The integration policies for immigrants have become one of the most important topics of European states and not only. In order to benefit from a complete integration, an integration program adapted to the citizens’ needs is necessary in order to take advantage of the migrant’s potential by the host society.

In the Centre for Research and Documentation in the Immigrant Integration Field, the multidisciplinary research team has analyzed the specific literature at a European level and the conclusion was that most research and monitoring reports, academic studies and other publications focus on immigrant discrimination on the job market and in education, but also on the increasing risks they have to face due to lack of efficient integration programs. Data shows that foreign residents have greater problem finding work, have a high percentage of over qualification for the jobs they fill and a higher poverty risk.

The research team focused on the following dimensions of integration: rights, perceptions, cultural integration, access to social services, access to education and jobs and, last but not least, access to healthcare services and housing.

Immigration – the solution to demographic changes

The European Union perceives immigration as a solution to demographic changes it is dealing with, such as ageing and population decline. In order to facilitate the immigrant integration in member states, a series of integration modules have been defined. These regard cultural integration, respectively the language courses and cultural orientation; economic integration, including access to public services, to the job market and to education, professional qualification and civic integration, respectively access to politic rights and civic participation of immigrants. These methods help solving problems in practice at the level of member states.

Integration and immigrants’ rights

Immigrants’ integration consists in equal chances, naturalization and citizenship, not just accepting the immigrant in the destination country. The rights of foreigners are stipulated in the international and European legislative instruments, and their observance is seen from the access to basic services. At the moment there is no monitoring of immigrants’ rights observance, but a monitoring of rights in the legislation and policies of the host states.

Access to rights and social services depends on whether that person is employed or studies, but the European framework is pretty uneven in this respect. An analysis of specialized literature shows that immigrants must benefit from equal opportunities with the host citizens to prevent social exclusion, poverty and unemployment and discrimination. With respect to access to healthcare and housing, there is littler specialized literature and lots of difficulties in accessing them by immigrants.

Apart from an analysis of specialized literature, the project team also monitored the activity of 12 centers which study the immigration phenomenon at a European level. This monitoring will continue during the whole project and the news which appeared in the field will be made known.