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 Tuesday, 24 December, 2002, 13:03 GMT
Back to school for Austria immigrants
Classroom
Failure to attend the classes could lead to deportation

A new law has just come into force in Austria, to make immigrants take compulsory German lessons and citizenship classes.

The measures are to be applied not just to new immigrants but to foreigners who have lived in this country since 1998.

To learn a new language as an adult is not the same as when you are young

Drayan
Failure to attend the classes could, in some cases, lead to people's residence visas not being renewed. They could face fines or even deportation.

Some immigrants have reacted angrily to the new law.

"Force is not nice, you know," says Drayan from the Seychelles.

"To learn a new language as an adult is not the same as when you are young. If they want us to learn it fast this is not possible."

Far-right

The new law - known as the integration contract - follows years of stormy debate in Austria over the question of immigration, frequently inflamed by the far-right Freedom Party.

The far right suffered heavy losses in the recent general election, but the new law has the full support of the conservative People's Party, which won a landslide victory.

We are dealing with people - not dealing with machines

Heinz Stieb
People's Aid

"For the conservative party it is very important that people who come to our country to stay here are as well integrated as possible," explained Maria Rauch Kalla, People's Party general Secretary.

"One of the most important issues in integration is to understand and be able to speak the language.

"So with a small amount of goodwill everybody can manage that. If there is no threat, maybe there are some people who won't do it at all."

But the new plans have drawn heavy criticism from the opposition and human rights groups.

Other priorities

Lobbying at the Cafe Landtmann, one of Vienna's political hubs, Heinz Stieb of People's Aid Austria says the measures impose too many duties on immigrants and create an atmosphere of fear.

"We are dealing with people - not machines," he says. "Different people need different time to adapt to a new society."

Some immigrants, he says, are struggling with poverty and illiteracy, so learning German "might not be number one on their shopping list".

"If you put people under obligation to attend German courses while they are desperately seeking a job, or are working 60 hours a week, how can they attend?" asks Mr Stieb.

Austria is not really such an open society as Great Britain for instance

Klaus
"You need to give them time and you need to assist them in a way that they can accept this assistance and not put them under obligation and call it help."

Some residents of Vienna also point out that integration is not just the responsibility of the new immigrants - he says Austrians have to play a more active role.

"Austria is not really such an open society as Great Britain for instance," says Klaus, laden with shopping,

There is more to integration, it seems, than just learning a language.

See also:

19 Aug 01 | Politics
19 Jun 02 | Europe
28 Jun 02 | Analysis
05 Aug 02 | UK
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