CEFR role in integration tests for migrants

Strasbourg, 04.06.2013 - “The fundamental dilemma for Europe is the extent to which integration tests for migrants promote integration and the point at which they become a barrier and actually begin to inhibit it. Whilst countries have every right to seek to reduce or manage migration, using means that are described as integration measures in order to do so will surely devalue genuine and well-intentioned integration programmes, » Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC) concluded the presentation of her report on “Integration tests for migrants: helping or hindering integration” at the PACE Migration Committee in Paris today. The Migration Committee agreed that pre-entry tests raised family rights issues and could present an obstacle to family reunification whereas integration tests for migrants once in the host country could exclude migrants from enjoying secure residence rights, which, in return, could cause resentment in migrant communities and discrimination against certain groups of people. Adopting her report unanimously, the Migration Committee calls on member states to ensure that integration tests are based on achievable attainment levels, that they do not lead to exclusion, that the tests and the learning processes are financially supported, and that alternatives to testing are available. The Committee of Ministers is invited to examine how to adapt the Council of Europe’s “Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment” (CEFR), which is a leading benchmark on language proficiency used by Member States in many of these tests, but which was not designed as an instrument for measuring integration. Draft adopted text