Holland’s refugee integration success story
According to the European Council, around two million refugees have come to the EU since 2015. The rapid influx of migrants who need help adjusting to their new environments has created societal tensions and challenges for European countries’ governments. It’s a huge humanitarian crisis needs to be addressed.
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One of the most liberal EU countries, Holland, is seen as a refugee success story. Despite significant differences between its culture and that of the Middle-Eastern and North African countries of the refugees, it seems to be integrating migrants successfully.
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RT Doc visits Holland to find the recipe for success. One of its ingredients is grass-roots organisation. Volunteer-based NGOs provide refugees with legal advice, arrange free language courses and help them understand Dutch culture. Another component is that unlike in some other host countries, the refugees are not granted permanent residency from the start. They are given a 5-year temporary one. During this period they receive financial aid and get assistance with accommodation. At the end of it, they must demonstrate they can support themselves as members of Dutch society.