MaggieMae
Reality bits
- Apr 3, 2009
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As part of any new immigration reform legislation, I hope Congess will consider adding something similar to the bill. A proposed requirement to be able to speak at least basic English could be as harsh as proposed by Italy (which wouldn't pass because of our need for seasonal farm workers), or a simple rule like Austria's.
Italy makes immigrants speak Italian for work visa - Yahoo! News
Italy makes immigrants speak Italian for work visa - Yahoo! News
Italy is the latest Western European country turning the screws on an expanding immigrant population by demanding language skills in exchange for work permits, or in some cases, citizenship. While enacted last year in the name of integration, these requirements also reflect anxiety that foreigners might dilute fiercely-prized national identity or even, especially in Britain's case, pose terror risks.
Some immigrant advocates worry that as harsh economic times make it harder for natives to keep jobs, such measures will become more a vehicle for intolerance than integration. Others say it's only natural that newcomers learn the language of their host nation, seeing it as a condition to ensure they can contribute to society.
So far, Italy is only giving a gentle turn to the screw. Cojochru and other test-takers described the exam as easy. No oral skills were tested.
In Austria, terms are tougher. There, where native speakers have been sometimes known to scold immigrant parents for not speaking proper German to their children, foreigners from outside the European Union need to prove they speak basic German within five years of receiving their first residency permit. Failure to do so can bring fines and jeopardize their right to stay.