Transcript Asylum Seekers

Welcome in Vienna?
Reception of Asylum Seekers and
Refugees in Austria‘s Capital
Reporter‘s Data
Personal
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Organisational
10 years asylum field
• Volkshilfe Österreich
Lawyer (ai)
• DON‘T WAIT – Work
Research (ICMPD)
and Qualification for
EQUAL project
Asylum Seekers!
management (Volkshilfe) • diversity@care migrants in home care
Presentation Structure
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Vienna: Immigration characteristics
Actual Austrian Asylum Policy
Integration of Asylum Seekers
NGO Perspectives on Asylum
Conclusions
Contacts
Vienna: Immigration
characteristics
Population in general
• Austria: 8 million inhabitants
• Vienna: 1,5 million inhabitans
Ethnic Minorities
• Austria: 1,5 million who were not
Austrian citizens when born (18%)
• Vienna: about 30% not Austrian citizens
when born
„Integration Contract“
• Federal Law, since 2002, reform 2005
• Compulsory German lessons for immigrants:
originally 100 hours, reform 2005 foresees
300 hours + exam compulsory
• New Immigration Strategy: Saisonal work +
key forces („New Economy“)
Actual Austrian Asylum Policy
Actual Austrian Asylum Policy
Plenty new laws ...
• Asylum Act 1997
• Asylum Act 2003 (Constitutional Court stated
several violations of the constitutional law)
• Asylum Act 2005
Asylum Authorities
Independent Federal Asylum Review Board
Asylum Offices
in Federal Territories
Asylum Offices
in Federal Territories
Asylum Offices
in Federal Territories
Asylum Act 2005
• Protection against deportation: weakening
during appeals against formal decisions
(Third Secure State, Dublin)
• Traumaticed refugees are no longer excepted
of Dublin procedure
• Independent Federal Asylum Review Bord:
plus 15 Judges
Immigration Act 2005
• Detention pending deportation: from 6 month
up to 10 months and coercive nutrition
• Penal law: higher punishment for human
smuggling and fake marriages
• Familiy reunification: access to labour market
already after 1 year (previous: 2-3 years)
Statistics: Asylum Applications
UNHCR Statistics + Forecast 2005
Year
Applications
Approvals
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
FC
2005
13.805
20.129
18.284
30.127
39.354
32.359
24.676
19.000
1.369
3.393
1.002
1.152
1.073
2.084
5.208
2.500
Statistics: Applications Decline
Background
• End of Yugoslav civil wars
• Crisis in Afghanistan/ Iraq urge less people to
flight
• Main counries of origin: Russia (Tetscheny)
and Serbia-Montenegro
• Dublin Convention and EURODAC
Integration of Asylum Seekers
Integration of Asylum Seekers
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Notion of Integration
Access Labour Market
Accomodation, nutrition and advice
Access education & vocational training
Notion of Integration
• Rise to middle class as essential
element of integration
• One who can‘t perform like middle class
is perceived as „foreigner“
August Gächter, Vienna 2005
ZSI, Centre for Social Inovation
Integration needs ...
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Rights
Education
Recognition of Capacities & Knowledge
Replacement in bad jobs
August Gächter, Vienna 2005
ZSI, Centre for Social Inovation
Access Labour Market
• Asylum Seekers: saisonal work or new self
employed (see DON‘T WAIT)
• Subsidary protected: access afte 1 year
• Recognized refugees: access as Austrians
• Volkshilfe position: Access to labour market
after 6 month + accelerated acceptance
procedures for foreign certificates
Accomodation
Nutrition - Advice
• Basic Welfare Support
• Convention between Länder (federal
territories) and Bund (state)
• Covers all asylum seekers (previous: 1/3)
• Detention pending deportation is still used
very extensively although there would be
more human and economic possibilities
Access Education &
Vocational Training
• Labour market authorities (AMS) excludes
asylum seekers
• Access to private education market
• Costs! – Innovative Support by EQUAL
advice structures (DON‘T WAIT, Epima etc.)
Education as comming
NGO Policy Perspective
• Education & Vocational Training: answer to
restricted access to the labour market
• Double-Screening: Geneva Convention and
national labour market demand
• Training Plan: Fit of personal skills and labour
marked demands
Conclusions
• Focus on vocational training and double
screening
• In case of return (reduced probability):
development aid
• In case of stay: win-win-situation