Civic Integration Programs and the New Requirements for Knowledge of the Language and Institutions of the Host Country, and the Need for Shared Values
(2014) Justice and Immigration | MANCEPT — Location: Manchester (9.September.2014)
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- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are all examples of European countries that have implemented civic integration programs. The diffusion of civic integration courses, requirements and tests for newcomers reveals a convergent trend in immigration integration policies. This kind of policy requires that newcomers meet integration requirements in order to enter, reside, reunite with their families, enjoy social benefits and naturalize in the host country (Kostakopoulou 2010). Migrants are expected to attend language and citizenship courses and/or to take integration tests after entering in the host country (since 2006 the Netherlands, pioneers in the field, have implemented tests to be taken before and in the home country of the migrants). The immigrant’s failure or non-completion of the program tends to be sanctioned by refusal of a residence permit, financial penalties, a loss of social benefits, etc. The content and structure of these programs vary widely in terms of scope, goals, target groups and institutional actors involved . This diversity mainly derives from the different historical backgrounds, societal models, as well as patterns and traditions of migration flows. However, beyond the factual analysis of the content of civic integration programs, my purpose is to analyze some crucial questions raised by such policies through the lens of political theory. It is a good opportunity to question the conceptual frame underpinning the contemporary civic integration discourses. This paper is divided into three parts. In the first section, I discuss the very notion of integration and its implications. Next, the second section is devoted to an analysis of the consequences of the binding character of such programs, and the ways to monitor the success of a migrant after completing a civic integration program. Finally, in the third section I question the real target of such policies: are they aimed at inclusion or exclusion? In conclusion, this paper aims at analyzing the implications of the deep changes experienced by European integration policies. Beyond the understanding of these issues, a broader reflection on the concepts of citizenship, immigration, integration and boundaries is proposed.
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Xhardez, C. (2014). Civic Integration Programs and the New Requirements for Knowledge of the Language and Institutions of the Host Country, and the Need for Shared Values. Justice and Immigration | MANCEPT, Manchester. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/195175