mexican government has been the strengthening the capacities of conationals abroad, so it promotes a wide range of services on education, social security, cultural and joint venture in Mexico, among others. Some programs to support Mexican migrants are:

• The Financial Education Program for Mexican Migrants aims to bring programs and services that would provide tools for better decision making for the future planning and management for their economic resources. The program has the support of various nonprofit organizations, banks, credit unions and remittance companies that already offer financial education programs targeting the Hispanic community.

• Since 2005, the SRE through IME coordinates the program "Health Window" (Ventanilla de Salud), which seeks to facilitate access of Mexican migrants to health services at their community in the United States, while creating a culture of prevention, information and participation in the matter, aiming to improve their quality of life and of their families.

• The program "Your Home in Mexico" (Tu Vivienda en México) is the product of a collaborative effort between the Mexican government through the National Housing Commission (Comisión Nacional de Vivienda, CONAVI), the Federal Mortgage Society (Sociedad Hipotecaria Federal, SHF) and the IME; and private companies, through the Limited Purpose Trust Companies (Sociedades Financieras de Objeto Limitado, SOFOLES) and homebuilders, to promote and foster house purchases in Mexico among the Mexican population abroad. The program allows the purchase of a new or used home by mortgage loans, allowing making loan payments from the place of residence of migrant Mexican. The initiative gives the opportunity for Mexican nationals to create a family patrimony while it also fosters the productively use of remittances to boost the potential of real estate investment in Mexico.

• The Secretariat of Social Development (Secretaría de Desarollo Social, SEDESOL) implemented from the year 2002, the 3x1 Program for Migrants (Programa 3X1 para Migrantes), which aims to combine financial resources from hometown associations and federations of migrants living abroad and resources from federal, state and municipal levels, to stimulate the development of their communities of origin in Mexico and increase the quality of life of its population. Thus, the program has helped to foster the sense of identity of migrants to their places of origin, to encourage stewardship of the civil society in improving their conditions of life, fosters civic participation and strengthens coordination between governmental authorities and migrants to in order to invest in their home communities or other localities by means of projects that improve basic, complementary and productive, social infrastructure.

• Regarding sports activities, the IME, in coordination with the National Commission of Physical Culture and Sports (Comisión Nacional del Deporte, CONADE) and with the support of community organizations, sports promoters and schools, conducts various activities intended to promote the recreation, physical activity and sport among Mexicans living abroad.

• The Secretariat of Communications and Transport (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, SCT) launched the “e-migrant” website which serves as an observatory on migration and is designed to provide information about the services offered in Mexico (labor, economy, education, health, arts and culture, rights and migration studies) for Mexicans living abroad and their families residing in national territory. Also in 2009 presented the portal "Migrant Women" (Mujer Migrante) as a pilot of the project "Information Technology and Communications for


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women and families linked to migration", which aims to provide a digital tool where migrants and their families can find information on the various participants in migration, such as government institutions and civil society organizations. This year the website made available mobile applications with information related to their human rights.

Public policies for Mexicans in return

Mexicans that are returned by the U.S. authorities are in need of particular strategies that bring support in the process of reintegration at their local destination, given that a great number of this population has been out of the country for long periods of time and eventually would have to adapt as quickly as possible to the dynamics of their communities or origin.

Mexican law anticipates this problem and establishes actions to address the reintegration process of this population with special emphasis that they are oriented primarily on employment and housing options in the place they choose to live, and afterwards informs them of a number of programs interagency and multi-sectorial designed to enable their integration and improvement of their families, through a better application of their skills acquired during the period of stay abroad.

The General Population Act indicates that SEGOB has the authority to coordinate the actions oriented to provide institutional care and reintegration of repatriated Mexicans. In this sense, in coordination with the SRE, subscribes interagency agreements and understandings with other countries, local authorities and international organizations on safe, dignified and orderly removals of migrants repatriated to Mexico. For purposes of receiving repatriated Mexicans, SEGOB emphasizes a health status review, communication with family members and affords economical support for the transportation at their places of residence in Mexico.

In this regard, the government launched the Voluntary Repatriation Program at the Interior (Programa de Repatriación Voluntaria al Interior, PRVI), performed on an annual basis from 2004 to 2011, derived from the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Homeland Security of The United States and the Secretariat of Governance and the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States, on the Safe, Orderly, Dignified and Human Repatriation of Mexican Nationals (Memorándum de Entendimiento sobre la Repatriación Segura, Ordenada, Digna y Humana de Nacionales Mexicanos). The PRVI offered to nationals who voluntarily chose to return to their places of origin, a service that safeguarded their physical integrity by avoiding the risks to become victims of human smugglers or that suffer dangers in desert areas during the months in which temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius.

In October 2012, began operating the pilot program for the Mexican Interior Repatriation Program (Procedimiento de Repatriación al Interior de México, PRIM), in order to protect the integrity, security and rights of Mexican nationals repatriated by the United States to Mexico and combat impunity by identifying duly those nationals with criminal records in the U.S. who had court order active in Mexico.

Amongst the objectives of Systematic Operating Procedure (Procedimiento Sistemático de Operación, PSO) incorporated in the PRIM, was the vision of social and economic reintegration to meet the needs for labor, health and education of Mexicans and their families in their local communities.

Given the innovation and results in its pilot phase, the PRIM replaced the PRVI as annual program for the repatriation of Mexicans from the United States. Like many programs focused on the protection and safeguarding of human rights of Mexican nationals, their first aim has been to help prevent the deaths of Mexicans attempting to reenter the United States for high-risk areas in the Sonora-Arizona corridor and as a result the program only applies to migrants detained in the corridor who voluntarily agree to return to


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Mexico City by plane, and also helps returnees to get ground transportation to their places of residence within the country.

The Human Repatriation Program (Programa de Repatriación Humana, HRP) was implemented in an analogous way with the PRIM with the purpose to provide guidance and support to repatriated Mexicans by providing them with food, medical care, support for communicating with their families; transportation to a temporary shelter (where they are given clothes; food; dormitories; and medical, social and psychological assessment; as well as assistance on regard of their legal situation and support to locate family members or to return to their place of origin), information on temporary job offers; child care; assistance to file a wage claim to recover unpaid wages in the United States; legal advice; documentation that certifies the skills acquired abroad; educational offers, among other services.

With respect to health services, repatriated Mexicans have the opportunity to join and register their family members at the Social Protection System in Health (Sistema de Protección Social en Salud), in order to access the “Seguro Popular”. In this regard, the procedures for collaboration among government agencies that went into effect in 2012, as part of the pilot program PRIM, established that this provision shall be valid indefinitely.

In regard to labor care, the Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare (Secretaría del Trabajo y Previsión Social, STPS), through the National Employment System (Sistema Nacional de Empleo, SNE) supports repatriated Mexicans in their State of origin or residence by simplifying their incorporation on a productive activity through the Employment Support Program (Programa de Apoyo al Empleo, PAE). For its part, the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación, SAGARPA), through the Shared Risk Trust (Fideicomiso de Riesgo Compartido, FIRCO), operates the program “Paisano, Invierte en tu Tierra”; while the Secretariat of Economy (Secretaría de Economía, SE) provides information about the services and funds that offers through the programs of the Undersecretary for Small and Medium Enterprises (Subsecretaría para la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, SpyMe).

Finally, the Secretariat of Public Education (Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP) provides scholarships and economic incentives for education; besides alternative education plans that include open education, job training, advice for the procedures and conclusion of studies. The Ministry also offers information on the administrative processes and standards established for the validation of foreign studies and degrees, as well as the route to formal recognition of knowledge and language proficiency.

On the other hand, the Mexican government also has strategies and actions for nationals returning from the United States that were not part of the repatriation programs. The STPS, through the SNE, implemented the program “Returnees Working” (Repatriados Trabajando) aiming to facilitate their access to employment in the border area, with support of up to $1,500 pesos for job search and up to $1,500 pesos for accommodation and food. In the event that the conational decides to return to the place of residence in Mexico, is given a support between $500 and $1,000 pesos for job search (at the State of origin), and the buy of tickets for ground transportation or air up to $1,500 pesos. Once in the place of origin, is given additional support from $500 to $1000 pesos depending on the state of destination and receives information and guidance on the different employment opportunities and programs available to obtain financial support or to invest in self-employment.

In the Expenditure Budget Decree for Federal Fiscal Year 2009 was established a Migrant Support Fund (Fondo de Apoyo a Migrantes) to assist returned migrant workers and the families that receive remittances in a daily basis, by means of facilitate their entry into the formal sector, with options to self-employment, income generation and improvement of human capital and housing. The Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público, SHCP) is the agency responsible for


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issuing the guidelines that administer the Fund and takes under consideration the distribution, application, disbursement, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and transparency of the resources, which are in the nature of federal subvention and ideally are used for projects, actions and infrastructure works, intended to support migrant workers and their families in return.

While each of these programs is designed and implemented by federal agencies, authorities in the 32 federal entities contribute to the integration process by carrying out its application and even designing specific programs or establishing explicit services for care or guidance to the population given the migration dynamics presented by each state.

Concluding remarks

Mexico assumes it responsibility to design a comprehensive immigration policy that leads to the fulfillment of the national goals for human rights and comprehensive development through the sustainable economic growth, taking into account the size of the international mobility phenomenon in the regions of North America and Central America.

The current legal framework that favors public policy processes and actions for the integration of the migrant population and their families is not only important because of the effort it represents to regulate the current migration flows in Mexico, (emigration, immigration, migrants in transit or returning migrants), but also for the many options it embodies to generate further actions that add to the efforts of the federal agencies with the support of the organized civil society.

In this regard, the opportunities rely on having and promoting new partnerships that favor integration initiatives, mainly those particularly designed to help the vulnerable population with a gender perspective.

With the Special Migration Program, being a mechanism with a multi-sectorial and transversal strategy for a better coordination between the three branches and the three levels of the government, the civil society organizations, academy, experts and the migrants and their families, has the goal to redesign the current programs based on a perspective that favors the rights of migrants and the access to services for the foreign population living in Mexico, as well as formulating new strategies guided by the integration of migrant children, considering the principles of family unity and the best interest of the children and the teenagers.

The strategic planning for the Special Migration Program will allow the Mexican government to consider the most important elements for the formulation and enforcement of the migration policy in the medium and long terms, especially when designing an integration policy with an important effect in the families of Mexican migrants, and that promotes the economic projects with the goal to reduce the emigration driven by economic factors.

The current challenges are related to the regularization of foreigners that decide to live in Mexico, in order to help them receive the services provided by the government and realize their human rights, in addition to progressively promote their self-sufficiency with labour programs and not only relying on humanitarian assistance. Therefore, a key step forward is to advance the projects for microcredits and the employment of migrants.

Regarding education, some processes are necessary to revalidate their studies and offer alternatives for college education. When it comes to health issues, the enrollment to the “Seguro Popular” is a great contribution that has to be carried on. As well as this, other basic services should be promoted along the migrant population in Mexico, including social and cultural integration.


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Some of the experiences that still have to be evaluated are those designed for Mexican citizens living abroad, in order to avoid the undermining of their ties with their communities of origin and to have an easier and better reintegration process in case of return. Likewise, it is necessary to increase and improve the services offered by the consular network abroad, to accelerate and facilitate the access for the migrants and their families.

Regarding the return migration, programs such as Repatriados Trabajando, Fondo de Apoyo a Migrantes and the PRIM, should be further improved so the Mexican migrants and their families can have an easier reintegration process, which means an efficient reinsertion to their professional field and social life, especially for children and teenagers born overseas.


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NEW ZEALAND

INTEGRATION ISSUES AND POLICIES FOR IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN74

Introduction

NZ’s migration context - New Zealand is notable within the OECD for having high inflows and outflows of people. Migrants represent almost a quarter of New Zealand’s total population, which is one of the highest rates of overseas-born population in the OECD. For the past 40 years, New Zealand has been reliant on immigration to offset New Zealanders leaving. Immigration is critical for filling skill and labour shortages and supplementing ‘home grown’ talent by building the skill capacity of the New Zealand workforce. In an increasingly competitive world, we need to ensure that skilled migrants can move quickly and easily into work that demands their expertise without displacing New Zealand workers.

In 2011/12 there was a net outflow of 3,200 people, down from a net inflow of 3,900 in the previous year. The drop in net migration was primarily due to a net loss of 39,700 New Zealand citizens to Australia. The movement of New Zealanders to and from Australia is highly related to economic conditions in both countries with the recent strength in the Australian labour market relative to New Zealand’s likely encouraging trans-Tasman migration. The latest migration figures show a net gain, indicating an upward trend that is forecast to continue over the near future.

Permanent residence approvals were similar to the previous year with 40,400 persons approved. A decrease in the number of skilled migrants was offset by increases in the family streams. The planning level has been set at 135,000 to 150,000 approvals over the three year period, 2011/12 to 2013/14.

After a decade of high annual growth in temporary labour migration, the growth in the inflow of temporary workers slowed from 2008/09 but increased 2 percent over the latest period to 138,200. International student numbers currently sit at around 70,000 annually. International students and temporary workers form a large part of the pool from which migrants’ transition to skilled residence confirming the increasingly two-step migration pathway to residence trend in New Zealand.

For the potential advantages of migration to be harnessed, it is crucial that immigration be accompanied by integration, or effective mechanisms for ensuring that immigrants are incorporated into labour markets, the economy and society. The NZ government approach to settlement and integration in practice is based around its settlement strategies and services as well as immigration policy settings and the use of a robust evidence base.

Settlement approach in the last 5 years (2008-13)

New Zealand’s approach to enabling effective settlement or integration hinges on its ability to plan and coordinate settlement strategies and services, immigration policy (relating to selection within discretionary visa categories) and research. The fact that all three functions are primarily housed in the same government agency - the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment - provides a unique structural arrangement.

74 Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment


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The terms ‘settlement’ and ‘integration’ are sometimes used interchangeably. The official term in New Zealand is ‘settlement’, with ‘integration’ at times being used to refer to the latter phases of settlement or the outcome of the settlement process. The settlement process is:

• Two-way – requiring adaptation by the newcomers and the host communities

• Multi-dimensional – involving all aspects of life – social, economic, cultural, and civic/political

• Open-ended – although many key aspects of settlement take place in the early stages of a migrants’ arrival, there is no clear point at which settlement can be said to be complete.

The settlement process, and New Zealand’s approach to it, is visually demonstrated below. 75

In recent years, New Zealand’s approach to settlement has been focused on supporting employers and

skilled migrants for economic growth. Immigration New Zealand (INZ), within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, is responsible for supporting migrants to settle and work, and therefore maximise their contribution to New Zealand. Immigration’s contribution to skilled and safe workplaces, a key output of the current New Zealand Government’s Business Growth Agenda, is around ensuring sufficient skilled migration to meet New Zealand’s needs. New Zealand not only needs to attract skilled

75 Department of Labour (2009). Developing a New Zealand Settlement Knowledge Base. Phase One

Working Paper – A Framework and Initial Indicators. Available at http://www.dol.govt.nz/publications/research/skb/skb-working-paper.pdf.


