Politics
Netherlands: Test discriminates against migrants, says rights group
The Hague, 16 May (AKI) - The Netherlands should abolish the overseas “integration test” that targets migrants of certain nationalities, according to an international rights group.
Human Rights Watch said people of Moroccan and Turkish origin had been particularly hard hit by the test while citizens from western countries like Canada, Australia and Japan were exempt.
The group released a 44-page briefing paper onThursday entitled, Discrimination in the Name of Integration, Migrants’ Rights Under the Integration Abroad Act.
The human rights paper offers an analysis of the Dutch overseas integration test in relation to the Netherlands’ international human rights obligations.
“The overseas integration test is discriminatory because it explicitly applies only to relatives from predominantly ‘non-western countries,’” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“These measures keep families apart and appear to be aimed at keeping certain kinds of people out of the Netherlands.”
In recent years, the Netherlands has introduced a series of measures with the aim of better integrating its migrant population.
The Integration Abroad Act introduced in March 2006, the act requires certain would-be family migrants to pass the test in their country of origin before they can join spouses or family members in the Netherlands.
Under this integration test, applicants must demonstrate basic knowledge of the Dutch language and basic concepts of Dutch society before they enter the Netherlands.
“It sends the message that certain groups are not welcome,” said Cartner. “And it risks alienating these communities instead of facilitating their integration.”
While international human rights law does not prohibit states from differentiating between citizens and non-citizens in immigration policies, states cannot discriminate on the basis of nationality or ethnicity.
HRW said Dutch authorities would need extremely powerful reasons to justify the clear difference in treatment between different nationalities in the application of this test.
Human Rights Watch said people of Moroccan and Turkish origin had been particularly hard hit by the test while citizens from western countries like Canada, Australia and Japan were exempt.
The group released a 44-page briefing paper onThursday entitled, Discrimination in the Name of Integration, Migrants’ Rights Under the Integration Abroad Act.
The human rights paper offers an analysis of the Dutch overseas integration test in relation to the Netherlands’ international human rights obligations.
“The overseas integration test is discriminatory because it explicitly applies only to relatives from predominantly ‘non-western countries,’” said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“These measures keep families apart and appear to be aimed at keeping certain kinds of people out of the Netherlands.”
In recent years, the Netherlands has introduced a series of measures with the aim of better integrating its migrant population.
The Integration Abroad Act introduced in March 2006, the act requires certain would-be family migrants to pass the test in their country of origin before they can join spouses or family members in the Netherlands.
Under this integration test, applicants must demonstrate basic knowledge of the Dutch language and basic concepts of Dutch society before they enter the Netherlands.
“It sends the message that certain groups are not welcome,” said Cartner. “And it risks alienating these communities instead of facilitating their integration.”
While international human rights law does not prohibit states from differentiating between citizens and non-citizens in immigration policies, states cannot discriminate on the basis of nationality or ethnicity.
HRW said Dutch authorities would need extremely powerful reasons to justify the clear difference in treatment between different nationalities in the application of this test.
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