People moving to Flanders as a result of family reunification opportunities or as part of labour migration will in future be able to take an integration course in their home country as early as this autumn the Flemish government has decided. In time, the preparatory integration course will become compulsory.
Family and labour migrants who have applied for a long-term residence visa in Belgium and want to register in Flanders or Brussels will receive a digital self-study package starting this autumn.
Participants can follow the digital pathway in their own language, a tutor will monitor progress from Flanders and be available for questions. Currently, the course is available in 23 languages. A pilot project ran last year with participants from Morocco, Lebanon and Jordan.
Norms and values
The course primarily provides an introduction to our country and life here. Future newcomers learn about our rights, duties, norms and values. But it covers practical matters - how public transport works, for example - and language. Although it is not a full-blown language course.
‘Newcomers will be able to increase their self-reliance abilities and find their way to our labour market more smoothly,’ says Flemish integration minister Hilde Crevits (Flemish Christian democrat CD&V). The government estimates that up to 15,000 people could participate every year.
Compulsory in the future?
Only people who want to come to Flanders via family reunification or labour migration can take the course for the time being. Together, these two groups make up about 60 per cent of all migration to Flanders.
For labour migrants, the preparatory course will also cover topics such as labour law and social security. For family migration, there are specific sections on healthcare, education, or access to the labour market.
The course is not compulsory. But the plan is to make it so in the long run. "I do not think that this makes integration harder. You can expect newcomers to be interested and willing to engage in our society" said Ms Crevits.