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migrants but support their retention through the provision of settlement information and services throughout their migration pathway, offshore and onshore in New Zealand.

A diagram detailing INZ’s recent approach and activities is attached for your information. This diagram also demonstrates the key role that INZ plays in supporting migrants and employers throughout the Migration Pathway from initial interest to long-term stay. By developing and delivering customised information and targeted services for employers and newcomers at each stage of the Migration Pathway, INZ contributes to the retention of high value migrants and their families.

New Zealand Settlement Strategy and Action Plans

The leadership work of INZ in settlement is underpinned by the New Zealand Settlement Strategy (the Strategy). The Strategy is a whole-of-government framework to achieve agreed settlement outcomes for migrants, refugees and their families. A key focus for the Strategy is to assist migrants to settle quickly and contribute to the economy. The Strategy coordinates central and local government agencies, NGOs and community groups to achieve its seven objectives. Migrants, refugees and their families:

• Are accepted and respected by host communities for their diverse cultural backgrounds and their community interactions are positive;

• Obtain employment appropriate to their qualifications and skills and are valued for their contribution to economic transformation and innovation;

• Become confident using English in a New Zealand setting or are able to access appropriate language support;

• Access appropriate information and responsive services that are available to the wider community;

• Form supportive networks and establish a sustainable community identity;

• Feel safe within the wider community in which they live;

• Accept and respect the New Zealand way of life and contribute to civic, community and social activities.

The Strategy was developed in consultation with migrants, agencies and other key stakeholders. It represents the two-way process of settlement – where adjustments need to be made by the host community as well as by newcomers. The Strategy was officially launched in December 2004, but then refreshed and re-launched in 2007.

A Settlement National Action Plan (SNAP) was developed to implement the Strategy. It sets out collaborative actions to which agencies contribute at a national level under each of the Strategy’s high level goals. To support the SNAP, two regional Settlement strategies – the Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy and the Wellington Regional Settlement Strategy – were also developed. Along with their respective Action Plans, these two Strategies help to ensure regional responsiveness to settlement issues in areas with significant migrant populations.

The final outstanding action of the SNAP, a review of refugee resettlement, was completed in 2012. The review resulted in the development of the New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy.


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The New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy

The New Zealand Government provides pre- and post-arrival support for around 750 UNCHR76 mandated refugees. This includes an induction programme provided at Mangere Reception Centre in Auckland and funding for Red Cross to deliver support services.

The implementation of the New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy will commence from July 2013. Government agencies will work together to achieve five goals that will contribute to achieving the vision for the New Zealand Refugee Resettlement Strategy. The five goals are:

• Self-sufficiency – all working-age refugees are in paid work or are supported by a family member in paid work

• Participation – refugees actively participate in New Zealand life and have a strong sense of belonging to New Zealand

• Health and Wellbeing – refugees and their families enjoy healthy, safe and independent lives

• Education – refugees’ English language skills enable them to participate in education and achieve qualifications, and support them to participate in daily life, and

• Housing – refugees live independently of government housing assistance in homes that are safe, secure, healthy and affordable.

The following indicators have been developed to measure successful settlement in relation to the Strategy’s five goals.

• Self-sufficiency: Increased proportions in paid employment after six months, two years, and five years in New Zealand. Reduced proportions receiving unemployment-related benefits after six months, two years, and five years in New Zealand.

• Participation: Improve adult refugees’ achievement of English language.

• Health and Wellbeing: Increased number of refugee children receiving age-appropriate immunisations six and twelve months after arrival. Increased utilisation of general practitioner services. Increased access to mental health services.

• Education: An increase in the refugee school leavers achieving National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level 2 after five years in the New Zealand education system.

• Housing: A reduction in the amount of housing subsidy spent on quota refugees after two years and five years77 in New Zealand.

Settlement services

In order to increase the economic value that immigration adds to New Zealand, migrants need to experience integrated settlement services throughout their immigration process, from offshore through to 76 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 77 Housing subsidy includes income related rent and accommodation supplement. Changes in the housing

indicator are dependent on employment and will be established from changes in the employment rate.


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on-shore. INZ is mandated by the Government to purchase settlement services from third parties that extend its capacity in assisting migrants to settle quickly into New Zealand workplaces and communities. INZ funds third party providers who work in specialised fields, have subject matter expertise, and are able to attract significant community and volunteer support for their work. The settlement needs of migrants and employers are often sectorally-based or geographically localised and require specialised, targeted services. In these circumstances, outsourcing targeted services to support local or sectoral settlement needs represents better value for taxpayers’ money.

For example, INZ funds Settlement Support New Zealand (SSNZ) - a national support network set up to direct newcomers and their families to services they might need during their first years in New Zealand. SSNZ is delivered in 18 locations around the country. The SSNZ services are provided through a collaborative approach involving central government (through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment), local authorities and non-government organisations, as appropriate to each location.

INZ communicates directly with every new visa holder, and informs them of settlement information and services they can access.

The Government also provides funding directly to other government agencies for specific settlement-related services, which may also be purchased from third parties. For example, the Ministry of Education and the Tertiary Education Commission are both funded by the Government to provide English for Speakers of Other Languages.

Complementary immigration policy changes in the last 5 years (2008-13) (policy)

Key family residence changes

The Longitudinal Immigration Survey New Zealand identified that sponsored parents approved under previous policy settings imposed significant fiscal costs and made a limited economic contribution. In addition, there were problems with policy settings: available places were substantially oversubscribed, and some potentially high contributing sponsors were not able to bring in their parents (due to the ‘balance of family’ criteria which applied under the previous Parent category policy).

Under the new parent policy, which opened on 30 July 2012, there are two tiers:

• Tier One: sufficient guaranteed income or 500K in settlement funds or a sponsor with income of at least 65K (or 90K combined with partner),

• Tier Two: Sponsor with income of at least $33,675, no adult children in the same country as the applicant.

Generic criteria across both tiers include: IELTS level 4 in two competencies (or pre-purchase English tuition), no dependent children, sponsor must have been a New Zealand resident for at least three years, usual health and character requirements.

The Sibling and Adult Child Category, which enabled New Zealand citizens and residents after 3 years in New Zealand to sponsor siblings and adult children for residence closed on 16 May 2012. It was not considered to generate sufficient benefit to New Zealand. Only 66 percent of sponsored siblings and adult children interviewed 18 months after gaining residence had jobs, despite a job offer for ongoing and sustainable work being required to gain residence. Siblings and adult children with the skills New Zealand needs will continue to be granted an additional ten points under Skilled Migrant Category.


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Policies that support the settlement of migrant children

In 2012, a change was made to Dependent Child Category so that young adults aged 18 – 20 years can be included in their parents’ residence application as ‘dependent children’, even if they are financially independent, provided they are single and have no children of their own.

Research/evidence base 2008 -13

Our migration research includes research, evaluation and monitoring of, immigration and settlement issues facing New Zealand in a globally competitive environment. The Migration Research, Evaluation and Analysis team provides strategic and tactical support for business operations and planning that underpins roll-out of immigration and settlement policies and programmes.

Settlement Knowledge Base (SKB)

The development of the Settlement Knowledge Base (SKB) is part of the Settlement National Action Plan (SNAP). The SNAP sets out what will be done at a national level under each of the New Zealand Settlement Strategy’s (NZSS) high-level goals. The aim of the SKB project is to build an improved understanding of settlement outcomes for newcomers to New Zealand across central government agencies. See www.dol.govt.nz/publications/research/skb-baseline/

Foundational work that informed the SKB development included the following:

• Economic Impacts of Immigration EII (synthesis 2010), available at www.dol.govt.nz/publications/research/synthesis-research/

• Longitudinal Immigration Survey of New Zealand (LisNZ), available at www.dol.govt.nz/research/migration/lisnz/index.asp

• Quota refugees long term outcomes (2011-12), available at www.dol.govt.nz/research/migration/refugees/new-land-new-life-longterm-settlement-refugees-main-report.asp )

• Integration of Immigrants Programme (IIP) – Massey/Waikato through support to Pathways conference), available at http://newsettlers.massey.ac.nz/

The Immigration survey monitoring programme (ISMP) was initiated in 2008 directly in line with the SKB work and regularly monitors settlement outcomes against a number of key indicators identified in the SKB framework. While the ISMP covers three groups – migrants, employers and communities – the annual migrants’ survey is the key source for migrant outcomes. Over time indicator reports replaced full reports as they provided easily accessible user-friendly information on the settlement outcomes of migrants. (http://dol.govt.nz/research/migration/ismp/ismpindicators.asp )

The development of a monitoring and evaluation framework was trialled over 2009-2011 to help ascertain the effectiveness of the settlement services that the Ministry funds. This framework and tools were implemented by INZ in 2011. All settlement services contracts are designed to reflect Results Based Accountability principles, which mean that outcomes are the focus; and thus, measurement of outputs is necessary to show contribution to those outcomes.

The government’s focus on skills and employment has refocused our work on the labour market participation and outcomes and significant effort has been invested in developing the IDI platform in 2010-


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11 and subsequently developing an annual labour market outcomes report that includes benefit take up and employment rates for recent migrants to New Zealand. The ISMP in-depth information on early settlement outcomes will be supplemented by the annual IDI based reports and future reports that are expected to extend the utility of the Migrants survey by linking it to the IDI and providing a longitudinal aspect to the data.

Integration of migrant youth

The integration of migrant children has not received a great deal of attention in recent research in New Zealand. Following are some of the most substantive pieces of work;

Annotated Bibliography of New Zealand Literature on Migrant and Refugee Youth

This is a comprehensive account of the current evidence on settlement and social inclusion as it relates to young people from migrant and refugee backgrounds in New Zealand. A key aim of the bibliography is the identification of factors that facilitate or act as barriers to the successful settlement and social inclusion of these young people.

Migrant and Refugee Youth in New Zealand: Statistical Profile, 1996 to 2007

This report builds a profile of migrant and refugee youth (people aged 12 to 24 years) in New Zealand by analysing immigration approval data (1998 to 2007) and Census of Population and Dwellings (census) data (1996, 2001, and 2006). Data is reported separately for two age groups: 12- to 17-year-olds (school age) and 18- to 24-year-olds (post school age).

The Experiences of Migrant Youth: A generational analysis

This research is part of a larger international project, the International Comparative Study of Ethno-Cultural Youth, which relies on survey methodology to examine a range of intracultural and intercultural variables and both psychological and social domains of adaptation. This present report is based on a subset of the New Zealand data and provides a generational analysis of the experiences of migrant youth, including the first generation, the 1.5 generation, and the second generation.

The Economic and Social Outcomes of Children of Migrants in New Zealand (Statistics New Zealand)

This paper uses data from the General Social Survey to investigate whether the social and economic outcomes of the children of migrants are different to children with both parents born in New Zealand, using logistic regression modelling. The outcomes covered are employment, income, health, home ownership, having enough money to meet every day needs, contact with family, experience of victimisation, poor health, major problems with housing or neighbourhood, dissatisfaction with the quality of local services, no voluntary work and overall life satisfaction. The controlling variables are age, sex, qualification, ethnicity and region.

Understanding how NZSS practice aligns with international best practice

Several key pieces of work have been undertaken on this topic. These include a review of settlement and evaluation literature (http://dol.govt.nz/publications/research/skb-literature-sweep/ ).

Further, the Providing Information Services to Migrants’ Literature Review provided evidence of best practice from around the world. The subsequent development of the good practice matrix that was developed as part of the settlement services monitoring and evaluation framework was based on the evidence from this literature review. http://dol.govt.nz/publications/research/providing-information/.


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Work as part of the Quota refugees ten years on research project has also provided valuable information and evidence on best practice on the (re)settlement of refugees (http://dol.govt.nz/research/migration/refugees/new-land-new-life-longterm-settlement-refugees-main-report.asp ). This has directly informed the 2012 Refugee Resettlement Strategy and the subsequent 2013 monitoring framework for this strategy currently being finalised.

Informing evidence-based policy development and review, identifying tensions, gaps or overlaps

As mentioned above, work completed under the SKB programme has helped to produce several key documents which have been used to provide the evidence base for several tools, for example the good practice matrix which is part of the monitoring and evaluation framework of settlement services. Other work has also helped to feed into evidence-based policy, particularly analysis of the LisNZ data. For example the learning the lingo report and the points of difference work which have directly fed into policy development. Other reports such as the Why Auckland? and Why Wellington?, the Labour market integration of migrants, Competing for skills: Migration policies and trends in New Zealand and Australia have all helped contribute to our understanding of migrant settlement and outcomes.

Migration Research reports and statistics are available at www.dol.govt.nz/research/migration/


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NORWAY

A COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATION POLICY – DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY78

The White Paper to the Norwegian Parliament En helhetlig integreringspolitikk – mangfold og fellesskap (A comprehensive integration policy – diversity and community), launched on 26 October 2012, deals with the opportunities and challenges of being a country and a society with immigration. The most important goal for the Government's integration policy is to ensure that all people who live in Norway are able to utilise their resources and participate in the community. All inhabitants in Norway have rights and obligations and should have the opportunity to participate in and contribute to working and social life. Everyone should contribute according to their abilities. No person should be discriminated against or excluded because they have an immigrant background. All public authorities have a responsibility to help meet the goals of the integration policy.

Norway is part of an increasingly globalised world and people in Norway trade and interact with the rest of the world. One of the consequences is that people from other countries come to Norway. They bring their knowledge and skills, their language, religion and traditions, their music and their stories. Norway needs labour and skills. Norway also meets its international obligations and takes responsibility for giving individuals who are fleeing from their country of origin a new home.

In Norway the standard of living is higher and socio-economic inequalities smaller than in most other countries. The majority of immigrants in Norway are in employment. They speak Norwegian and participate in a variety of social arenas. Children born in Norway of immigrant parents participate fully in the workforce and in education and enjoy living conditions on a par with the rest of the population. Norway is also a country where the inhabitants experience a high degree of safety and trust. This is how it should continue to be. Norway must not develop into a society where people with immigrant backgrounds have poorer living conditions and participate to a lesser degree in society than the rest of the population.

Immigration leads to a more diverse society. This leads to far more opportunities, but also potentially to more conflicts. Utilising these opportunities and dealing carefully with conflicts is a litmus test for society.

Employment for all – women and men

Norway’s greatest resource are its people. This is the point of departure for integration policy – that all people should be able to use their resources. Employment is the key to participation, financial independence and equality. The Government therefore wants to ensure that more immigrants, both women and men, can find employment. Better Norwegian language tuition and more targeted labour-market qualification programmes are critical success factors. We need to make better use of immigrants' skills and competence. Discrimination prevents immigrants from participating in social life, and prevents society from utilising the resources and talents of the population.

