The ruling Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) wants to introduce measures, such as the right to social assistance only after five years of residence, that would change the profile of immigrants in Austria, meaning more of those who come for work and fewer asylum seekers, Austrian media report.

Last year, Austria approved 21,000 asylum applications and only 2,900 residence permits for foreign workers.

“We must adopt measures that would ensure that the magnet for immigration to Austria is not the social system, but the labor market,” said Integration and Family Minister Susanne Raab (ÖVP) to the daily Die Presse. Austria needs immigrants, but currently the “wrong form of immigration” is noticeable, she added.

A social assistance system modeled on Denmark

According to her, Austria could, following Denmark's example, introduce a social assistance system for foreigners only after five years of residence in Austria, whereby the amount of support would be linked to achievements in integration, especially language learning.

The Greens, ÖVP's coalition partner, reject the People's Party's plans. “We do not want to discuss reducing social assistance. It depends on whether someone needs it or not, and not on how long someone has lived here,” party spokesperson for integration issues Faika El Nagashi told Euractiv.

According to the latest data from Statistics Austria, the number of residents with a migration background in the country rose to 26.4 percent in 2022. Citizens with a migration background are considered to be those whose parents were born outside Austria. Germany ranks first by country of origin, followed by Romania, Turkey, Serbia, and Croatia.

Source: index.hr