How To Prevent This From Happening Again?

A new government - a new immigration policy[/size]



Thursday January 18, the Danish government presented its proposals for a new immigration policy. The intentions behind the proposal is to lower the number of immigrants and refugees that enter Denmark, and to speed up the process of getting them a job. The proposal will be decided upon in the Folketing (the Danish Parliament) in the near future. These are the key points:


Less refugees to Denmark: The Government wants abrogate the term "de facto-refugee" (i.e. someone not recognized as a refugee by international law, yet treated as one based on the circumstances) which annually lets more than 2000 refugees into Denmark. The government wants to work for a common European set of rules for asylum.
Refugees shall not turn into immigrants: As a main rule refugees must return to their home countries. Therefore the government wants to raise the number of years before refugees can get a permanent residence permit from three to seven.
Tighter prosedure for asylum seekers: If they go underground the case will be dropped.
Immigrants who have been refused a residence permit because of serious crime will not receive the usual social benefit, and can be held under observation, i.e. they will have to report themselves to the police or stay in a place for refugees.
Immigrants must be able to support themselves financially. Otherwise they can be expelled.
Stricter demands for refugees who want to bring their family to Denmark: If a spouse wants to bring his or her partner to Denmark both will have to be older than 24 years old (today it's 18) and must be able to prove a common bond to Denmark and Danish society
Stricter control with social benefits to immigrants and refugees.
Recruitment of qualified workers: Possibility of getting a greencard for people with skills that are needed on the labour market.
Integration to the labour market: The government will prepare a new plan in order to get immigrants to join the work force. The social benefits must be lowered so that the incentive to work will become stronger. [/i][/color][/size]
As a main rule immigrants shall not revieve social benefits. Only people who have been in Denmark for seven out of the past eight years will have the right to receive full social benefits.
Better introduction for new immigrants: More initiatives to help immigrants get into the labour market as quickly as possible.
Better integration of children and young people: The government will see to that children speak fluent Danish when they begin primary school.
Stricter rules for getting Danish citizenship: More emphasis on Danish language skills. Crime leading to more than two years of prison will exclude a person from eligability for Danish citizenship. Citizenship can be given after eight or nine years in Denmark. A person who owes money to the Danish State cannot become a citizen.

Homeland: Into a World of Hate
by Nick Ryan
320pp, Mainstream, £15.99
The past decade has seen a remarkable resurgence in the political fortunes of the far right in Europe. In France, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Holland and Belgium, populist nationalism has become a significant electoral force, basing its appeal on fears about immigration, crime and the decline of the nation-state through European unification. The new, "respectable" far-right parties insist they are not extremists; they speak a gentler language of security and community, and are embarrassed by the presence of neo-Nazis at their rallies.

The right to asylum is guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, with due respect for the rules of the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 and the protocol of 31 January 1967 relating to the status of refugees and in accordance with the Treaty establishing the European Community.