78 Short version of White Paper 6 (2012 – 2013)


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Participation in working life is the key to achieving equality between women and men. Many more women with immigrant backgrounds need to enter the labour market. This will strengthen their sense of belonging and strengthen their financial independence. Moreover, society will have access to needed labour.

Equal opportunities for all children

Children are the future. Therefore all children and young people need good early-development conditions and equal opportunities. Inhabitants in Norway with immigrant backgrounds have knowledge of diverse cultures and languages that are a resource for the society. Children and young people with immigrant backgrounds should not face more barriers than other children and young people, whether in society or in their own family. Today's school and kindergarten must be adapted to the diversity of the child population. Good education policy is good integration policy.

Parents have an important responsibility to ensure that their children participate in school and recreational activities. In the coming years one challenge our diverse society will face will be to ensure that young people are able to make their own independent choices while also respecting the different ways parents have of bringing up their children within the framework of Norwegian law.

A safe and inclusive community

Norway is home to people who come from more than 200 countries, and immigrants live in all municipalities in Norway. Immigrants and their children constitute more than 13 per cent of the population. Diversity is the norm in today's Norway. Human rights and democratic principles form the foundation of the Norwegian state, which is based on the rule of the law.

Society must fully realise the diversity in the population, and public authorities must ensure that all people receive equitable public services. Public service provision and societal institutions must in many cases be adapted to this aim.

All inhabitants in Norway have the same basic obligations and rights, and all must respect the same laws. Within this framework there are many ways of living. It is not which God you believe in, the food you eat or the clothes you wear that define whether you are Norwegian. The Norwegian community is made up of everyone who lives in Norway.

The Government wants

• immigrants to qualify for participation in the Norwegian labour market

• better use of immigrants’ skills and competence

• more women with immigrant backgrounds to enter the workforce

• immigrants and their children to have receive a quality education that is adapted to their needs

• all children to have quality early-development conditions and to fully use their abilities in their best interest

• young girls and boys to make independent choices about their own life and future


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• faster settlement of refugees in municipalities to create a sense of belonging in Norway through citizenship policy

• to combat racism and discrimination

• activities in the voluntary sector to be open and inclusive

• welfare provision to be adapted to the needs of a diverse population

No person can be described according to only one dimension, as all of us have many characteristics and identities.

You may be a woman or a man, immigrant or born in Norway, young or old, employed or unemployed, religious or atheist, homosexual or heterosexual, or have a disability.

Categories and labels attached to individuals or groups may have a stigmatising effect and contribute to exclusion from the community. It may put individuals into a category which may create and reinforce differences which lead us to think in terms of "us" and "them". Language must be inclusive. There must be acceptance for the fact that there are many ways of being Norwegian. Differences within the group "immigrants" will usually be greater than differences between immigrants and the rest of the population.

The main principles in the White Paper

The report En helhetlig integreringspolitikk – mangfold og fellesskap uses current migration trends as its point of departure and presents frameworks and principles for developing a society where all people feel they belong within the Norwegian community and trust the authorities and each other.

Norway is part of the global migration picture. Migration impacts the composition of the population in several ways and contributes to rapid population growth in Norway. Today approximately 13 per cent of the population in Norway has immigrated or has two parents who did. The EU expansions of 2004 and 2007 represent a clear dividing line when it comes to immigration into Norway. In recent years immigration has increased steeply, with the majority of immigrants coming from countries within the EU.

A targeted integration policy should be built on solid facts about the importance of immigration for Norway and about the situation for immigrants in Norway. The White Paper En helhetlig integreringspolitikk - mangfold og fellesskap builds on a sound and broad foundation of research and analysis from a number of reports and studies. Particularly important are the following Official Norwegian Reports NOU 2011:14 Bedre integrering – Mål, strategier, tiltak (Better Integration – Goals, Strategies, Initiatives), NOU 2011:7 Velferd og migrasjon – Den norske modellens framtid (Welfare and Migration – The Future of the Norwegian Model), and NOU 2010:7 Mangfold og mestring – Flerspråklige barn, unge og voksne i opplæringssystemet (Diversity and Mastery – Multilingual Children, Young People and Adults in the Education and Training System).

Living conditions and participation in society

Employment

Work for all is a main goal for the Government. A high employment rate is necessary for ensuring a sustainable welfare state, reducing social differences, preventing poverty and achieving gender equality. Integration policy must contribute to increasing the rate of employment among immigrants, particularly from countries in Asia and Africa. Women are a prioritised group.


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The Government intends to strengthen basic qualifications through better Norwegian language tuition and a more effective introductory programme.

The Government will improve conditions so that the skills and resources of immigrants will be better utilised. This will be achieved by increasing the recruiment of immigrants to the labour market, facilitating immigrant entrepeneurship, and improving the recognition of qualifications, education and training brought from abroad.

The Government will, for example, − introduce Jobbsjansen (Job opportunity) to give immigrants who are not participating in the labour

market, particularly women, better opportunities to find employment − present a comprehensive action plan to improve the use of immigrants’ resources and skills in the

labour market − introduce a new grant scheme with development funds to strengthen the local municipalities’

provision of the introductory programme and Norwegian language and social studies tuition − consider amending the Introduction Act to improve the quality of Norwegian language tuition and the

introductory programme, as well as ensuring improved coordination with compulsory and post-compulsory education and training, and NAV's (Norwegian Labour and Welfare Service) initiatives to increase employment.

Kindergartens and education/training

All children and adults with immigrant backgrounds should have good learning outcomes from their education and training, from kindergarten to primary school, lower secondary school and upper secondary school, to higher education and adult education. The Government’s goal is that as many people as possible will complete the education and/or training they want. Education is one of the most important measures for reducing socio-economic inequality in society.

The Government wants to increase participation in kindergarten for the youngest children, ensure inclusive teaching and good learning outcomes for all students in compulsory and post-compulsory education and training prevent students from dropping out of upper secondary education and ensure that adults have access to education appropriate to their needs.

The Government will, for example, − Improve multicultural competence for employees in kindergartens, primary, lower and upper

secondary school and for those who teach adults − strengthen the knowledge base relating to the learning environment of students with minority language

backgrounds − expand the benefit scheme for apprentices with special needs to include those who have poor

Norwegian language skills and/or have only resided in Norway a short period of time − recruit more persons with immigrant backgrounds to teacher training

Health

Immigrants on average have poorer health than the rest of the population. Public authorities need to provide quality and equitable health and care services to the entire population, including those with immigrant backgrounds.Consideration must also be given to specific health problems men and women with immigrant backgrounds may have.


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The Government will, for example, − contribute to equiteable health and care services, for example by providing improved and appropriate

information − present a national strategy for immigrants' health in the spring of 2013 − present a national health strategy which will assess the specific challenges immigrants have

Family and early childhood development

Children and young people with immigrant backgrounds should not encounter more barriers than other children and young people, whether in society or their own family. Family life is important for children and young people when they grow up, and good programmes for combining work and family are important for equality. Young people must have the freedom to make independent choices in their lives, therefore work to combat forced marriages and violence will be continued and developed.

The Government will, for example, − enable all children and young people to have the opportunity to participate in recreational and

extracurricular activities − help the child welfare services to provide quality and equitable services to all children, while also

enjoying the trust of the population − present a new action plan 2013 – 2016 to combat on forced marriage, genital mutilation and serious

limitations on the freedom of young people

Housing and settlement

Immigrants generally own their own housing in Norway, but are also overrepresented among those who experience difficulties in the housing market. Cities in Norway, particularly Oslo, have a diverse population. Challenges arise where areas with living-condition problems are also areas with a high proportion of immigrants. These challenges can be met with universal and equitable welfare services, community-engagement programmes and municipal urban development. The Government wants to highlight how district municipalities offer opportunities the cities do not have.

Settling refugees in Norwegian municipalities is an on-going task for the municipal sector. The Government proposes more binding cooperation with the municipal sector so that refugees can be settled more quickly in municipalities.

The Government will, for example, − ensure faster settlement of refugees by establishing more binding cooperation with the municipal

sector − strengthen the Norwegian State Housing Bank's programmes that are important for newly arrived

immigrants, including funding to buy one’s own home and subsidies for rental housing − examine the right to participate in the introductory programme for refugees who find housing

themselves and/or are employed in a municipality (self-settlement) − continue community-engagement programmes, and evaluate the effect of increased participation in

after-school programmes through a pilot project offering free part-time after-school programmes at one school in Oslo


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Community and belonging

Trust and a sense of belonging are requirements for a safe and inclusive community for all who live in Norway. Peaceful coexistence requires a common framework with established rules and procedures.

The Government's policy for Norway’s diverse society is based on values which have wide-ranging support in Norwegian society : gender equality, equal rights, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and belief, solidarity, socio-economic equality, tolerance, participation in working life, democracy and civil society, protection of children's rights, diversity and multilingualism as a resource.

Agree to disagree

In a vibrant society disagreement and conflict are natural and necessary. Differing interpretations, priorities and perceptions are not a fundamental problem as long as there is agreement that democratic principles and Norwegian law are the basis for conflict resolution.

Discrimination

People with immigrant backgrounds may experience discrimination, for example for being a Muslim, homosexual or woman. More knowledge is needed about the occurrence of perceived discrimination. Legal protection against discrimination and ensuring its enforcement are requirements for combating discrimination.

The Government will, for example, − extend the action plan for promoting equality and preventing ethnic discrimination 2009-2012 through

2013 − present a parliamentary bill in 2013 proposing amendments to the discrimination legislation

Citizenship

Gaining citizenship marks that citizens subscribe to the fundamental values that Norwegian democracy and society are based on. Citizenship for each individual is a goal in integration policy. Citizenship may help create a sense of belonging in Norway. Citizenship confers more rights and obligations than foreign nationals with residence permits have. The Government therefore wants people who live permanently in Norway to have Norwegian citizenship.

Participation in democracy and civil society

The Government wants all inhabitants to have equal opportunities to influence society through democratic means, such as elections and participation in governing bodies. Non-government and voluntary organisations are important channels for exercising influence and are meeting places that help build trust. The voluntary sector should be open and inclusive. All people have an independent responsibility for using and participating in different arenas based on their own interests and needs.

The Government will, for example, − facilitate non-government and voluntary organisations to create meeting places and to participate in

integration initiatives − introduce a national week for diversity and multiculturalism in 2013


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Crime

Immigrants were overrepresented among convicted persons in the period 2005-2008. Young men with immigrant backgrounds are overrepresented compared to the rest of the population. Measures such as reducing differences in living conditions, education for all and increased employment rates are crucial to the Government's long-term crime-prevention efforts.

A comprehensive integration policy

Public services are important tools for eradicating social and financial differences. A population that changes over time requires changes in the provision of public services.

All public authorities and sectors have an independent responsibility for developing policies for the entire population and for adapting their service provision to the diverse needs of users. Thus all sectors have a responsibility for achieving the goals of integration policy. In addition to its own sector responsibilities, the Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion also has the overriding responsibility for coordinating integration policy.

The Government will, for example, − strengthen the coordination of integration policy, for example, by reviewing the scheme Mål for

inkludering (Goals for social inclusion of the immigrant population) − review the organisation of interpreting services

Good integration policy strengthens the welfare model

Successful integration policy that increases the employment rate among immigrants is favourable for society as a whole as well as for individuals. This is not only a question about the balance between state expenditures and revenue, but also about maintaining public support for the Norwegian welfare model.It is also important for society that persons with immigrant backgrounds participate on equal footing with the rest of the population in various areas of society.

Society experiences a double loss when people of working age are not participating in employment. If the situation is such where many immigrants are not participating in employment, not undertaking education and/or training, and are discriminated against, this will lead to increased social benefit expenses and a loss of taxation revenue. If the resources and skills brought to Norway by immigrants, or acquired here through education and/or training, are utilised through participation in employment, this will add wealth creation that will benefit all of society.

The Norwegian welfare model has so far been able to weather the economic crisis and developing social crisis that other countries in Europe are experiencing. Some of the important elements in this model are high employment rates and a relatively equal distribution of income, combined with a generous and universal welfare provision. Compared to many other countries the employment rate among immigrants in Norway is high. However, the proportion of the population of working age will drop in the decades to come. Therefore, sustaining the welfare state in the long term is completely dependent on continued high employment rates, including among immigrants. If integration policy fails, there may be an increase in the economic and social inequality in Norway. This in turn may undermine the sustainability of the current welfare model, caused, for example, by an erosion of support for universal welfare provision as well as less trust and solidarity in society.


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POLAND

INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS ON THE LABOUR MARKET IN POLAND

The socio-political transformations in Poland after 1989 were accompanied by a phenomena having a significant impact on the current migration situation of Poland. These were not only the increased influx of foreigners resulting from the opening of the borders, but also the adoption of international standards in the field of providing international protection to foreigners. This resulted primarily in Poland signing on 27 September 1991 the Convention of 28 July 1951 relating to the status of refugees (the Geneva Convention) and the Protocol relating to the status of refugees done at New York on 31 January 1967, governing the treatment of refugees and, at the same time, obliging the Republic of Poland to observe the standards contained therein. Also the Polish accession to the European Union and the adoption of the EU acquis played an important role in the development of Polish policy on granting various forms of international protection to foreigners.

It should be noted that the issue of international protection of foreigners in Poland is determined to a large extent by international commitments under the Geneva Convention and the Polish membership in the European Union. The major forms of granting protection to foreigners on the territory of the Republic of Poland, which developed in the Polish legislation, include: refugee status, subsidiary protection, temporary protection, tolerated stay and asylum.

Since the adoption of the Geneva Convention by Poland, the number of refugees in Poland generally increases. The published data show that Poland, since the ratification of the Geneva Convention, received almost 90 thousand asylum seekers.

Foreigners who have been granted refugee status or subsidiary protection are entitled to social assistance, free education in public elementary schools, secondary schools and post-secondary schools, and studies, doctoral studies and other forms of education, access the labour market and run a business on Polish territory in the same way as Polish citizens and they also have the right to health care on the same terms as Polish citizens. In addition, these persons are entitled to unemployment benefits (allowances and other benefits). In addition, foreigners who have refugee status or subsidiary protection are provided with assistance in order to support the process of their integration into society, under the terms of the Act of 12 March 2004 on social assistance. It should also be noted that persons who have refugee status receive a travel document from the Head of the Office for Foreigners, which provided for in the Geneva Convention and this document together with a residence card entitles to multiple crossings of the border without having to obtain a visa.

A foreigner who is granted refugee status or subsidiary protection benefits for a period not longer than 12 months from help to support the process of his/her integration into the society in the manner and on the terms specified in the Act of 12 March 2004 on social assistance. Integration assistance shall be granted at the request of the foreigner notified through the poviat family support centre to the staroste with jurisdiction over the foreigner's place of residence. The integration programme is established in the form of an agreement concluded between the foreigner and the poviat family support centre. The programme includes the granting of financial support to cover the cost of living and learning Polish language, paying health insurance premiums, and professional counselling.

