European Reintegration Networking

Voluntary Return Programmes in Austria

November 2002

Caritas Austria
Albrechtskreithgasse 19-21
A-1160 Wien
Tel: 0043-1-48831-443
Fax: 0043-1-48831-9400
s.kroen@caritas-austria.at
www.caritas.at

Verfasser/in: Dr. Karl Bader in Zusammenarbeit mit Mag. Stephanie Krön

Migration in Austria

Immigration

Since the beginning of the 1990s Austria tries to keep immigration low by fixing quotas for residence permits. In 2001, the quota was 8 280 residence permits for new immigrants, most of them reserved for “key specialists” and family reunification. Citizens of EEA member states are exempt from the obligation to have such a permit.

On 31 December 2001, 534 824 persons had residence permits in Austria, i. e. 7% of the population. Main countries of origin were FR Yugoslavia (126 023), Bosnia and Hercegovina (100 163), Turkey (97 615) and Croatia (55 881).

A legal residence status does not automatically include the right to work.

Emigration

The only group that emigrated in the last few years were Christians from Iran and Iraq who came to Austria either as asylum seekers or with tourist visa, and who emigrated after a short stay to the USA. This migration is organised by HIAS in co-operation with IOM and the embassy of the USA in Vienna. In 2001, IOM managed the emigration of 3 549 Iranian Christians to the USA.

Apparently, a certain number of immigrants re-migrate to their countries of origin after some years in Austria. No figures are available on this movement.

Refugees and asylum seekers

In 2001, there were 30 135 applications for refugee status in Austria. Main countries of origin were Afghanistan (12 957), Iraq (2 113), Turkey, India, FR Yugoslavia, and Nigeria (over 1 000 respectively), 14 436 procedures (60%) were discontinued due to the applicants’ absence. Assumably, these people have migrated to other Western European countries.

1 114 applicants obtained refugee status.

Approximately one third of the asylum seekers benefit from the State’s care and maintenance programme, the others live in shelters provided by NGOs, or they are homeless.

Voluntary Return Programmes

Programmes in the Past

Until the end of the iron curtain, most Eastern European refugees who entered Austria migrated further to other western countries, mainly USA, Canada and Australia, in the framework of various programmes.

After the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo important voluntary return programmes were run by the federal and regional governmental authorities.

Caritas

The most relevant voluntary return programme today “RückkehrHilfe” is run by Caritas. The voluntary return of members of the following groups are funded by the ministry of the interior and the European Refugee Fund: recognized refugees, rejected asylum seekers, asylum seekers (on the condition of abandoning the refugee claim), persons under temporary protection, persons with a residence ban or exit obligation.

Approximately half of the clients are directed towards RückkehrHilfe by Caritas or other NGOs, others partly by governmental authorities, and partly clients approach Caritas counselling by themselves (word of mouth).

RückkehrHilfe assesses the clients’ legal conditions in Austria, the voluntaryness of the idea to return, organises documents, accommodation, co-operates with Austrian governmental institutions (ministry of the Interior, aliens police), and organises the travel (by train or in co-operation with IOM). Individual re-integration assistance is provided by money transfer in most cases.

Caritas’ objective is to make voluntary return in dignity possible.

Since the project start at the end of 1998 2.910 clients returned to more than 50 different countries.

Others

Other, less important voluntary return programmes (less than 20 persons in 2001, respectively) are organised by the Association for Democracy in Africa (ADA), IOM, and the regional governments of Lower-Austria, Carinthia, and the Tyrol.

Reintegration

In addition to financial reintegration allowances in the framework of the voluntary return programme, Caritas is trying to establish a network of humanitarian organisations in the countries of return. Co-operation with organisations in the main countries and regions of return, such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, and Romania, is good, but there still is the need for improvement.

Caritas hopes to improve international co-operation by the projects “www.reintegrationnet.net” and “Voluntary Return Counsellors RESEARCH and FORUM”.