by Sebastiaan Gottlieb and Laurens Nijzink*
15-05-2008
Human Rights Watch says the Netherlands should scrap the tests taken abroad by would-be Dutch residents. It argues the tests are discriminatory and counter productive. The human rights organisation today presented extensive research into the citizenship tests.
Foreign nationals wishing to join their families in the Netherlands have to take the tests in their country of origin. Their knowledge of Dutch language and culture is assessed via telephone links at Dutch embassies and consulates, with candidates having to answer questions set by computer.
Alienated
People from the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and the United States do not have to take the test. Surinamese citizens who are able to show that they have followed basic schooling in Dutch are also exempt. Human Rights Watch contends that this is discrimination.
Haleh Charokh, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, says: "What's more, it's a signal that certain groups are not welcome. And this can lead to these communities actually becoming alienated rather than becoming integrated into Dutch society."
The Citizenship Tests Abroad Act (Wet Inburgeringsexamen Buitenland) was the brainchild of the then immigration minister Rita Verdonk and passed into law in March 2006. The legislation was designed to improve the integration of newcomers to the Netherlands. Human Rights Watch argues that the Turkish and Moroccan communities are disproportionately hit by the law. Together, they form the largest group of immigrants requesting family reunion.
Exempt
The Dutch government says people from certain countries are exempt under the legislation because they share a similar social and economic background to the Dutch. It is argued that their residency will not lead to "undesirable and unlimited immigration which might lead to integration problems within Dutch society". Human Rights Watch maintains this demonstrates the measure was primarily introduced to limit immigration and not to improve integration. The reasoning behind the claim that people from developing countries are less likely to be successful in integrating into Dutch society is also said to be unclear.
Present Integration Minister Ella Vogelaar supports Mrs Verdonk's policy, and rejects the idea that the rules amount to discrimination: "There was a thorough debate when the legislation was introduced and the Council of State ruled that there was no discrimination, indirect or otherwise," she says.
Obstacles
There are a number of obstacles to be overcome before someone abroad can take the citizenship test. The cost of sitting the exam, at 350 euros, is high, especially given the low average earnings in some countries. Preparing for the exam also costs money, with the Dutch government offering a course for 64 euros and with the possibility in some places of paying for coaching in Dutch.
There are long waiting lists for the exam in a number of countries, which can sometimes mean delays of more than six months. Such problems have led to a 20 percent reduction in the number of families being reunited in the year following the Act's introduction. The reduction in family-reunion requests from Morocco (44 percent) and Turkey (39 percent) is even more dramatic. However, 90 percent of candidates pass the citizenship tests and this led the government to make the spoken-Dutch section more difficult from 15 March this year.
Human Rights Watch is pushing for the citizenship tests abroad to be scrapped entirely, saying their extension to all immigrants wanting to live in the Netherlands would be no solution. Mr Charokh explains the reasons behind this position by saying it is impossible to guarantee that the circumstances in which such tests are taken are the same throughout the world.
*RNW translation (mw)
Tags:
discrimination,
Dutch citizenship,
Ella Vogelaar,
Human Rights Watch,
immigration,
Rita Verdonk
Sandra,
23-05-2008
- Nederlands
Jasmine, I think that would certainly get the message across that integration must be fair and humane. It makes no sense to have a law that does not include everyone, EU citizens too. Most people that move here are most eager to learn the language. Those who have not learned it are ones that usually have not had the opportunity to learn to read or write because of grim circumstances and through no fault of their own.
jasmin,
22-05-2008
- India
Thanks, Sandra. So the only way to get back to them is to give similar tests to them.
sandra,
21-05-2008
- Nederlands
That is a good question Jasmin. I think the Dutch are exempt from having to do any "inburgering" in the United States and in Canada, even though not all Dutch have that good of English like we like to think we do. It would surely be a shock if the 8 million Dutch nationals had to suddenly take "inburgering" even though they are "oudkomers" in the United States. Lets not forget the millions who also live in Canada. Many of those Dutch are first and second generation, and it would be a slap in the face to force oudkomers to do inburgering. Just like it was for the Americans and Canadians who were already living here and are being forced to do inburgering. I can understand how all Non EU immigrants feel, it is discrimination any way you look at it, no matter if you are from the middle east or a Western country.
jasmin,
20-05-2008
- India
Do the Dutch, immigrating to other countries, face similar tests, to integrate?