The European Refugee Fund, from which Poland benefits since the accession to the European Union. Some integration activities for this group of foreigners are also possible under the European Social Fund.


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In August 2012, the National Action Plan for Employment 2012-2014 was adopted. One section of the Plan is devoted to professional activation of foreigners under international protection. The document includes provisions that allow for taking comprehensive measures for professional activation of this group of foreigners.

On 7 September 2004, by the decision of the Council of Ministers, the minister responsible for social security has been identified as being responsible for activities related to the coordination of the integration of foreigners in Poland. Within the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, these issues are the responsibility of the Department of Social Assistance and Integration.

Integration of foreigners is not a major political or social problem in Poland, which does not mean that the existing situation cannot be changed in the future. The nationality structure in Poland is characterised by a very low percentage of foreigners. In addition, there is no significant immigration into Poland.

By observing trends in the migration of people seeking international protection, it is clear that not many foreigners decide to stay in Poland for good. The vast majority treat Poland as a transit country. This lack of interest is mainly due to the relatively low standard of living compared to the so-called old EU Member States. Due to the fact that the unemployment rate is decreasing and there is a gradual increase in wages, this situation may change. Because of these factors, the activities in the field of integration in Poland are in the early stages of development. A small percentage of foreigners staying permanently and coming to the country caused that there has not been a more comprehensive action at the government level, other than action in the field of integration of beneficiaries of international protection.

At the moment, there are no integration programmes and offers on the part of government to other categories of immigrants. This does not mean the total absence of certain elements to facilitate the social integration of migrants in the legal and organisational system. They include the catalogue of categories of foreigners with privileges in the field of entry and verification of residence (for example, people with Polish ancestry, entrepreneurs, highly skilled migrants, those coming for family reunion or undergraduate and graduate students), as well as rules governing access by certain groups of foreigners to the labour market, education, social welfare and health care.

In institutional terms, the elements of the integration of foreigners (except for the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy) can be seen in the activities of the Ministry of the Interior (coordination of activities in the area of migration, anti-discrimination), the Office for Foreigners (pre-integration of people applying for international protection) the Ombudsman (establishment of the Commission of Experts on Migration) and the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Treatment (the problem of educating the children of foreigners).

It is also worth to note the active role played in recent years in this field by offices of the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Warsaw, often with the support of the scientific and migrant community, by organising regular workshops and conferences on issues of integration.

Important tasks are already at this stage carried out by migrant and non-governmental organisations, which are increasingly involved in the implementation of projects related to the integration of foreigners, while also attending public debates on the topic. It is also worth noting that the existing migration networks in Poland, which bring together relatively small number of migrants, are not conducive to the process of integration of foreigners. In addition to Vietnamese, Armenian and Ukrainian communities, there are no compact, strong and influential ethnic groups that would fulfil a specific role of the educator and promoter for foreigners settling in our country.


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Without a doubt, the relationships between Polish citizens of the nationality other than Polish and migrants of the same origin may have, and in some cases already have, a significant impact on their integration. Finally, one must remember that the second generation of immigrants who came to this country in the early 1990s is entering adulthood in Poland. The vast majority of them are now fully integrated and could participate in the process of helping new migrants.

The attitude of the society towards immigration is important from the point of view of the situation of foreigners in the host country. The surveys conducted during the last few years by Public Opinion Research Centre draw a picture of Polish society accepting the presence of foreigners in the overall perspective. In the context of thinking about immigration in terms of value, the majority of the Poles (62%) supports the principle of open borders to immigrants and believes that every person who wants it should be able to settle in our country.

An important element in support of the activities for the integration of foreigners is the ability to finance the integration activities from the EU funds. Availability of these measures allows in Polish conditions for the development of the NGO sector and the institutions that are involved in integration issues.

Given the lack of other sources of financing of integration activities, the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals is the primary source of financing integration of foreign nationals who are not beneficiaries of international protection in Poland. Moreover, in the absence of a specific policy towards migrants in Poland, the Fund, whose aim was to complement the actions taken by the State, in the case of Poland is almost entirely responsible for the shape of the actions taken with respect to immigrant integration. The planned activities of the Fund, i.e. the annual plans approved by the European Commission and reflecting the provisions of the Council Decision establishing the Fund has become the measure of integration activities implemented in Poland. This is despite the many differences between the situation of foreigners in Poland and in other European Union countries. This results in a situation where objectives are in no way related to the integration policies pursued by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. On the other hand, it seems that the activities of the Fund correspond to a large extent to the demand and the Fund itself promotes the development and formation of non-governmental organisations that specialise in helping foreigners. Nearly six years of the Fund operations meant that individuals, organizations and institutions took some kind of lessons on integration activities. The efforts undertaken in the framework of projects co-financed by the Fund allowed diagnosing a number of problems connected with the influx of immigrants, both for themselves and the functioning of Polish government, self-governments and NGOs. There have also been a number of projects, which are worth continuing and implementing in the mainstream of the state policy. It is worth noting that the integration actions taken locally allow to diagnose the underlying problems and to develop the best models to work with immigrants, resulting in the formation of new models that can be replicated in a situation where there would be greater number of foreigners in Poland.

A key document which provisionally outlines the issues related to the integration of foreigners in Poland is the "Polish migration policy - the current state and call for action" adopted by the Council of Ministers on 31 July 2012. This document is crucial in the context of determining the principles and guidelines for the Polish policy on integration of foreigners.

This document contains two chapters directly relating to the integration policy - one on the protection of foreigners in Poland and the other on the integration of foreigners. Both of them present recommendations and conclusions for the future direction of change and the measures to be taken. These records are so general that they leave quite a large margin of manoeuvre and allow for adoption of virtually any solution.


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However, the main directions are defined. And so when it comes to action on pre-integration, it was clearly indicated that emphasis should be placed on informing foreigners during the procedure for granting a refugee status about the realities of life in Poland. It is also necessary to combat the negative consequences of a foreigner staying in the centre and make efforts so the foreigners stay outside the centre during the procedure. Foreigners must be activated and motivated to take the action to seek constructive solutions for life. This postulate can be achieved only through the implementation of specific pre-integration solutions. They should have a strong formal, legal and financial base.

In terms of the integration of beneficiaries of international protection, the document "Immigration policy" contains a number of recommendations, which are very general and do not really show any specific solutions. It is therefore proposed to maintain the current system of integration, which should, however, be improved in some way. One should pay particular attention to the effective teaching of the Polish language, to harmonise the process of transition from pre-integration to integration, to consider introducing - as described above - the institution of a mentor and to professional activation of foreigners. It is also important to strengthen the role of NGOs in the process of integration of foreigners. In accordance with the provisions contained in the document one should also lengthen the integration programmes for persons demonstrating particular activity, and solve the problem of access to housing. Access to individual integration programmes could also cover persons with tolerated stay permit if the foreigner has acquired it because of the situation in his country of origin. One also needs to monitor the efficacy of integration activities.

It is also important to highlight the provision on resettlement. It shows that Poland is considering joining the programmes for permanent resettlement and relocation. Admittedly, however, Poland is not yet prepared to participate in the relocation programme, especially when it comes to integration solutions.

When it comes to the issue of integration of other groups of foreigners, the document identifies three groups of recommendations. The first considers development of systemic assumptions and solutions. And so it was determined that the main aims and objectives of integration policy should be established at the central level, and efforts for their implementation at the local level. The solutions adopted should assume most of all voluntary participation in integration programmes, which should be developed on the basis of already existing system of assistance to beneficiaries of international protection. An important element should be a system of incentives. One should reinforce cooperation with the migrants and consult with them the actions which concern them. The state should also play an important role in providing information about the conditions of legal work and stay in Poland. Local projects and programmes should include elements of "tour of the house", "welcome packs" for newly arrived immigrants.

The second group of recommendations concerns the activities for the host society, and to develop a multicultural dialogue. And so it distinguishes the need for awareness-raising activities for the host society, and preventing all forms of discrimination against foreigners. One should also prepare the employees of the public institutions to the specifics of working with foreigners. One cannot forget the huge role of schools in civic education on both sides of the integration process. Another postulate is to create platforms for cooperation and a platform for integration policy. The last issue raised concerns conducting activities to support organisations of migrants.

The third group of recommendations concerns the activities aimed at strengthening the knowledge about the phenomenon, and monitoring and evaluation activities. And so there is a need of systematic study of the phenomenon of migration and integration and its various aspects. There is a need to develop the most appropriate indicators of the degree of integration of migrants for the Polish conditions and to improve the existing system of collecting data on foreigners staying in Poland. One needs to constantly monitor the social attitudes and behaviour of the media.


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From September 2012 we are working on the elaboration of the document implementing the provisions of the "Polish Migration Policy". It should be prepared and approved by the Council of Ministers by the end of 2013.

In the context of developing the Polish integration policy an important role is played by the Working group on integration of foreigners by the Interministerial Team for Migration. It resumed its operations in January 2011; the group is chaired by the representative of the Department of Social Assistance and Integration of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. According to the decree establishing the team, the group consists only of the representatives of central offices. It is possible to invite experts from various organisations and institutions to the sessions of the group. Since the beginning of 2012, the group has carried out intensive work on the preparation of the programme document "Polish policy on integration of foreigners - assumptions and guidelines". The work alongside representatives of the central government also involved representatives of several NGOs, international bodies, self-government bodies and research institutions. The draft document was adopted by the Committee of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on 16 April 2013. Currently, we are working on a document agreed with the social partners and government departments. It is planned for adoption by the Council of Ministers by the end of 2013.

The programme document has two main parts - the first relates to the integration of foreigners in Poland under international protection, the second concerns the inclusion of other groups of foreigners.

The foreigners in Poland under international protection are covered by assistance aiming to support the process of their integration in the manner and on the terms specified in the Act of 12 March 2004 on social assistance. The document includes the guidelines for the shape of individual integration programmes in the future. The major changes include: introduction of the institution of a mentor - a person from immigrant background, integrated in Poland, mentors should be employed by poviat family support centres or non-governmental organisations, the introduction of instruments for better coordination and execution of the provisions on teaching Polish language contained in the IPI agreement, the key part of individual integration programme, apart from teaching Polish language, must be the activities related to the professional activation of foreigners, creating an opportunity to take an additional 12-month integration programme for those who want to integrate into Polish society, the additional programme would include classes in Polish language, professional activity and financial support to cover the costs of housing, the right to participate in individual integration programmes should be given to the foreigners covered by humanitarian protection and foreigners who joined the foreigner under international protection under the procedure of family reunification.

The document also contains provisions on pre-integration, i.e. the stage that prepares the foreigner for future integration in the host country. In Poland, this phase takes place during the procedure of applying for a refugee status. The following recommendations and guidelines concern the issues of improving the access to housing for foreigners under international protection, employment and professional activation of this group, and the education of children of foreigners.

The second part of the document refers to the inclusion of other groups of foreigners residing legally in Poland. To date, Poland has not conducted any active measures for the integration of other groups of foreigners with the exception of projects co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals. It should be noted that, given the minimal financial support from other sources, the vast majority of the activities for the integration of foreigners who are not beneficiaries of international protection was associated with the implementation of the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals in Poland.

The main assumptions and guidelines for the integration of foreigners who are not beneficiaries of international protection: introduction of voluntary "tours of the house" for interested foreigners, providing


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foreigners wishing to apply for Polish citizenship and a residence permit and a residence permit for long-term resident of the European Union with access to the partially paid professional Polish language courses, granting foreigners holding permanent residence in Poland and living in Poland active and passive voting rights in local elections and the right to vote in elections to the European Parliament, the creation of a national consultative body by the Minister, whose competence includes issues related to migration and integration, in order to discuss legal regulations on foreigners. The document also addresses issues related to: the activities for the host society, such as public awareness campaigns, activities in support of migrant communities and the activities related to the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the integration policy.


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PORTUGAL

LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS IN PORTUGAL, 2009 – 2012

The Plan for the Integration of Immigrants

The 1st Plan for the Integration of Immigrants (PII) was launched in 2007. This Plan was created by a Resolution of the Council of Ministers, in response to the need for a global, comprehensive and integrated approach regarding the increasing number of immigrants seeking Portugal as a country of destination. The Plan was implemented between 2007 and 2009 and involved 13 ministries in 122 actions, within 20 sectoral and cross-sectoral areas.

In 2010, a 2nd Plan for the Integration of Immigrants was launched for the years 2010-2013, through 90 actions spread over 17 areas, namely:

1. Welcoming

2. Culture and Language

3. Employment, Professional Training and Business Dynamics

4. Education

5. Solidarity and Social Security

6. Health

7. Housing

8. Justice

9. Racism and Discrimination

10. Access to citizenship and civic participation

11. Immigrant association

12. Immigrants’ Offspring

13. Elderly Immigrants

14. Relations with the Countries of Origin

15. Promotion of Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue


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16. Gender Issues

17. Human Trafficking

The Plan is implemented by all the Administration, under the supervision of a Network of Focal Points, comprising representatives from each ministry, acting under the coordination of the High Commission for Immigration and Intercultural Dialogue (ACIDI), and submitting to the Consultative Council for Immigration Affairs an annual report detailing the implementation of the measures outlined in the Plan.

Among others, the Plan includes the following actions:

Actions planned for 2010-2013 4 – Improving official data on the integration of immigrants

7 – Consolidate the programme “Portuguese for All”, which provides Portuguese language courses (basic and technical levels) for the immigrant population, as a factor for integration.

10 – Strengthening the teaching of Portuguese for non-native speakers - foreign adults, temporary visa holders, residence permit holders and immigrants who have recently arrived in Portugal, held in public schools and PES’ training centres.

14 – Reinforcing immigrants’ entrepreneurship incentives, through support and incentives to the business ideas of immigrants, in a context where entrepreneurship is an increasingly important factor for the integration of immigrants in the labour market.

15 – Reinforcing inspection of employers using illegal immigrant labour.

16 – Reinforce the information/training for immigrant workers on their rights and duties regarding employment issues, as well as informing on the rights and duties of employers with regard to the recruitment of foreign labour.

17 – Simplifying the qualifications recognition process.

19 – Creating an information system on highly-qualified immigrants

20 – Consolidation of the Intervention Programme for Unemployed Immigrant Workers, which is designed to facilitate the social and professional integration of immigrants via the development of basic skills in the Portuguese language and citizenship, professional training and support to job creation.

21 – Facilitation and promotion of access to professional training and employment, through the GIP79 network, in partnership with community bodies such as immigrant associations, to provide more and better professional training, vocational guidance and training/employment advice, including training in the ICT area.

