Immigrants facing financial hardship

[Mysh]

Financial hardship and family separation are two of the biggest barriers preventing migrants from integrating into Irish society, a leading immigrant-support group said today.

The Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI), set up in 2001, helps hundreds of foreign nationals who come to Ireland every year in search of a new life.

Minister of State with special responsibility for integration policy Conor Lenihan visited the Dublin premises this afternoon to hear the concerns of some of those affected.

About 10 per cent of the State's workforce is now made up of non-Irish nationals and the Mr Lenihan's appointment as the first ever integration minister reflects the enormous impact migrant workers have had on the economy.

ICI chief executive Denise Charlton said she welcomed the Government's commitment to migrant support but said much worked remained to be done.

"We welcome the Government's commitment to develop a national integration policy, but believe that this can't be achieved in isolation from the need to ensure immigration policies are fair and transparent," she said.

"It's not realistic to expect a migrant to be able to effectively integrate into Irish society if they don't know how long they will be allowed to stay, if the Government repeatedly rejects their requests to have their families with them here or if they are suffering financial hardship because their spouse has been allowed to join them but denied permission to work."

A decade ago non-Irish nationals accounted for just 1 per cent of the workforce.

But Ireland's economic boom coupled with the accession of new states to the EU has transformed Ireland's labour market.

Mr Lenihan met with a number of immigrants to Ireland to talk about access to education for their children, housing difficulties and the need for English language tuition.

"The ICI believes the Government needs to take a more strategic, long-term approach to immigration and integration policies, which should be part of a shared vision on the future development of Irish society," Ms Charlton said.

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/bre...breaking31.htm

[Mr.Val]

Immigrants to lobby Minister
10/07/2007 - 07:03:50

Immigrants trying to make a new life in Ireland will today be able to lobby the Government Minister of state responsible for their care.

Minister of State for Integration Policy Conor Lenihan will visit the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) to meet its clients and hear first hand of their experiences.

The council is also set to brief the minister on its experience of working with migrants when Mr Lenihan visits the organisation’s Dublin headquarters.

The ICI is a national, independent non-government agency.

It promotes the rights of migrants and their families in a number of ways, including the provision of information, legal advice and lobbying for political and legislative change.

It promotes the rights of migrants and their families in a number of ways, including the provision of information, legal advice and lobbying for political and legislative change.
The organisation has lobbied on issues as wide ranging as domestic violence to labour migration.

At the launch of the ICI general election manifesto spokeswoman Denise Charlton said immigration and integration would shape Irish society for years to come and she urged a new government to ensure there was long term planning to deal with the social, infrastructural and economic issues.

[SPDAY]

Lenihan highlights issues in integration

The Minister of State with responsibility for integration, Conor Lenihan, has expressed concern that some Dublin suburbs are becoming too concentrated with foreign nationals and that new steps are needed to create more sustainable communities, writes Carl O'Brien , Social Affairs Correspondent.

The high use of rent allowance in areas of Tallaght and west Dublin meant that any foreign nationals in receipt of rent allowance were renting in investor-owned housing estates and apartment complexes, he said.

He also warned that Irish parents were becoming increasingly concerned that their children would suffer from a lower standard of education in schools where there were large numbers of foreign national students.

When asked if there were signs of what US commentators called "white flight" - where white people move away from racially-mixed neighbourhoods - Mr Lenihan said: "There is a concentration of non-Irish nationals in particular areas. It's essentially driven by the rent subsidy scheme. We'll have to work with local authorities to address this."

He added: "There are also fears among Irish parents that their children are falling behind where the numbers of non-Irish students are particularly high. The fear is that Irish parents will just move on and take their kids elsewhere."

While foreign nationals will ultimately move from the rent subsidy scheme on to local authority housing lists, he said this could pose problems as Irish nationals compete with immigrants for housing. "It will be a big change and it will be a big issue with our own people. That will create its own tension," he said.

Mr Lenihan said the Government is examining a number of policy options to help address these issues, such as "subtle" changes in rent allowance and greater input from local authority social inclusion units to help ensure there is a social mix in neighbourhoods.

In the area of education, he said officials were looking at introducing common enrolment policies for schools to ensure individual schools cannot discriminate against non-Irish national students.

