Controversy
- It is claimed that the Netherlands is the only country imposing integration and language requirements on persons still abroad.
- Part of the dispute is therefore whether this law is a sign of more negative attitudes towards immigrants (or even xenophobia) in the Netherlands.
- This law originally proposed obligations for Dutch nationals from (Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles) wishing to enter Dutch territory. Young people from these countries are over-represented in crime figures, and not all of them speak Dutch well, or not as their first language. However, it was not possible to identify people from the Dutch Caribbean as such, so all Dutch nationals were initially covered, except for those who had spent more than 8 years of their childhood in the Netherlands. The intention was, in fact, to pinpoint residents of the Dutch Caribbean. This plan was abandoned after legal advice from the Council of State (Raad van State), which declared it unconstitutional. The law now applies to about 250,000 people in the Netherlands.
- One highly controversial provision was that some people would have to pay for any Dutch language training themselves, and receive a reimbursement only if they went on to pass the exam. This has been abandoned in practice, though not in theory. (See Plans)
- Despite widespread controversy, only one member of the House of Representatives, Fatma Koşer Kaya (D66), voted against it. In the Senate, four smaller political parties opposed it, totalling 13 out of 75 Senators.
Read more about this topic: Integration Law For Immigrants To The Netherlands
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