22 – Guaranteeing the renewal of immigrant residence permits in the event of employers’ non-compliance with Social Security obligations, to prevent that the failure of certain employers to comply with their obligations, namely their failure to pay social security contributions, is detrimental to the renewal of permits by those entitled to them.

26 – Diversification of courses in education and training, promoting access to school-business partnership projects to increase the diversity of educational options in a manner that responds to the needs of students.

33 – Humanitarian aid for immigrants living in extreme poverty, ensuring social assistance and respect for the rights of immigrants living in situations of extreme poverty, regardless of their

79 Offices for Professional Integration


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residence status, on the basis of the definition of humanitarian emergency as applied to Portuguese citizens.

34 – Creation of social security conventions with the countries of origin of immigrants’ communities represented in Portugal.

50 – Provide legal aid for immigrants who are victims of crime, adopting regulatory, organizational and practical measures designed to ensure access to legal aid by immigrants who are victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, serious crime and abetting illegal immigration.

57 – Breakdown of statistical data: collecting and processing statistical data on racial discrimination, differentiated by gender, on the basis of regulatory offences for general discrimination in employment.

64 – Combating social, educational and occupational exclusion of the descendents of immigrants, by consolidating local projects implemented as part of the Choices Programme by groupings of local, regional and central bodies looking to secure an integrated response to the exclusion of vulnerable children and youths, promoting a more effective integration.

68 – Support for reconciling the private, family and working lives of immigrant families, helping immigrants to reconcile their private, family and working lives, stressing the importance of the participation of both parents in this process, via access to infrastructures such as kindergartens and pre-schools operating in areas of high immigrant density.

70 – Informing immigrants about ways of access to rights deriving from the payment of social security contributions, not only in Portugal but also in the European Union and in the immigrants’ countries of origin. Source: ACIDI, IP, Plan for the Integration of Immigrants 2010-2013

Achievements between 2010 and 2012

According to the reports of ACIDI, IP, related to the implementation of PII 2010-2013 until 2012, hereby are presented some of the actions executed between 2010 and 2012.

4 – Improvements have been made regarding the collection and organization of data for statistics related to immigrants by Portuguese Statistics.

7 – The Programme “Portuguese for All” has been annually implemented, involving much more individuals than planned (9 000 per year):

2000-2011 2012

16 738 10 592

10 – The programme “Portuguese for non-native speakers” has been developed and implemented by public schools and PES training centres, involving a growing number of adult immigrants:

2010 2011 2012

8 085 8 653 9 250

14 – In order to support immigrant entrepreneurship was developed and implemented the “Program for Immigrant Entrepreneurship” which includes training to new entrepreneurs. Between 2010 and 2012 were trained 959 immigrants (target – 200/year) and created 57 new businesses (target – 15/year).


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15 – Since 2010 was reinforced the inspection of employers using illegal immigrant labour by the national Authority for Working Conditions (ACT).

16 – ACT also promoted specific training about Labour Relations and Working Conditions for the personnel of ACIDI that deals with immigrants in the National and Local Centres for Immigrants.

17 – The personnel of ACIDI also received training about the process for the recognition of qualifications, in order to forward immigrants to adequate offices – either to get the recognition of their qualifications or to develop their qualifications.

20 – The Intervention Programme for Unemployed Immigrant Workers supported thousands of immigrants through adequate actions to promote employment.

2010 2011 2012

12 751 13 802 27 744

21 – The GIP network also attended thousands immigrants that sought for guidance and support to access employment and/or training:

2010 2011 2012

16 132 12 000 12 741

22 – In 2012 was included an amendment to the law which regulates the renovation of visas for residence, in case of failure of employers to comply with their obligations with social security.

34 – Since 2010, were concluded social security conventions’ with some of the countries of origin of immigrants’ communities represented in Portugal: India, Ukraine, Moldova, Brazil and Cape Verde.

50 – In 2012 was included an amendment to the law regarding legal aid for immigrants who are victims of crime, namely those who are victims of human trafficking, having ceased to be required to reciprocal treatment previously in force.

64 - The Choices Programme has been implemented since 2001, with excellent achievements not only in the integration of young immigrants, but also within the broader policies to prevent delinquency and crime. This is a nationwide programme, which aims to promote the social inclusion of children and young people from vulnerable socio-economic contexts, particularly the descendants of immigrants and ethnic minorities, with a view to equal opportunities and strengthening social cohesion. It is divided into five strategic areas of intervention: a) school inclusion and non-formal education; b) vocational training and employability; c) facilitating community and citizenship; d) digital inclusion; e) entrepreneurship and empowerment. Between 2010 and 2012, the 4th generation of the programme involved 89 thousand individuals, approximately half of them descendent from immigrants. In 2013, was initiated the 5th generation of this programme.

Labour market developments

The aftermath of the financial and economic crisis has severely affected the Portuguese labour market and, consequently, the immigrant population in Portugal.


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After a “peak” in 2009, the net migration has sharply decreased, reaching the values observed in 1991: the stock and the flow of immigrants being reduced and the flow of Portuguese emigrants increasing.

Within the Portuguese labour market, the immigrants’ active population has been reduced, representing about 3% of all the active population in 2012 (4.5% in 2008) and 2.6% of all the employed (4.3% in 2008). On the other hand, the unemployed immigrant population represented 5.1% of total unemployed (7.7% in 2009).

- 60 000

- 40 000

- 20 000

20 000

40 000

60 000

80 000

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Source: INE, Demographic Statistics

Portugal : Net Migration between 1991 and 2012


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SPAIN

INTEGRATION POLICIES FOR IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS

The characteristics of immigration in Spain make it a unique phenomenon in the context of Europe. In one generation, Spain has gone from being a country of emigrants to having one of Europe's largest populations of foreign origin.

Indeed, in 1981, Spain had 186,000 registered foreigners, who constituted 0.52% of the population. In the following twenty years, the number of foreigners reached one million. However, after 2001, an unprecedented increase began in this regard, with between 300,000 and 700,000 new immigrants each year, reaching the figure of 5,750,000 registered foreigners—12.20% of the total population—in 2010.

As for the past five years, and taking into consideration holders of a residence permit, the figures seem to have stabilised at around 5.2 million foreigners. Since 2008, after Bulgaria and Romania joined the EU, EU residents constitute 47% of all foreigners, gradually nearing 50% each year.

In 2011 and 2012, the net balance of entries was, for the first time, negative, albeit barely so. Provisional census data of 1 January 2013 shows an annual decrease of 216,215 foreigners, making the total foreign population 5,520,133 people.

The territorial distribution of this population is diverse. Four of Spain's seventeen Autonomous Communities have more than 15% immigrant population: Catalonia (15.3%), the Community of Valencia (16.8%), the Balearic Islands (20.1%) and Murcia (15.7%). The Community of Madrid has nearly one million foreigners (constituting 14.7% of its population). However, in Extremadura, Galicia and Asturias, the percentage is under 5%.

The average age of Spain's foreign population is younger (32.9 in 2010) than the EU average (34.4) and much lower than that of the Spanish population (41.5).

As for foreigners with EU resident status, data from 31 December 2012 shows that the main nationality are Romanians, with 918,133 Romanian citizens. Noteworthy among the other EU nationalities present in Spain are: the United Kingdom (250,336), Italy (193,257), Bulgaria (177,590), Portugal (132,634), Germany (132,007) and France (106,897). It must be noted that 15.8% of the people with EU resident status are nationals of third countries, who have acquired this status for family reasons.

The other foreigners have general resident status. In this case, the majority group are Moroccans, with 832,657 people, a figure that is growing by 3.86% every year. This is followed, at a distance, by nationals of Ecuador (358,164) and Colombia (217,874), both on the decline (dropping by 3.83% and 2.77% respectively each year). Other nationalities with more than 50,000 residents are: China (175,970), Bolivia (147,466), Peru (120,528), Ukraine (72,882), Pakistan (66,526), the Dominican Republic (62,897), Argentina (60,365), Algeria (57,074) and Senegal (51,126).

The aggregate figures of nationals from Central and Southern American countries constitute 42.6% of those with general resident status, whereas nationals of African countries constitute 39.3%, most of whom come from North Africa, more specifically Morocco. Nationals of Asia represent 12.75%, and those of other countries in Europe, 4.6%. Less than 1% of foreigners come from North America or Oceania.


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In the past four years there has been a constant decrease in the number of foreigners with temporary authorisations, who have gone from 1.4 million in 2009 to 0.7 million in 2012. In contrast, foreigners from third countries with long-term residence permits have increased, going from 1.1 million in 2009 to more than 2 million in 2012, 11% more than in 2011. Thus, there has been a verified decrease both in visas for work purposes and in initial work authorisations.

Immigration and the integration of immigrants is an important phenomenon in our country. Integration policies for immigrants have been implemented through different mechanisms, mainly through legislation concerning foreigners and through diverse assistance programmes.

The Preliminary Title of Organic Law 4/2000, of 11 January, on the Rights and Freedoms of Foreigners in Spain and their Social Integration (LOEX, in its Spanish acronym), states that the public authorities shall promote the full integration of foreigners in Spanish society, within a framework of peaceful coexistence between diverse identities and cultures, with no other limitation than respect for the Constitution and the Law. Spain’s Public Administrations shall mainstream the goal of integration between immigrants and the host society into all public policies and services, promoting the economic, social, cultural and political participation of immigrants on the basis of equal treatment. In particular, they shall seek, through training activities, knowledge of and respect for Spain's constitutional and statutory values and the European Union's values, as well as human rights, public freedoms, democracy, tolerance and equality between women and men; and they shall implement specific measures to facilitate integration into the educational system, guaranteeing compulsory schooling for children of the appropriate age, the learning of Spain's official languages, and access to employment as keystones for integration.

In order to fulfil the mandate of Article 13 of the Spanish Constitution, which sets forth that foreigners shall enjoy the public freedoms guaranteed by Title I thereof, the LOEX regulates, in its Title I, a comprehensive set of rights and freedoms of foreigners. Thus, this Constitutional mandate has been combined with the international commitments undertaken by Spain, especially as a Member of the European Union.

The Explanatory Memorandum of the LOEX states that the Heads of State and of Government of the Member States of the European Union agreed, in Tampere, in October 1999, that it was necessary to guarantee fair treatment to third-country nationals residing legally in the Member States. To this end, the LOEX regulates and guarantees such rights as the right to documentation, to public participation, to assembly and demonstration, to education, to work and Social Security, to unionise and to strike, and to family reunification, among others. Moreover, anti-discrimination measures are expressly regulated.

This Law also sets forth the rights of minors:

a. Education. Underage immigrants enjoy special protection under Spanish legislation. Pursuant to the provisions of Article 9 of the LOEX, foreigners under the age of sixteen have the right and duty to education, which includes access to basic, free, compulsory education. This right also includes obtaining the corresponding academic qualifications and access to the public grants and assistance system under the same conditions as Spaniards. Furthermore, children under the age of eighteen shall have the right to post-compulsory education. The public authorities have the obligation to promote education for foreigners in order to enable better social integration.

b. Healthcare. Pursuant to Article 3. ter of Act 16/2003, of 28 May, on the Cohesion and Quality of the National Health System, foreigners under the age of eighteen shall receive healthcare under the same conditions as Spaniards.


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c. Unaccompanied minors. Underage foreigners who are in Spain unaccompanied by their parents or guardians also enjoy special protection. The public authorities shall undertake their guardianship and promote the appropriate actions to guarantee their return.

Also seeking greater integration, a Report on Integration Efforts has been created. In order to renew a non-lucrative temporary residence permit, a temporary residence permit for family reunification, or a temporary residence and work permit (whether for employed or self-employed work), foreigners may request to be issued a report on integration efforts by their Autonomous Community of residence. This report is not mandatory, but foreigners can use it if they cannot prove that they have met certain requirements set forth for renewing their permit, and it shall be taken into account as information to be assessed by the Aliens Office.

This Report shall contain, at least, certification, as the case may be, of the foreigner's active participation in training actions aimed at learning about and respecting Spain's constitutional values, the statutory values of the Autonomous Community of residence, the European Union's values, human rights, public freedoms, democracy, tolerance and equality between women and men, as well as the learning of the official languages of the place of residence. In this regard, the certification shall expressly mention the time dedicated to training in said areas.

A fundamental mechanism for social integration is engaging in gainful activity, whether as an employee or in self-employment. To this end, the LOEX guarantees the right to work and to Social Security for foreign residents that meet the conditions set forth in the legislation concerning foreigners.

Together with these important elements of legislation favouring immigrants' integration, there are also assistance programmes.

In 2011, a second Strategic Plan was established as a framework for actions aimed at immigrants' integration implemented by Spain's public administrations and third-sector organizations involved in managing these measures. In the assessment of the first Plan (2007-2010) it was observed that the greatest efforts and the best results were obtained precisely in the fields of workplace and education integration.

The planned budget path has been marked by the need for public deficit reduction. However, a significant package of actions, specifically aimed at immigrants' integration, has been maintained. This must not lead to overlooking the fact that those using most of the active employment policies and measures to assist vulnerable populations—which are common to all residents in Spain, regardless of their nationality—are, to a great extent (a percentage higher than the average), foreigners.

As regards the General State Administration, the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, and, within it, the Secretariat-General for Immigration and Emigration, together with its Directorate-General for Migration, is responsible for immigrants' integration policies. In this framework, it manages comprehensive programmes for reception and integration of immigrants, as well as asylum-seekers and refugees, and it collaborates with public and private institutions whose activities involve their integration.

On the basis of this legal provision, the Directorate-General for Migration supports the implementation of programmes aimed at the integration of immigrants and beneficiaries of international protection through a series of financing instruments (36 million euros in 2013), which are allocated in collaboration with non-profit-making entities and international organisations. These programmes respond to the needs detected in the groups of above-mentioned persons, with the aim, on the one hand, of meeting urgent basic humanitarian needs, and on the other, of facilitating their integration process into Spanish society in its different aspects: workplace, social, educational, cultural, etc.


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These programmes are implemented in those geographical areas where said needs are detected, with particular emphasis on the local level, where there is the closest interaction between the migrant population and the host society, following the model proposed in the EU common agenda for integration of third-country nationals in the European Union, which understands integration as a two-way process between immigrants and the host society.

The purpose of these subsidies is to implement programmes fostering the social and workplace integration of immigrant persons, ranging from comprehensive reception programmes to meet basic needs and support integration, introductory programmes to learn about the host society, including learning the language, to specific employment fostering programmes, including awareness-raising and promoting equal treatment and non-discrimination in the workplace, extra-curricular educational programmes fostering school performance, health programmes, programmes to improve the situation of women, as well as fostering public participation and social awareness, promoting equal treatment and non-discrimination in the host society, etc. Particular attention is paid to neighbourhoods with a high rate of immigrant population.

These programmes are partly co-financed by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals, as well as by the European Social Fund, which focuses on the area of employment: creating individualised workplace integration itineraries, incorporating quality systems and training and skill-building for professionals and volunteers, raising awareness and promoting equal treatment and non-discrimination in the workplace.

