"No Folk Dance or Schuhplattler Course": Orientation Courses Will Now Last Five Days

The mandatory orientation courses for refugees will last five days starting next year. At the end, asylum seekers or those with subsidiary protection will have to sign an integration declaration comprising ten points, which includes a commitment to the rule of law, gender equality, and living Austrian traditions. Those who refuse to sign risk sanctions.

Integration According to Plakom "An Obligation"

The plans were presented on Thursday morning by Integration Minister Claudia Plakolm (ÖVP), who emphasized that integration is "not an invitation, but an obligation": "Anyone who wants to stay here should know what Austria stands for and what Austria will never stand for."

When they were introduced, only eight hours were planned for values or orientation courses. They are now mandatory and last three days. Since a pilot project with five days proved successful, this duration will now be established in the integration program, which the government is still finalizing. The new mode is set to apply from the beginning of 2026.

Typically, the courses are completed in blocks, meaning five consecutive days, as announced by the deputy director of the Austrian Integration Fund, Roland Goiser. Even with the signing of the integration declaration, the corresponding further education will not be completed. Subsequently, further training will be offered over a period of three years, partly voluntary, partly mandatory. This will include workshops on violence prevention and equality, as well as excursions, for example, to Holocaust memorial sites or to associations where ideally a connection to volunteering can be established, as Goiser explained. This is indeed a "huge opportunity" for integration.

Orientation Course for Refugees with Five Modules

The five-day basic course is divided into as many modules. These include "German and Education," "Work and Personal Responsibility," "State and Democracy," "Security and Coexistence" with a focus on combating anti-Semitism, and finally "Belonging and Engagement" with a view to volunteering. To ensure understanding, interpretation in eleven languages is possible, reported Goiser.

At the end of the course is the integration declaration. In it, one commits to respecting the dignity and rights of others, treating women and men equally, contributing to Austria, opposing violence, discrimination, and racism, learning German, striving for employment, and respecting and living Austria's values and traditions. Plakolm made it clear about the orientation process: "This is not a folk dance or Schuhplattler course, but a democracy course on our free Western values."

Ultimately, recognizing these is an obligation for refugees. Because if one does not complete the courses or refuses the integration declaration, sanctions are threatened, ranging from the reduction of social benefits to administrative penalties to the loss of the residence permit, emphasized Plakolm.

(APA/Red)

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