Thousands ignore integration tests, MPs call for tough action
Just 6,000 of the new arrivals to the Netherlands between 2013 and 2015 have passed a civic integration test even though 53,000 are supposed to do so, social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher has told parliament.
Newcomers from 2014 and 2015 have one and two more years to meet the integration requirements but many of those from 2013 have missed the deadline, he said.
‘Fewer than half the people who should have passed a test by the first quarter of this year have done so,’ Asscher said. He has now pledged to find out why the test is not working and why so few people are taking it.
Apart from EU citizens and people on specific work contracts, all new arrivals in the Netherlands are supposed to go through a formal integration process.
VVD parliamentarian Malik Azmani described the results as ‘shocking’ and urged the minister to take action against those who had not met their obligations. For example, they could lose their right to welfare benefits and have their applications to extend their residency refused, he said.
Theoretical
Labour MP Ahmed Marcouch described the figures as alarming. ‘As far as the PvdA is concerned, newcomers should be given more active leadership and integration should not just be about a theoretical exam,’ he said. ‘They should be totally immersed in our values and our successes.’
D66 parliamentarian Sjoerd Sjoerdsma said the current system is a ‘bureaucratic jungle’ which asks too much of people’s own resources. ‘The government must ensure newcomers learn the language. That is the first step. Otherwise they will end up on welfare benefits.’
Pay your way
The ‘inburgering’ system was shaken up in 2013 and experts say one reason so many are ignoring the process is that people now have to pay for the courses and the exams themselves.
In addition, the quality of many of the courses leaves much to be desired, experts told BNR radio last year.
So far, 24 people have been fined for not completing the procedure within the deadline. The maximum fine which can be applied is €1,250.
Read more about inburgering on DutchNews.nl
How to be a good citizen: the past, present and future of ‘inburgeren’
Going Dutch: the past, present and future of ‘inburgeren’ part 2
Taking the integration test: how do you deal with the noisy party next door?
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