Similar programmes are also implemented in order to assist applicants for and beneficiaries of international protection. In this regard, the Ministry has its own shelters, complemented by a network managed by NGOs. These programmes include the resettlement of people coming from refugee camps. Part of these programmes are co-financed by the European Refugee Fund and the European Social Fund.

It is worth highlighting that the Directorate-General for Migration also manages the Centres for Temporary Stay of Immigrants (CETI, in their Spanish acronym) of Ceuta and Melilla, which have been conceived as places of initial shelter, aimed at providing basic social services and benefits for immigrants and asylum-seekers arriving in either of these Autonomous Cities. In addition, a humanitarian assistance network managed by NGOs is also maintained, in order to assist foreigners in situations of urgent need. Moreover, an immediate assistance programme is in place, for persons arriving along the Spanish coast in an irregular manner, and for those living in shanty towns, through the Spanish Red Cross (Cruz Roja Española).

In all the above-mentioned programmes, particular attention is paid to detecting possible victims of trafficking in human beings, and to combating this phenomenon.


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SWEDEN

IMPORTANT INITIATIVES AND REFORMS 2008 - 201280

In September 2008, the government launched a strategy for integration for years 2008-2010.

The strategy identified seven priority areas:

• Effective reception and introduction of new arrivals

• Employment and entrepreneurship

• Better educational performance and equivalence in Schools

• Language and education for adults

• Discrimination

• Local development in urban districts characterized by wide spread exclusion

• Shared values

Initiatives taken in connection with the integration strategy including additional efforts in 2011-2012.

Introduction of new arrivals

A new Act on the introduction of new arrivals entered into force in December 2010.

Key elements: responsibility for coordinating the introduction of new arrivals devolved from municipalities to Public Employment Service (PES). Municipalities maintain responsibility for arranging accommodation; civic orientation, language tuition, adult education and other necessary measures and initiatives for children and adolescents. PES, together with the new arrival draws up a two-year customized introduction plan. The introduction plan corresponds to a full-time programme comprising language tuition, civic orientation and other mandatory activities. New arrivals who participate in their introduction program are entitled to a uniform public allowance and personal introduction guide that coach and assist the individual during the introduction period.

Target groups; refugees and others in need of protection and their family members ages of 20–64. New arrivals aged 18 - 19 years without parents in Sweden.

Focus on family immigrants for a better start in Sweden

The government has enlarged the target group for introduction activities from spring 2013 to provide more family migrants a good start in Sweden by changing the time limit within which a family member need to apply for a residence permit to be covered by the Introduction Act. The government has allocated

80 Ministry of Employment Swede, Division for Integration and Urban Development, Michael Hagos


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more than 1,3 billion SEK over four years (2013-2016) to cover additional costs for municipalities for providing good reception and make introduction activities available for more family migrants.

Assessment of the introduction Act by the Swedish Agency for Public Management

The Agency was assigned to assess and analyse in particular the process of settlement and the process for managing the introduction allowance for new arrivals as well as the extent to which the introduction plans are tailored to individual circumstances and needs.

Main findings:

• The reform has reinforced the Labour market perspective in the introduction of new arrivals.

• Activities offered for new arrivals have become more uniform as a result of the state responsibility.

• PES and the Migration Board's assessment of new arrivals qualifications provide good basis for offering individually tailored activities.

• The Agency identifies a number of tight spots in the establishment process;

• Many efforts are not sufficiently tailored to the needs of the target group

• Many newcomers do not get an introduction plan within two months after residence permit

• The financial enticements of the reform are not clear enough to speed up the introduction of new arrivals on the labour market since new arrivals can turn down a job offer without incurring any financial consequences upon themselves.

Employment and entrepreneurship

Step-in –jobs - subsidised job for new arrivals (within 3 years after residence permit) with possibilities to combine language training with part time employment. Salary based in compliance with collective wage agreements in the labour market. “Step-in” jobs has been amended several times since its introduction in 2007. At present subsidy 80 % of the gross salary for 24 months. Target group include even new arrivals that have completed their introduction plan during the last 12 months.

“New Start Jobs” introduction in 2007 as a general subsidy of payroll costs for long-term unemployed and newly arrived immigrants (within 3 years after residence permit). The regulatory framework has been simplified several times. At present a tax relief equivalent to double the employer’s social contribution for long term unemployed age 27 and over. In 2010 foreign born accounted for 38 % of the beneficiaries.

Applied basic year with training on the job – new initiative from 2013

A permanent measure for low educated new arrivals age 30> that are eligible for introduction program. The measure contains vocational training on the job with language exercise based on demanded skill at the workplace. Ambition: 1000 training places/year of which 100 within agriculture and forestry.


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Apprentice for new arrivals covered by the introduction Act

The government has allocated a total of 500 million (2013-2015) for funding 6000 apprenticeships/year. The six months apprentice contains extended coaching than what is required for ordinary job practice. The funding is used to compensate extended coaching costs for employers.

Entrepreneurship

The government allocated SEK 20 million/year 2008-2010 to the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, for helping entrepreneurs with foreign background. The money was used for qualified advice, mentoring programs and networks. Additionally 20 million SEK allocated for generating growth among entrepreneurs with foreign background of which 5 million SEK/year 2013 - 2015 for information and guidance on import and export markets and 5 million in 2013 for information brochure about the Swedish procurement market in different languages.

Education

As part of the strategy for integration for the years 2008-2010 a program was lunched to improve educational performance in schools. Efforts were undertaken to strengthen basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Obligatory checkpoints were introduced in the form of national tests at the end of grades three, six and nine. A total of SEK 900 million were invested for efforts to help pupils at risk of not achieving the school’s goals.

The government is investing a total of 409 million SEK (2013 -2016) to improve educational performance among newly arrived foreign-born youth through:

• Increased tuition for newly arrived pupils in obligatory school

• Improved the instruction skills among teachers to enhance language take up

• Mapping the school knowledge of newly arrived youth prior to arrival

• Improve instruction of Swedish for immigrants

• Information for newly arrived families about free school choice in different languages

Complementary education

A number of universities and colleges are assigned to arrange supplementary courses for third country nationals with a foreign university degree in law, education, health sector and public administration. Additional supplementary courses in other fields Complementary courses for upgrading other skills are in pipeline.

Evaluation of complementary education

In 2010, Stockholm University evaluated labour market outcomes for participants in complementary courses for third country academics with foreign university degrees.

The results show, in brief:


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• Comparisons in employment outcomes three years later between course participants and non-participants in teaching profession gave 39 % average increase in earnings for course participants.

• Complementary course increased the proportion of gainfully employed by 26 % and skill-based equivalent jobs by 35 %.

• Complementary course in public administration increased earnings by 71 % and employment prospects by 44 %. No statistically significant effects for this group regarding prospects for skill-based equivalent jobs.

The numbers of course participants foreign law graduates were too few to allow statistically significant analysis.

Validation

National Agency for Higher Vocational Education (founded in 2009) is responsible authority for developing a national framework for validation of foreign professional qualifications as well as providing certificates and synchronizing joint efforts with relevant stakeholders in the field. The Agency has developed a web portal, which includes validation models for thirty labour market sectors involving approximately 150 professional roles and a tool for validation for twenty sectors involving approximately 120 professional roles.

In its appropriation for the financial years 2009 and 2010 the Agency was assigned to lead a mission in partnership with PES for validating foreign credentials for newly arrived immigrants acquired outside formal educational settings. The validation was to be performed in a convergent orientation with respect to the models and methods developed by the core labour market sectors or in relation to learning targets for educational programs developed by the Agency. According to the Agency 160 validations were performed within the project. The validation has been difficult in most cases, owing to limited information for comprehensive evaluation.

A new agency for assessment of foreign-credentials

The Government has brought together all assessment of foreign credentials under a new agency, University and Higher Education Council which began its operations from the 1st of January 2013. The Agency´s assignments involves assessing foreign upper- secondary school-leaving certificate, completed foreign qualifications in higher and tertiary education which does not match-up with programs under Higher Education Act.

Diversity

The government has announced to increase ethnic and cultural diversity among state employees at all levels. This goal is followed through statistics from The Swedish Agency for Government Employers. Figures from the Agency show steady increase regarding the share of foreign-born state employees from 8,4 % in 2002 to 11,6 % in 2011. Foreign-born from non- Nordic countries account for the largest increase. In 2011, the foreign-born accounted for 21,4 % of all new recruits in the state, of these more than 90 % were born outside the Nordic region.

A recruitment method based on anonymous job applications was applied on a trial basis in the public sector together with a comparative recruitment approach with diversity perspective. Evaluation of the scheme by The Swedish Agency for Public Management showed:


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• no difference between the two methods regarding those chosen for interview

• probability of being called for interview or recruited were not affected by ethnic origin or gender. However, there were signs that applicants over the age of 55 were disadvantaged in both methods

• owing to the absence of data on the situation prior to the experiment, it was difficult to determine if the result was an effect of the use of each method . The Agency could not draw any clear conclusions regarding the effects of the methods on increasing diversity in recruitment.

The experiment has nevertheless, resulted in several valuable lessons.

• anonymous applications gave equal chances to be called for interview for women and job-seekers with foreign background

• job-applicants showed confidence for the method in giving fair chance

• anonymous information showed up enough to make skill-based and more objective selection for interview

• necessary for further work on the method if it is going to be widely used in the future.

Anti-discrimination

A comprehensive and single Anti-Discrimination Act from January 2009. The Act applies to most areas of society, such as working life, education, housing, social services etc.

Swedish for immigrants SFI

A number of initiatives have been taken to improve the quality and equivalence of the SFI. This includes skills upgrading for teachers, national final examinations, refocused the curriculum, performance-based SFI bonus, enhanced national inspection, evaluation of SFI and an investigation regarding time limits for SFI language tuition.

A temporary government grant is allocated for efforts to improve SFI. The initiative includes 50 million SEK on annual basis for 2013 – 2015. Applications for grants are to be made by heads of operations for improved quality and individualization of language tuition.

The performance-based SFI bonus

In 2009 the government introduced a performance-based bonus system for newly arrived immigrants who finish their sfi studies with passing grades within a specific time. The bonus levels varies between SEK 6 000 – 12 000 (around €600 – 1200) depending on the instruction path chosen.

Evaluation of the scheme by Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation indicates a positive effect on academic performance in Stockholm, however, no effects in the other participating municipalities. The estimated effects are greater for younger participants than for older, but similar for women and men. The analysis also shows a slight increase in participation in the bonus courses in Stockholm, but no clear effect on participation in general


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Urban development work

The Government has allocated a temporary grant with 100 SEK/year 20013-2014 to stimulate municipal work with urban development. The premium is paid for improved outcomes in education, employment and social-welfare

New Start Offices –for coordinated service delivery

New start offices with agencies and municipalities are set up in nine disadvantage neighbourhoods as ”one stop shops” to provide guidance and services to persons seeking information to start and run business.


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SWITZERLAND

PRIORITIES IN THE INTEGRATION POLICY OF THE SWISS CONFEDERATION

Issues relating to the integration of foreign nationals moved up the agenda in both public opinion and political circles in 2011. The immigration issue featured in public debate, especially against the background of the free movement agreement, and the question of what immigration policy measures to take was a frequent subject of discussion. Generally speaking, calls for a proactive integration policy became more insistent, reflecting a desire to forestall any negative developments in Swiss society.

A raft of Federal integration policy measures have been taken or are forthcoming. The most important of them concern the integration plan, including changes to the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and the implementation of integration programmes at canton level. These measures are described below.

The Federal Council’s integration plan

The Federal Council (federal government) report of 5 March 2010 for the further development of federal integration policy, drawn up according to the recommendations of the July 2009 Tripartite Agglomeration Conference (TAC) issued by the cantons, cities and municipalities, described the necessary conditions for “developing a forward-looking integration policy under the binary admission policy”. In 2011, the Federal Council implemented the chosen policy option in the form of an integration plan which comprises the following elements:

Implementing legal measures relating to the integration of foreigners

Review of measures relating to the management and coordination of integration policy, the objectives of the specific encouragement of integration, and funding. Also the adoption of legal measures for more practical and binding integration requirements (see C).

Making the integration requirement more binding in specific legislation governing mainstream structures (vocational training, employment, etc.)

Adaptation of specific laws, in particular by changing the primary requirement, adding measures to encourage integration, developing instruments and giving relevant authorities wider powers.

Strengthening the specific encouragement of integration

Conclusion of multi-year agreements with cantons and ongoing pursuit of identical objectives for the encouragement of integration throughout Switzerland. More targeted focus on migrants’ needs by the authorities and the native population. More financial resources and equal co-financing by the Confederation and cantons. Stepped-up dialogue on integration with state and non-state players.

Continuation and intensification of the dialogue begun on 12 May 2011 at the second National Conference on Integration under the aegis of the Tripartite Agglomeration Conference. The overall objective is to make the “encourage and require” principle, which reflects the reciprocal nature of the integration process, more binding. The provision of basic information, one of the new measures under the specific encouragement of integration, is due to become mandatory in all cantons. The measure will also be included in future cantonal integration programmes. It should ensure that all immigrants are welcomed, given relevant information and, where necessary, directed towards suitable integration measures. As well as being a condition of the adaptations planned under the “encourage and require” principle, basic


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information forms an integral part of the “welcome culture” and makes it possible to identify any integration shortcomings early in the process (see C).

Encouragement of integration by the Confederation and the cantons from 2014

From 2014, for the first time, measures to encourage integration pursuing identical objectives will be introduced in all cantons and promotion measures will focus even more closely on needs. The Confederation and the cantons laid the necessary policy foundations for this in 2011.

Key stages

From 1 January 2014, the Confederation and the cantons will manage the specific encouragement of integration under four-year agreements on cantonal integration programmes (CIPs). On 23 November 2011, the plenary assembly of the Conference of Cantonal Governments and the Federal Council adopted the necessary source documents for that purpose. At the same time, the Confederation and the cantons reached an agreement on implementation of the priorities of the specific encouragement of integration (see diagram). Between 2014 and 2017, for the first time the strategic objectives defined for each of these areas must be the same throughout the whole of Switzerland.

The specific encouragement of integration by the Confederation and the cantons in the future Encouragement of integration in mainstream structures Specific encouragement of integration by the Confederation and the cantons Information and advice Basic information and particular needs Advice Protection against discrimination Language and training, employment Language and training Encouragement of preschooling Employability Comprehension and social integration Community interpreting Social integration


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Identical nationwide objectives for promoting integration Promotion of integration taking account of the needs of migrants, the authorities and the native population Clear implementation by means of cantonal integration programmes Optimum coordination with mainstream structures

Tried and tested principles in the encouragement of integration

- Cross-cutting task

Integration is a cross-cutting task whose objectives must be taken into consideration in all areas. It requires cooperation between federal, cantonal and municipal authorities, social partners, non-governmental organisations and organisations of foreign nationals. The Federal Office for Migration (FOM) and cantonal integration services are responsible for coordinating the various measures at federal and/or cantonal level.

