Integration Council:

Stricter regulations demanded for family reunification

Families of asylum seekers should be able to support themselves, if Upper Austria's Integration Council has its way.(Bild: Brenek Malena)

In order to avoid overburdening the welfare state, Integration Councillor Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) presented proposals to put persons entitled to asylum and their relatives on their own feet. In Upper Austria there are currently 4777 people in basic welfare support, excluding displaced Ukrainians.

The largest group of people in basic welfare support in Upper Austria are Syrians: 1666 receive state support. They are also the nationality with the best chance of being allowed to stay: 76% receive asylum status or subsidiary protection. However, according to Integration Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP), they often go straight into social welfare because they do not have sufficient qualifications for the labor market: According to the Austrian Integration Fund, seven out of ten Syrians are illiterate.

Qualification during basic care
The politician is therefore calling for better use to be made of the time spent in basic welfare support: It should be clearly regulated that the AMS is responsible for asylum seekers with good prospects of staying. They should complete German courses and qualification measures there in order to be able to sustain themselves on the labor market in the long term without having to rely on social welfare - and not only themselves, but also their families if they join them.

Currently, the family of a person entitled to asylum can join them three months after the positive decision and remain in the welfare system without having to support themselves. Hattmannsdorfer is calling for what already applies to persons entitled to subsidiary protection and Red-White-Red Card holders to also apply to persons entitled to asylum: they should have to provide proof of accommodation, health insurance and sufficient income.

Almost 6000 people receive social welfare
He also calls for standardized social benefits throughout Germany to prevent people entitled to asylum from gathering where state aid is highest. This would distort the rates of asylum seeker acceptance.

There are currently 5766 people receiving social welfare in Upper Austria. 3205 of these are Austrian citizens, 1542 are entitled to asylum, 498 come from the EU, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Around 500 more women than men are dependent on state aid.