cinzia
Jun 16 2007, 3:35 am
Interesting. I don't understand why European governments feel they need to be in the business of preventing "forced marriages." I know Denmark is also very big in this regard.
Is it really about "preventing forced marriages," or is it really about keeping down the number of Muslims by making it hard to establish what some might consider a traditional Muslim family in Germany?
Anyone care to enlighten me? I really don't understand the issue that well.
Texmandie
Jun 16 2007, 6:06 pm
It would be great if the whole "easier for skilled workers" bit included a fairly straighforward points system, like Canada or Australia do. Which worker is more attractive, for instance: a native English-speaker with an MS in IT and a middling knowledge of German, or with a BS in computer science but a higher level of German proficiency?
Caveat for my personal beliefs on immigration: I believe that anyone who is willing to learn the local language sufficiently well to deal with the authorities and stay out of trouble (or can pay someone else to deal with the language gap for them), can tolerate the local culture, and has skills that someone is willing to pay the prevailing wage (or higher) for should be allowed to make a go of it in the country of their choosing.
I have mixed feelings about the "and must speak some German" bit about spouses coming to Germany, though. On the one hand, if she has relatives who can help her deal with her lack of German skills, who cares? On the other hand, that kind of dependency makes her more prone to abuse and less able to get help (or even know that help exists and that she doesn't have to put up with that kind of treatment in Germany).
Requiring subsidized language classes for people who don't pass a mid-level language test as a condition of remaining in the country, on the other hand, is quite fair. Wish we did that in the US - both the requiring and the subsidizing part. I was an ESL volunteer tutor, and my students were motivated, but had all waited over a year to get a tutor! And this was in one of America's wealthiest and most liberal counties!
Conquistador
Jun 17 2007, 7:42 am
I wonder how much of the changes in immigration law over the past decade are driven by the fact that about 40% of the German economy is goods exports. Since consumers play a lesser role in the German economy and entrepreneurship is less valued than in many other societies, unfortunately it seems logical that Germany would be unenthusiastic about letting people into the country.
Also, what about the requirement for Integration Courses? A lot of people won't have time for them if they are working, and it seems to me that being employed is the best means of integration for most immigrants.