- Mainstream structures

As a cross-cutting task, the encouragement of integration is carried out at local level, as a priority by the mainstream structures concerned by integration (e.g. schools, vocational training institutes, labour market). It is funded from the regular budget of the relevant authorities.

- Specific encouragement of integration

The promotion of integration in mainstream structures is backed up by the specific encouragement of integration, which has a dual objective: to supplement provision by mainstream structures and make good any shortcomings (e.g. language promotion for young people arriving in Switzerland at a relatively late age, integration of refugees into the workforce, services for persons suffering trauma, etc.); and to help mainstream structures fulfil their integration mission. Key factors in that regard are the smooth operation of institutions and the quality of services provided (e.g. advisers’ intercultural skills, preventive measures to offer protection against discrimination, etc.).

- Meeting needs

The encouragement of integration is successful where public authorities take measures intended for both foreign and Swiss nationals, as well as measures designed to help authorities and institutions and relieve the burden on them so that society’s capacity to integrate foreign nationals generally is improved. Cantonal integration programmes take account of these target groups according to their respective needs (e.g. regional distribution of language promotion measures, targeted basic information, etc.).

- Planning in cantons

One feature of 2011 was a stepped-up exchange of information and experience between the FOM and cantonal and municipal partners about the future implementation of the encouragement of integration. The Conference of Cantonal and Municipal Delegates for Integration, whose members also discussed planning measures in specialist intercantonal groups and intercantonal projects, is the main forum for these discussions.

Concerned to ensure the detailed preparation of cantonal integration programmes, the FOM decided in late 2010 to continue most of the activities carried out under the 2008-2011 list of priorities into 2012 and 2013. Until CIPs are introduced in 2014, most of the FOM’s partners are planning to take measures identical to or comparable with those introduced in previous years. On the basis of the terms and


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conditions defined in a circular for the so-called guarantee phase (2012-2013), the FOM has concluded service agreements with the relevant cantonal authorities or has issued the corresponding decisions.

Taking account of the cantonal integration measures implemented in mainstream structures, each canton defines the additional measures it needs for the specific encouragement of integration in its CIP, following which it plans the promotion of integration in the relevant areas and manages the interfaces with mainstream structures. Priority is given to structures concerned with training, labour market integration and social matters.

Through the “Development of cantonal integration programmes and support measures” (DPIM) call for tenders of 20 May 2010, the FOM encouraged the development of CIPs in the cantons between 2010 and 2011, allocating around CHF 3.3 million in total over the two-year period. These DPIM projects helped cantonal integration services to start preliminary work and launch pilot schemes in cooperation with other players involved in integration. Areas of encouragement, and hence players and forms of cooperation, varied from one canton to another.

The introduction of CIPs and DPIM projects provided the cantons with an opportunity to review and reorganise their integration structures. For cantonal integration services in particular, the CIPs involved a significant amount of extra work and generally implied more staff in order to plan and implement integration measures. In a large number of cantons, drawing up CIPs also to some extent implied greater cooperation with municipalities at the same time as interdepartmental cooperation.

Planned amendment of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals relating to the integration of foreign nationals

Amending the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals is an important measure under the integration plan, whereby the Confederation intends to underline the social importance of integration.

The Federal Council adopted the message on amending the Foreign Nationals Act on 8 March 2013. Parliament will debate the bill in summer 2013, which could result in further amendments. The act’s entry into force depends on the debate in parliament and a possible referendum.

The revision concerns provisions relating to residence, family reunification and integration. Under the bill, only integrated foreign nationals will be able to obtain a permanent residence permit. The bill also defines the tasks of the Confederation and the cantons relating to the encouragement of integration. Encouragement is based on the principle that integration is a cross-cutting task which needs to be accomplished in situ, at school, in the workplace and in neighbourhoods.

Broadly speaking, foreign nationals will not be able to obtain a permanent residence permit unless they are integrated. That restriction will also apply to the spouses of Swiss nationals and residence permit holders or nationals of an EU or EFTA Member State. Currently, a foreign national is not entitled to a permanent residence permit after ten years’ residence in Switzerland even if he or she is well-integrated. The revision will change that situation, since it provides that migrants who have been living in Switzerland for ten years will be able to assert a right to permanent residence provided that they are integrated. The Federal Council thereby seeks to encourage foreign nationals to integrate as quickly as possible.

As has been the case hitherto, the cantons will still be free to grant a permanent residence permit to well-integrated foreign nationals after five years. Family members of a national of a third-party State (i.e. not EU or EFTA) wishing to come to Switzerland under family reunification rules will have to speak the national language of their future place of residence or be willing to take part in a language promotion initiative.


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The act defines the integration criteria to be met for the granting or extension of a permit under the law relating to foreign nationals. They must respect public security and order and the values of the Federal Constitution, speak a national language and be willing to take part in economic life or acquire a qualification. Where a foreign national or immigrant family displays integration shortcomings, the relevant authorities must be able to conclude an ad hoc integration agreement with them. So that they can do so, the obligation to communicate information about foreign nationals will be extended beyond the current provisions of the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals. Henceforth, all authorities will in principle be required to communicate decisions which suggest that the integration process will proceed unfavourably to cantonal migration authorities. Foreign nationals who do not comply with the terms of their integration agreement may expect to have their residence permit withdrawn.

From 2014, all the cantons will implement integration programmes co-financed by the Confederation and the cantons. These programmes will include measures in three areas: information and advice, training and employment, comprehension and social integration. Federal integration policy will continue to rely on mainstream structures. Under this tried and tested approach, integration must take place primarily during training, in the workplace and in neighbourhoods. That is why the bill includes targeted adjustments of federal laws on vocational training, unemployment insurance, invalidity insurance and regional development. Where initiatives to encourage integration are insufficient or lacking, specific projects and programmes will be introduced to make good any shortcomings. Given that speaking a national language is a prerequisite for integration, a framework concept for the encouragement of language skills has been developed in order to define common standards for learning targets, curricula and the evaluation of language skills (the “fide” language learning concept).

Protection against discrimination

Discrimination prevents foreign nationals from participating in economic and social life under their own responsibility and holds back their integration. The Federal Council considers that the general rules of criminal and civil law, existing public law statutes and the guarantees of international public law already offer extensive protection against discrimination. In accordance with the recommendations of the 2009 TAC report, the prohibition of discrimination must be included in the specific encouragement of integration. Services specialising in integration must be able to provide or procure competent advice on legal protection against discrimination and the relevant procedures. Implementation is a matter for cantons (and municipalities). The Confederation will participate financially and ensure coordination and quality control. These tasks will be assumed by the anti-racism unit at the Federal Department of Home Affairs. The unit’s annual allocation is due to be increased by CHF 200,000 a year for the purpose. The relevant financial resources have already been earmarked in the Department’s financial plan 2014-2016.

Lastly, in order to underline the social importance of integration, the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals will be renamed the Federal Act on Foreign Nationals and Integration.


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TURKEY

THE LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN: INTEGRATION POLICIES

Migration in Turkey at a Glance

Throughout history, Turkey has been affected by diverse forms of migratory movements and refugee flows. She has been a host as well as source country of migration. In the last fifty years, Turkey has been considered as a country of emigration with large numbers of its citizens migrating to Western Europe, particularly to Germany based on bilateral labour agreements. Contrary to expectations, Turkish “guest workers” remained staying and settled in the host countries with their families. Europe’s oil recession in the 1970s redirected the flow of the Turkish migrant labour force to the Middle East, and in the 1990s to the Russian Federation and Commonwealth of Independent States.

The types of of emigration of Turkish citizens can be cited as “family-related emigration”, “asylum-seeking”, “ irregular (undocumented or clandestine) labour emigration”, “contract-related (low-skilled) labour emigration”, and emigration of professional and highly-skilled people, each of them is worth elaboration.

Since the 90s, as a result of globalization, turkey has been experiencing the new migratory flows, notably transnational irregular migration. Turkey has been positioned on the transit route for irregular migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. Turkey has also been a country of destination for either economic migrants or refugees or asylum seekers. Those new migrants consider Turkey as a gateway to a new job, a new life, and a spring board to employment in the Western Europe.

Labour migration lies in the core of migration movements. Due to global economic inequality, labour supply and demand is not determined only within national borders but also beyond them. In the era of globalization, migration is expanding geographically. Majority of countries around the world experience migration as a host country, a source country, a transit country or all.

Migration Policy in Last Decades

The EU membership process and program for alignment with the acquis have played determining role in the establishment of migration policies in Turkey, on the other hand the flexible visa regime has considerably impact the rise of Turkey’s economic and commercial relations as well as cultural interaction with the neighboring countries. Turkey’s liberal visa regime, which is particularly the system of purchasing stamps at the border, has been one of the hot topics strongly criticized by the EU all along the EU-Turkey membership negotiations.

In order to strike a balance between these two opposite forces, a significant step was taken with the publication in the Official Gazette dated 11th April 2013 the Law on Foreigners and International Protection of which main objective being to provide a legal basis with regard to migration and asylum. Turkey has also taken steps regarding the administrative capacity building by establishing a new General Directorate of Migration which will also appoint migration attachés and counselors abroad, especially in source countries of irregular migration i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Somali Nigeria, Kenya, to establish and sustain communication and collaboration on migration between Turkey and such countries. The new Law is based on a visa system whereby foreigners who wish to enter Turkey are required to make visa application at Turkish Consulates abroad, restricting visa stamps at ports of entry to exceptional circumstances. Article 11 of the Law limits the duration of stay in Turkey to 90 days within a period of 180


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days, to prevent misuse of visa and visa exemption by means of entry-exit at the borders. This article complies with the Schengen visa regime. Granting of visa exemption will continue to be determined by Council of Minister’s decree. Many Articles of the Law will enter into force following its publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 27 of the new Law brings exemption of “residence permit” to foreigners bearing “work permit” or “work permit exemption certificate”, thus allowing foreigners with work permit entry into the country without visa or residence permit. The only restriction imposed by the Law falls within the scope of Article 7 regarding “Foreigners not allowed entry into Turkey”

Another important issue the Law deals with is “foreign students’ right to employment”. As per Article 41 of the Law students of associate, undergraduate, post graduate and doctorate degrees can be employed in Turkey provided that they bear a work permit. However, this right becomes valid for associate and undergraduate students one year after the start of their education in Turkey and their employment cannot exceed 24 hours/week. Hence, foreign students are basically allowed temporary employment. Paragraph 2 of the Article states that procedures and principles regarding employment rights of associate and undergraduate students shall be determined by the Migration Policies Council with the collaboration of the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. As per Article 31 (i) that regulates temporary residence permit, students who have completed their higher education in Turkey can apply for temporary residence permit within 6 months following their graduation. This regulation provides an opportunity to university graduates of foreign nationals to apply for work permit.

Another group that falls within the scope of this regulation is refugees and persons with secondary protection status. Article 61 of the Law defines refugee as follows: “Stateless individuals who have left their country for the rightful fear of persecution on basis of their political views, race, religion, nationality or membership to a group due to the course of events in European countries and cannot/are not willing to return to their country of origin for the same reason are given refugee status after the procedures for determining status.”

As per Article 63 of the Law titled “Secondary Protection Status”, foreigners or stateless individuals who have not obtained refugee or conditional refugee status and are most likely to face the following upon return to their country of origin or residence will assume secondary protection status:

• Death penalty or execution of death penalty sentence,

• Persecution, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,

• Life threatening armed conflict in international or civil war

Article 89 of the Law grants the right to work at a business or self-employment to individuals who bear refugee and secondary protection status. The said Article clearly states that ID cards issued to such individuals will serve as work permit, so refugees and persons of secondary protection status are not required to make separate application with the Ministry of Labour for work permit, save as professions and businesses restricted to the employment of foreigners by legal regulations. Second paragraph of the same Article states that access of individuals with refugee or secondary protection status to the labour market may be temporarily restricted to agriculture, industry and service sectors, specific professions or civil/geographical regions, in accordance with progress in the business sector, changes in the labour market conditions as well as sectoral/economic conditions with regard to employment. However, refugees and bearers of secondary protection status who have resided in Turkey for a minimum of three years, are married to a Turkish national or have a child with Turkish nationality are exempt from these restrictions.


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As per the Law procedures and principles regarding employment of such individuals are to be determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior.

The system adopted by the Law regarding the employment of foreigners, favors a simpler and faster structure compared to the trilateral structure of work permit, work visa and residence permit along with the related bureaucratic process. Article 42 stipulates granting of permanent residence permit by governor’s office, with approval of the Ministry, to foreigners who have legally resided in Turkey for a minimum of eight continuous years or who fulfill the criteria set by the Council of Migration Policies. Permanent residence is a new regulation that has not envisaged in the previous legislation and hence, proves a positive development for migrants.

It is hardly possible to obtain reliable informationoan migrants and migration flows as regards our country. Nor direct and reliable data on the chronology or direction of migration flows into and out of the country exists. Hence, Turkey has started to build a comprehensive migration data system that rises up to the multiple challenges.

The Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK),)-the newly established Ministry of Development, the Ministry of the Interior (MoI), and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS), have all made independent attempts to improve the compilation of data on international migration towards Turkey. There has also been discussion on integrating international migration statistics into the recently established computer-based population registration system, the Central Population Administration System (CPAS), but to date these attempts have not been sufficiently concrete enough yet to make significant progress in generating international migration statistics.The work on it still goes on.

The procedures and principles of regulating the employment of foreigners in Turkey and the work permits which shall be granted to them were determined by the Law no. 4817 on Work Permits of Foreigners dated 27 February 2003 and its “Implementing Regulations” dated 29 August 2003. The legislative provisions are implemented meticulously. By the introduction of the Law no. 4817 on Work Permits of Foreigners pursuant to Article 48 of the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, which states that “Everyone has the freedom to work and conclude contracts in the field of his/her choice without any discrimination. Establishment of private enterprises is free.”, the issues concerning the foreigners’ employment in Turkey has been regulated. In terms of the Labour Law (LL) no. 4857, any foreigner legally residing in Turkey enjoys the same rights as the Turkish citizens in all matters such as working hours, overtime, paid and unpaid leaves, severance pay and dismissal notices, the right to collective agreement, conclusion of a contract or its termination.

Turkey also amended the regulation implementing the Law on Work Permits for Foreigners in 2010, and softened the conditions under which asylum seekers can apply for work permits.

On the other hand, in accordance with Article 6 of the Regulation on the “Education of the Children of Migrant Workers” which was published in the Official Gazette no. 24936 dated 14.11.2002, cooperation with the related countries is envisaged.

