aspects of the migration and the integration proces in belgium

HIKHogerInstituut der Kempen

Aspects of the migration and the integration proces in

BelgiumHistory, policy and contemporary

questions


Current history of migration:20th century

’20-’30’20-’30: the coal industry needs

(foreign) labourers. Immigration from Italy, Czechoslovakia and Poland.

’30: replacement of foreign miners by Belgian miners and compulsory return of some strikers.


’40-’50

’45-’47: reconstruction after WWII. Belgian-Italian agreement: Belgium and Italy trade foreign labourers and coal.

’56: major mining disaster in Marcinelle’56: Belgium makes new agreements

with Greece, Spain and Portugal


’50-’60

’60: Belgium makes new agreements with Turkey and Morocco, for mine and other industries.

’60-’70: “Fedechar” recruits in Turkey and Morocco.

’60-’70: immigration and reunification of the family. Foundation of the first Reception Services for Foreign Laborers.


’60-’70

’68: independency of Congo and restricted immigration of Congolese residents

’74: depression, economic slump and migration stop; reunification of the family remains possible.


’70-’80

’70-’80:First education projects for children of immigrants

’81: First antiracism law’84: relaxation of the acquisition of the

Belgian nationality


’80-’90

’90: Increase asylum-seekers and arrival of new communities

’88 and ’91: migration and integration should be on the political agenda as a result of the success of the Vlaams Blok on the black Sundays and after the riots in a number of cities in ‘91. Structural measures are taken in order to promote the integration.


Structural measures in the ‘90

• establishment of the Royal Commissioner for the integration policy (1988)

• the Federal Government sets up an Impulsfund to support projects for the integration of persons of foreign origin and the prevention of discrimination in major cities (1991)

• the education-priority-policy allocates extra resources to schools with non-native speakers (1991)

• the non-discrimination-pact in education would spread foreign children (1994)


Structural measures in the ’90 (continued)

• the third generation automatically acquires the Belgian nationality (1992)

• relaxation of the acquisition of the Belgian nationality for the second generation (1992)

• extra resources for immigrants’ cultural organisations

• development of a “network of integration centres” with a Flemish centre, provincial and local centres (1996)

• Flemish reception policy for people without legal residence (1998)


Recent developments in integration policy

• Focus on “new arrivals”• From minority policy to diversity and

equal chances policy• Reception- and assylumprocedure

remains on the political agenda


Focus on “new arrivals”:

• Reception Offices for New Arrivals support the integration by offering individual and group courses. The courses (orientation to society and labour, Dutch language) are mandatory for non EU-citizens. (2004)

• Asylum-seekers have to participate to those courses for new arrivals. (2006)


From minority policy to diversity and equal chances policy:

Needs for a few become chances for all: • Suffrages for persons of foreign origin

(2004)• Subsidies for (voluntary) diversity-

projects on the labour market (2006)• Equal chances policy in education

(2004)• Equal subsidies for cultural

organisations


Asylum-seekers:• New reception- and asylum procedure:

material help i.s.o. financial help; simplified procedure (2000 and 2008)

Regularization of citizens without papers is a permanent political en social discussion:

• ‘2000: first regularization project• ‘2010: new regularization project


The different statutes of residence in Belgium

• Short residence for 3 months• Permanent residence for EU-citizens• Residence through (re)unification of

the family• Residence to study in Belgium• Residence to work in Belgium for

limited high educated employees• Asylum for recognized or applicant

refugees or deputy protection


• Restricted residence for medical reasons

• Residence/asylum for victims of involuntary people trade

• Residence for non-assisted minor (under age) foreigners

• Residence for stateless foreigners• Residence for foreigners returning to

Belgium


Research and data

The government and governmental organisations assemble permanently facts and figures on:

- immigration and emigration- acquisitions of the Belgian nationality- participation to education and labour

market- ...


Research on the integration proces

Different concepts of integration:

- participation vs. orientation- system integration vs social integration - structural, social-cultural and political

dimension


The concept of integration: synthesis (Van Craen & Ackaert, UH)


Integration vs. social cohesion


Possible questions for research

1. What is the relationship between structural integration ( towards education and public welfare) and three aspects of social cohesion (mutual perception, discrimination, trust) ?

2. What are the possibilities and the problems that social workers and their clients experience?


• What can we learn from best practices in this area?

aspects of the migration and the integration proces in belgium

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