The cabinet wants to increase the language requirements for Dutch citizenship to such an extent that it is out of reach for 50,000 to 100,000 already integrated refugees, the Refugee Council warns in a burning letter to the House of Representatives.
The Council for Refugees is concerned about a new bill from State Secretary Ankie Broekers-Knol (Justice) to raise the language requirements for naturalization to the level of vocational education.
“The minimum language requirement will soon be so high that most of all refugees who have successfully integrated in recent years will not meet it and will not be able to reach that level in the future”, the Council for Refugees writes.
Recognized newcomers receive a temporary residence permit for five years. If they also want to become Dutch, they must comply with the integration obligation, for which they will receive three years of education about the Dutch language, culture and history.
‘Cabinet changes the rules of the game afterwards’
Many refugees who, for example, arrived during the refugee crisis in 2015, will now no longer be eligible for Dutch citizenship. “The cabinet is now retroactively changing the rules of the game”, a spokesperson said in conversation with NU.nl. “Tens of thousands of refugees have passed their integration exam and will soon be told that different rules apply, that their integration certificate is no longer worth anything.”
According to Koolmees’ plan, newcomers must learn Dutch at the level of vocational education (B1). “The starting point is for about 75 percent of the refugees. Imagine that as a 60-year-old Dutch person you go to Syria, because you have to decipher the Arabic script and learn Syriac at the level of vocational education,” said a spokesman.
Creation of ‘second-class citizens’
The Council for Refugees warns against the creation of a large group of “second-class citizens”. Not only do many refugees feel that they “really belong” after their naturalization; the new barriers create a multitude of practical obstacles in everyday life.
“In practice, refugees are already 2-0 behind when looking for a job, and only having a residence permit can deter a potential employer.” In addition, it can create problems when taking out telephone subscriptions, insurance and mortgages and, for example, making study trips abroad.
“We are in favor of a language requirement for naturalization, but this should correspond to the integration process. Newcomers must learn the highest possible level of Dutch for them,” said the spokesperson.
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