In Article 8 of Turkish Civil Code there exists a general statutory provision, stating that “Every person is entitled to a vested right. Accordingly, all the persons are equal in using rights and fulfilling obligations within the legal limits.” According to Article 56 of the Turkish Constitution, everyone has the right to leave in a healthy, balanced environment. It is the duty of the State and citizens to improve the natural environment, and to prevent environmental pollution. There is no discrimination between Turkish citizens and foreigners in benefiting from health care services according to the Constitution. Again, in Article 50 of the Constitution, it is stated that everyone has the right to rest and leisure and there is no privilege in this regard.


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Since there is no particular regulation concerning working conditions in our legislation in terms of foreigners holding a work permit and residing legally in our country, whether the regulations both in the LL no. 4857 and in other related legislation are respected or not, are checked during inspections carried out by the labour and social security inspectors meticulously in terms of all employees, without any discrimination between the Turkish citizens and the foreign employees.

On the other hand, Turkey has ratified the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families on 27th September 2004 which was adopted by the UN General Assembly as the Resolution 45/158 of 18th December 1990.

Turkey is committed to grant advanced rights to the migrants within the scope of human rights enshrined by the said Convention which provides fundamental human rights for all migrant workers, equal treatment in employment for migrant workers and their family members compared to / together with the citizens of the host country, the necessity of preventing illegal migration and human trafficking without taking into account their status.

In this context, moreover, the “European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers” which aims to regulate the legal status of migrant workers in a way that they shall not be at a lower level which the citizens of the receiving country are subject to, was ratified on 25th December 1979, and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which aims to improve and encourage human rights and fundamental rights and freedom for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion was ratified on 16th September 2002.

According to Article 30 of the International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families which was ratified by our Country on 27th September 2004, the children of the migrant workers have equal rights in terms of access to education as the citizens of the State party. The provisions of Articles 43 and 45 of the same Convention, impose the States party the obligation of taking any measures with a view to teaching the national language first, so as to adapt the children of the migrant workers to the education system.

As per the provisions of the “Regulations on the Education of Migrant Workers’ Children” published in the Official Gazette no. 24936 dated 14th November 2002, the problems on the education and training of the migrant workers’ children were solved. In this context, Article 6 of the above mentioned Regulations envisages to cooperate with the related countries, Article 8 envisages to organise courses to teach mother tongue to immigrants’ children, Article 10 envisages to let the children benefit from scholarships and Article 13 envisages that the managements , guidance and research centers of the schools are to take necessary measures regarding the social integration of the children.


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UNITED STATES

SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION EFFORTS IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE 200881

Since 2008, 3.8 million individuals have become United States citizens. Most recently in fiscal year (FY) 2012, the U.S. welcomed nearly 760,000 new citizens. As of January 2011, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that there are more than 13.1 million lawful permanent residents (LPRs) living in the United States, 8.5 million of whom may be currently eligible to apply for naturalization. California is the leading state of residence with an estimated 3.4 million LPRs. The next leading states of residence are New York (1.6 million), Texas (1.3 million), and Florida (1.3 million). These four states were home to 58 percent of LPRs in 2011. The next leading states of residence are New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington, and Arizona. Together, these 10 states represent 75 percent of the overall LPR population (DHS Office of Immigration Statistics, 2012).

While immigrants continue to settle in traditional gateways such as New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles, they are increasingly settling in the South and West of the United States, and outside of city centers – many in communities without long-standing immigrant receiving experience. As immigrants increase their proportional share of the population in the United States (currently 13% by U.S. Census Bureau estimates), the rationale for prioritization of integration efforts becomes stronger. Between 1966 and 2008, the U.S. population grew from approximately 200 million to 300 million people. Immigrants and their U.S.-born children accounted for 55 percent of that growth (Pew Hispanic Center, 2007). Projections indicate that by 2030, nearly one in five U.S. workers will be an immigrant (World Education, 2013).

In December 2008, the federal Task Force on New Americans82 published a report entitled Building an Americanization Movement for the Twenty-first Century. This report, which outlined ten specific recommendations for immigrant integration policy, signaled a new national approach to immigrant integration in the United States. In the five years since the report’s release, immigrant integration initiatives have emerged from all sectors of society drawing on the strengths and efforts of the public and private sectors at the state and local levels with the federal government providing leadership and assistance in key areas.

Task Force on New Americans

The Task Force on New Americans’ two-year research into immigrant integration reaffirmed two fundamental notions about the nature and success of integration in the United States:

Diversity within Unity

Immigrant civic integration is based on a unifying civic identity that respects, but is not solely defined by, individual diversity. Instead, American identity is based on common civic values defined by three

81 This overview represents the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s equities in supporting the civic

integration of immigrants. While several examples of activities across the federal government and other sectors of society are referenced, this is not intended to encompass all integration activities in the United States.

82 The Task Force on New Americans was established in 2006 by Executive Order 13404. Including members from twelve cabinet-level departments of the federal government, the Task Force conducted research and provided recommendations to improve immigrant integration efforts.


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elements: embracing the principles of American democracy, identifying with U.S. history, and communicating in English.

Citizenship Is an Identity

Citizenship is an identity and not simply a benefit. Feeling and being perceived as a full member of the community is an important indicator of a person’s integration into a society. Integration cannot be defined solely by the naturalization process, although the choice to naturalize is a key indicator of integration. Therefore, citizenship promotion initiatives must encompass not only naturalization, but also civic integration.

These fundamental notions led to ten recommendations which were unanimously endorsed by the interagency members of the Task Force. The recommendations focused on federal coordination and leadership on immigrant integration, as well as the importance of partnerships with actors in all sectors of society, including state and local governments, community and faith-based organizations, public libraries, adult educators, business and the private sector, foundations and philanthropies, and civic organizations and service clubs.

New Americans Citizenship and Integration Initiative

In 2010, the White House Domestic Policy Council convened a core group of federal agencies to coordinate immigrant integration efforts under the auspices of the New Americans Citizenship and Integration Initiative. This interagency initiative developed a framework to guide government-wide efforts, organized by three pillars of immigrant integration: linguistic, economic, and civic.

In early 2011, the White House held a series of roundtables with immigrant and refugee stakeholders, business owners, state and local government, educators, and leaders from diverse immigrant communities to discuss the most effective approaches to integrating immigrants. These roundtable discussions provided an opportunity for Administration officials to obtain feedback on the three pillars of integration and to learn about promising integration practices in diverse American communities. Stakeholders reacted positively to the three pillars of integration, underscoring the need for a consistent integration framework across the federal government.

Federal Capacity-Building Initiatives

The federal government has developed a range of programs to support immigrant integration through direct services, public education, and capacity-building initiatives.

Citizenship and Integration Grant Program

In 2009, Congress authorized the first appropriation for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Citizenship and Integration Grant Program, with the goal of expanding the availability of high-quality citizenship preparation services in communities across the United States. Since that time, through a combination of appropriations and agency fee revenue as funding sources, USCIS has awarded a total of $23.2 million through 142 competitive grants to immigrant-serving organizations. These organizations have provided citizenship preparation services to more than 51,000 permanent residents in 30 states and the District of Columbia (USCIS, 2013).

Civics and Citizenship Toolkit

In May 2011, USCIS released a revised version of the Civics and Citizenship Toolkit for immigrant-serving organizations. See www.uscis.gov/citizenshiptoolkit. The Toolkit contains a variety of educational


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materials designed to help LPRs learn more about the United States and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and prepare for naturalization. Many of the products in the Toolkit also serve as supplemental teaching tools for volunteers and adult educators in a classroom or community program setting. Since October 2007, USCIS has distributed more than 30,000 copies of the Toolkit to immigrant-serving organizations (USCIS, 2013).

Training Workshops for Citizenship Instructors

USCIS offers free training for adult educators, volunteers and teachers, who are often key actors in the immigrant integration process. These workshops are designed to enhance the skills needed to teach U.S. history, civics and the naturalization process to immigrant students. Since October 2007, USCIS has held citizenship education training workshops for more than 7,000 participants (USCIS, 2013).

Place-Based Integration Models

In March 2013, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Education awarded a three-year contract to World Education, Inc. to develop and implement a theoretical framework for immigrant integration that involves the three pillars of integration (linguistic, economic, and civic) identified by the White House Domestic Policy Council's New Americans Citizenship and Integration Initiative. This contract will provide technical assistance to five immigrant integration networks with a dual focus on accelerating key services and developing replicable models for integration.

Federal Citizenship Preparation and Public Awareness Initiatives

USCIS recognizes that the decision to apply for naturalization is a personal one, impacted by a complex set of factors and experiences that define one’s path to civic integration and citizenship. While some LPRs apply for naturalization as soon as they are eligible, according to USCIS administrative data, the majority spend approximately 10 years in permanent resident status before doing so. Regardless of when the decision is made to apply for naturalization, the need for accurate information and educational resources for LPRs remains constant.

Citizenship Resource Center

The Citizenship Resource Center is a centralized Web resource, located at www.uscis.gov/citizenship, that provides learning materials to help permanent residents prepare for the naturalization process. The site also contains tools for educators such as lesson plans, promising practices and supplemental classroom materials. USCIS recently introduced new interactive learning activities to prepare applicants for the English portion of the naturalization test and translated versions of several preparation tools for those eligible to take the civics test in their native language.

Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship

In May 2012, USCIS and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) released Preparing for the Oath: U.S. History and Civics for Citizenship, a Web-based learning tool designed to help immigrants prepare for the civics portion of the naturalization test. See http://www.americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/. Based on the 100 civics questions and acceptable answers from which USCIS draws when administering the naturalization test, Preparing for the Oath includes a short video and self-test on the content of each civics question. Many questions prompt users to explore an artifact from the NMAH collection or include accompanying interactive learning activities.


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America’s Literacy Directory

Access to community-based citizenship preparation support is necessary for immigrants who require assistance learning English and citizenship content. In 2010, USCIS partnered with the U.S. Department of Education to enhance the Web-based America’s Literacy Directory to include a prominent citizenship class search function and an expanded list of program offerings. See https://literacydirectory.org/. Approximately 1,000 new citizenship programs have been added to this database which allows immigrants to search for programs located in or around their own ZIP code.

Citizenship Public Education and Awareness Initiative

Launched in May 2011, this initiative raises awareness of the rights, responsibilities and importance of U.S. citizenship, encourages eligible permanent residents to consider the benefits of U.S. citizenship, and increases understanding of the naturalization process and its requirements. This multilingual initiative is designed to reach out directly through digital media, a video public service announcement, and print and radio messages, to the estimated 8.5 million LPRs eligible to apply for naturalization. These messaging tools invite LPRs to learn more about citizenship by directing them to the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center. See http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/citizenship. Since the launch of the initiative, USCIS has seen a 33 percent increase in the number of visitors to this Web resource.

Expanded Partnerships to Support Immigrant Integration

Cross-sector partnerships allow for greater efficiency, expertise, reach and impact. Partnerships serve as force multipliers, and can be essential to strengthening communities and their capacity to integrate immigrants.

Partnerships between Philanthropies and Community-based Organizations

The size and demographic diversity of the current citizenship-eligible population in the United States is the impetus for the expansion of citizenship preparation and legal services through a multi-year, $20 million philanthropic investment. Launched in 2011, the New Americans Campaign (NAC) is a collaboration that brings together a national network of funders and immigrant-serving non-profit organizations to support direct citizenship preparation activities and innovative service delivery models and technology solutions. With a goal of encouraging LPRs to apply for naturalization, the NAC utilizes a Web-based tool entitled “Citizenship Works” to modernize naturalization assistance and application preparation services. See http://newamericanscampaign.org/.

Partnerships between Federal and Municipal Government

In January 2010, USCIS signed a Letter of Agreement with the City of Los Angeles to promote immigrant integration through citizenship awareness, education, outreach and civic participation. Through this partnership, USCIS and the City of Los Angeles conducted joint events to raise awareness about naturalization, and worked together to ensure coordination in messaging to the immigrant community. The renewal of the agreement, in April 2012, resulted in the establishment of “citizenship corners” in each of the 73 branches of the Los Angeles Public Library system. This model for federal-municipal support of immigrant integration through libraries and other municipal infrastructure is being expanded to Chicago in summer 2013.

Additionally, in April 2013, USCIS and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the federal government’s primary source of support for the nation's 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums,


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announced a partnership to provide immigration and citizenship information at public libraries across the United States. Under the terms of the agreement, USCIS and IMLS plan to:

• Provide library personnel with information on USCIS processes and educational resources;

• Distribute citizenship and immigration materials to designated libraries;

• Partner to combat the unauthorized practice of immigration law;

• Highlight promising citizenship education practices that can be replicated; and

• Hold citizenship information sessions and naturalization ceremonies in local libraries.

Receiving Community Initiatives

A welcoming receiving community can be defined as one where all residents recognize that immigrants and refugees bring new, shared opportunities and take active steps to foster a positive climate to support their integration. As integration is a two-way process, a welcoming receiving community is critical for successful integration outcomes. Key developments in this area include strengthening of non-governmental efforts to promote receiving communities, and recognition of the relevance of these efforts through federal funding.

Welcoming America

Welcoming America is a national organization working to create a welcoming atmosphere – community by community – which helps immigrants and refugees integrate into the social fabric of their adopted hometowns. See http://www.welcomingamerica.org/. With affiliates in 19 states, local Welcoming America efforts engage in positive, proactive initiatives that bring all community members together. By connecting immigrants and refugees with U.S.-born residents, and by highlighting local contributions made by immigrants and refugees, Welcoming America is transforming relationships in these communities and working with others, including community leaders, practitioners and academics to support strategies that engage all Americans in understanding and promoting more integrated communities.

In November 2012, Welcoming America received a federal technical assistance competitive grant award from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Welcoming America now administers the Fostering Community Engagement and Welcoming Communities project for ORR which provides technical assistance on core aspects of receiving community engagement through the use of technology, peer mentoring, and tool development and dissemination.

Conclusion and Next Steps

The federal government recognizes the need to continue building capacity in communities to provide high-quality citizenship services and diversify the sectors of immigrant integration stakeholders under a broader lens. USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas has described the need for a “whole of society” approach to supporting citizenship and immigrant integration, which draws on the strengths and efforts of all community partners. Public libraries, schools, community and faith-based organizations, and local governments interact with immigrants in ways that the federal government cannot, so additional letters of agreement, modeled after the USCIS partnership with the City of Los Angeles, will be pursued and implemented.


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Lastly, the federal government plans to identify additional opportunities to celebrate and encourage volunteerism, public service, and other community activities in which immigrants engage. Distinct honors such as the President’s Volunteer Service Award and the USCIS Outstanding American by Choice recognition help raise awareness of those that have given back to local communities and the entire nation. These high-profile recognitions can inspire newcomers and encourage them to pursue a similar path of civic and community engagement while at the same time informing receiving communities of the many contributions immigrants bring to this nation.