Separately, Mr Lenihan said the provision of English language courses aimed at foreign national adults will be a key plan in the Government integration strategy. One of the major failings of integration plans in other countries such as France was that second or third generations of immigrant families often did not know the language of their adoptive home.

He also said the Government will introduce citizenship ceremonies for immigrants who become naturalised. The concept could also involve young people when they turn 18.

© 2007 The Irish Times

[dzher]

Сообщение от SPDAY

[He also warned that Irish parents were becoming increasingly concerned that their children would suffer from a lower standard of education in schools where there were large numbers of foreign national students.
...
He added: "There are also fears among Irish parents that their children are falling behind where the numbers of non-Irish students are particularly high. The fear is that Irish parents will just move on and take their kids elsewhere."]

ну ет они курицу с яйцом перепутали

[survivor]

В разделе писем Irish Times один из читателей-ирландцев выразил возмущение данным дурно пахнущим пассажем министра и отметил,что лучше бы строили школы,чем выяснять,кто "Irish Parents",а кто не совсем Айриш.Мне очень понравилась фраза этого читателя "There is only race in the world-human race".Радует,что хоть не все ирландцы---расисты.

[D_IRL]

... Цитата:
He added: "There are also fears among Irish parents that their children are falling behind where the numbers of non-Irish students are particularly high. The fear is that Irish parents will just move on and take their kids elsewhere."]

Перевод: "Среди ирландских родителей имеются опасения, что их дети оказываются позади там, где число не ирландских студентов особенно высоко. Есть опасения, что ирландские родители просто переведут своих детей куда-нибудь".

(1) Повидимому, иностранцы учатся намного лучше и ирландские дети оказываются позади.
(2) Куда-нибудь - это наверное туда, где остальные студенты учатся еще хуже, тогда их дети выдвинутся вперед (по успеваемости).

Кто-то не подумал о том, что он или она говорят... ???? Бывает. Нарочно не придумаешь.

[Kleo]

А интересно - какая была бы реакция, если бы ребенок в России в русской школе учился в классе, в котором 30-50 или более % иностранцев (и не англичан, французев или немцев). И детишки-иностранцы совсем не говорят по-русски.

Когда в классе up to 10-20%, не говорящих на языке страны детей, это нормально (потому что дети-иностранцы язык выучат быстро и при этом нэйтив детишки совсем не пострадают), но 50% и более перебор (потому что нэйтив детишки в своем прогрессе будут явно тормозить). Я ирландцев, кому не безразлично образование их детей, очень понимаю.

[zulu]

из ирландских приятелей у меня есть еще и учитель.
очень обаятельный человек.
яркий искрометный ум и отвязанность в одежде.
я и не знал, что учителю его уровня платят >60k

последние байки.
появились в классе новые ученики.
польский мальчик слаб в английском, но старается и судя по всему очень целенаправлен родителями.
нигерийский мальчик лучше а английском, но на знания ему насрать.

короче, достало его это все и уходит он на earlier retirement.
у него есть хобби, он еще в автомобилях горазд.

[survivor]

Сообщение от Kleo

Когда в классе up to 10-20%, не говорящих на языке страны детей, это нормально (потому что дети-иностранцы язык выучат быстро и при этом нэйтив детишки совсем не пострадают), но 50% и более перебор (потому что нэйтив детишки в своем прогрессе будут явно тормозить). Я ирландцев, кому не безразлично образование их детей, очень понимаю.

Коль скоро такая ситуация складывается в школах,хотелось бы узнать кто собирается ее разруливать.Кто и когда собирается строить школы и расширять классы,улучшать школьные программы с поправкой на большое количество детей мигрантов в школах.Добровольным адвокатам данного положения дел предлагаю привести статистику,СКОЛЬКО НОВЫХ ШКОЛ было построено за последние шесть лет,когда золотой дождь евроинвестиций пролился на Ирландию и приехало огромное количество народу,чтобы пахать по-черному и осваивать эти инвестиции,какие программы действуют в школах,помогающие ирландским и прибывшим из других стран школьникам успешно учиться вместе.А выпячивать местную национальную составляющую в этом вопросе-это значит уводить вопрос в нехорошие дебри.---Answer to Dr. Irl .