Welcome in Vienna?

Reception of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Austria‘s Capital

Reporter‘s DataPersonal• 10 years asylum field• Lawyer (ai)• Research (ICMPD)• EQUAL project

management (Volkshilfe)

Organisational• Volkshilfe Österreich• DON‘T WAIT – Work

and Qualification for Asylum Seekers!

• diversity@care - migrants in home care

Presentation Structure

• 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

A sy lum O fficesin Fed era l T er r ito ries

A sy lum O fficesin Fed era l T er r ito ries

A sy lum O fficesin Fed era l T er r ito ries

In de pe n de n t Fe de ra l A sy lu m R e v ie w B oa rd

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 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004FC

2005

Applications 13.805 20.129 18.284 30.127 39.354 32.359 24.676 19.000

Approvals 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

• 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 2005ZSI, Centre for Social Inovation

Integration needs ...

• Rights• Education• Recognition of Capacities & Knowledge• Replacement in bad jobs

August Gächter, Vienna 2005ZSI, 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

AccomodationNutrition - 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 commingNGO 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