sandra,
19-05-2008
- Nederlands
Terry, You are wrong. Americans and Canadians do have to do the inburgerinig test once they are inside the Netherlands if they plan to live permanently here. They have to pass the test just like anyone else outside of EU. The only ones exempt from the Inburgering test is EU citizens no matter if they do not speak one word of Dutch or English, they are not obligated to take the inburgering test. Americans and Canadians are only exempt from taking the test in their own country because they travel visa free to most EU countries because of a treaty they have with EU, allowing visa free travel for 90 days. Anything after that, they too must have approval to stay if they want to live here, or pass the same hard Inburgering test as you or anyone else that is not part of EU. Yes, I agree it is hypocritical and discrimination. I see a lot of Polish, Bulgarians and Romanians living here non temporary and the ones I I know do not speak a word of Dutch or care to learn it. Some have even lived here for over ten years!
Terry,
18-05-2008
- uk
I agree with the HRW. The Dutch citizenship test is totally discriminating. For example a South African with Dutch granparents who still speak Dutch at home will have to sit this test while someone from America with no Dutch roots and don't even know a word of Dutch can just come to the Netherlands with no need to pay or learn the language!!
Totally unfair considering South Africa took in alot of Dutch immigrants after World War 2. The Netherlands boycotted Apartheid but after Apartheid they come with their silly citizenship test only for certain nations!
Just shows you the Dutch are nothing more than a bunch of Hypocrites. Go and colonize South Africa, Indonesia and then sits back and want to play boss!
The Netherlands your chickens are coming home to roost!!
Thomas,
17-05-2008
- USA
What you probably don't know about HRW: This is a New-York based organization run by a Bolshevik Jewish person named Kenneth Roth.
The money behind this hardcore leftist group is provided by Georg Soros, the infamous billionaire who is financing a string of leftist causes.
Hrw
Human Rights Watch. Executive Committee Robert L. Bernstein, Chair; .... Jerome J. Shestack, Sanford Solender, George Soros, Susan Weber Soros, ...
www.hrw.org/reports/1993/WR93/Hrw-10.htm - 19k
__________________________________
Fischer, Volcker, Soros, Roth in DC to Discuss Financial Markets ...
George Soros (LSE '51) Chairman, Soros Fund Management; Founder, Open Society Institute. -- Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, Human Rights Watch ...
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb5554/is_200302/ai_n21816952 - 37k -
Google: Soros+Kenneth Roth HRW
HRW + Soros
Carlos Borjal,
17-05-2008
- USA
Why can't The Netherlands have a sceening process for immigration? It's not to any country's national interest to accept everyone who applies for residency. The implication of that are many. To name a few, criminals or political enemies can go through the cracks which would be potential headaches for the police. Others may not be able to coup with cultural change and make intergration next to impossible. And still others may not have the necessary skills to become employable, hence becoming wards of the state straining the country's social welfare, medical, and educational services. These are tremendous liabilities to the national treasury, think about it. The Netherlands have other avenues for humanitarian refugees and asylum seekers but these are completely different categories. You can not accuse this country as descriminatory or not doing enough. The main function of the state is to protect its own citizens and national interests. It need not cater to people it considers undesirables, political enemies, and economic parasites. Human Rights Watch is wrong to dictate national policy to The Netherlands.
Daniel,
17-05-2008
- United States
I think the tests make sense. Too many immigrants from some countries arrive in the West and proceed to live in a state of perpetual outrage, because their new countries don't conform to the social rules of their old ones. This has led to a number of social problems. For a densely populated country like the Netherlands to want to make sure that immigrants will integrate is neither immoral nor unreasonable.
bob lucas,
16-05-2008
- barbados
HRW has to be joking. A country cannot be told what kind of immigrants it wants. Furthermore the Dutch would be silly to encourage more Muslims in their country. The Muslim concept of ummah and the fact that Islam is a way of life are all reasons for the Dutch to tighten up on their immigration policies. Muslims want to enter people's country and then try the indigenous people to conform to Islamic ways.
Alex,
15-05-2008
-
Well, we can see clearly here the real Dutch culture: to be hypocrite and mean!
yvonne yaglosky,
yaglosky@sbcglobal.net,
15-05-2008
- united states
I am still concerned about the number of drug narcotics officers that have to contend with illegal immigrants passing through the exams.
