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24 June 2020

COVID-19’s impact on migrant communities

LAST UPDATE: 27 JULY 2020 The global COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected vulnerable communities, including third-country nationals across the EU. From the very beginning, EWSI has been tracking the impact on migrant communities in a number of key integration areas presented below. From outreach initiatives meant to keep migrants informed, extraordinary administrative measures introduced by the Member States, to funding opportunities meant to assist the civil society response, we continuously update this page to bring you the latest.

Residence and work permits

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted procedures to apply for and obtain residence and work permits, as government offices have reduced their services or closed during this time. Moreover, economic uncertainty related to the pandemic may have an impact on demand for work permits. On the subject of work, it is also worth noting that in some countries, many doctors, nurses and caretakers are immigrants. At the same time, in Slovakia, data shows the employment rate among migrants dropped (1 June update).

In Portugal, the government took a big step in ensuring that all migrants have access to health care and other necessary services during this time. The Portuguese government has announced that immigrants and asylum seekers who had pending applications for residence permits (at the time that the government declared a state of emergency) would be granted permission for temporary residence. 

With the agricultural sector being highly dependent on migrant labour, the Italian government approved pathways for regularisation of status for agricultural and domestic care workers. By the beginning of July, over 30 000 requests were submitted, the vast majority from domestic workers. The regularisation has been the subject of heated debate, however, with EWSI summarising the developments here (15 July update).

In addition, as travel restrictions started to relax, in mid-July, the Czech Republic announced the unmarried foreign partners of Czech citizens are allowed back into the country.

And while many states have sought to increase their administrative flexibility when it comes to permits, restrictive measures have also been introduced. On 21 July, Latvia adopted an amendment allowing for the revocation of the temporary residence permits of those third-country nationals who are found to violate COVID-19 measures, such as isolation and quarantine rules.

Other examples of COVID-19's impact on permit applications:

Belgium Bulgaria Czech Republic, + more here 
Denmark France Germany
Hungary Lithuania Luxembourg
Malta Netherlands Poland, + more here 
Portugal  Slovakia Spain

See also the European Migration Network (EMN) and OECS's special Inform #1 on the measures taken by states to manage residence permit and unemployment among migrant communities;

The OECD also tracks the development and challenges related to migration management policies under COVID-19 here.

Funding opportunities and other calls in response to the pandemic

Funding

In the current precarious economic situation, some funding opportunities have emerged in an effort to help civil society and other stakeholders deal with the negative impacts of the pandemic. The following opportunities are available to initiatives involving third-country nationals:

All ongoing and past integration-related funding opportunities across Member States can be found here; for EU-wide opportunities, bookmark this link.

Other calls

  • EU-wide: The SIRIUS Network calls on all teachers to share their tips and observations for teaching vulnerable students during the pandemic through this survey by 15 September 2020;
  • EU-wideTo understand how the pandemic is impacting the mental health and well-being of migrants and refugees, a group of researchers has launched the ApartTogether survey by 31 August 2020

 

Post-COVID-19 recovery initiatives

On 1 July, the European Commission presented two proposals to the post-COVID Recovery Plan for Europe which highlight the potential of people with a migrant background:

  • The Commission's European Skills Agenda calls for a more strategic approach to legal mi­gration, oriented towards better attracting and keeping talent. The EU Skills Agenda supports legally residing migrants to showcase their skills and qualifications and announces that the EU Skills Profile Tool for Third Country Nationals will be linked to the new Europass;
  • The Commission has proposed a Council Recommendation on a Bridge to Jobs – reinforcing the Youth Guarantee, with the aim of reaching out to a wider target group, including young people with a migrant background, and of becoming more inclusive

Migrant community outreach

One crucial part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is to make sure that all members of society have the information they need to stay healthy and follow quarantine guidelines. To ensure that migrants are not overlooked in the response, civil society organisations have been busy translating and communicating vital information to their communities. Authorities have also made an effort to communicate critical information in multiple languages. In some cases, outreach also seeks to let people know that they can get treatment for the virus even if they are not covered under the typical national health insurance plan.

Outreach typically includes translating official health guidelines, posters, new rules and other important information into the languages spoken by populations in the particular country or region, as well as making sure that people can easily receive the information. Dissemination is often done through social media and sometimes directly via SMS or other messengers. Besides translated documents, short videos have become a tool for sharing key information in Sweden.

it is important to recognise that outreach is not only done by government officials towards migrants, but migrant-organised groups are also active both in sharing information among migrant communities and in sourcing and donating protective gear for healthcare workers, providing free meals and, in Poland, taking other actions to help society during this time.

In the Czech Republic, a group of mothers from the Vietnamese community have organised mask-sewing and other forms of support. They have sewed and donated over 13,000 face masks, as well as collecting funds to help hospitals purchase ventilators. 

Outreach examples include:

Austria Belgium Bulgaria
Croatia Denmark Estonia, + more here
France Italy Hungary
Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg
Malta, + more here Netherlands Poland
Portugal Romania Slovakia 
UK, + more here and here from IOM

See also actions shared by the European Integration Network and Cities and Regions.

The Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative has set up a website with news, resources and tools from around the world related to the pandemic.

Protection and living conditions

As social distancing rules and guidelines are being implemented across Europe, authorities and migrant associations have expressed concern about the living conditions of some of the most vulnerable members of society. In Italy, migrants living in reception centres have written an open letter to authorities expressing their concerns about living in close, confined spaces. Officials have voiced concerns about the conditions of asylum seeker camps on the Greek islands

In Portugal, one municipality has prepared 500 quarantine places in case any foreign agricultural workers need to be isolated. The Portuguese government has also published a technical document on obtaining health care, aimed at medical professionals as well as migrants and refugees.

In Malta, the Hal Far reception centre has been placed under mandatory quarantine following positive test results after 8 of the centre's 1,000 residents tested positive for COVID-19. In response, a new medical centre accommodating 150 people will open nearby to treat and isolate patients. 

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has published a policy brief to guide policymakers and stakeholders in designing policies and measures that ensure the protection of migrant workers, at group at risk of being overlooked in the response. 

Human rights

There are reports from around the world of an increase in discriminatory and even violent acts against people of 'foreign' ethnic backgrounds. Civil society actors are mobilising against this wave of verbal and physical abuse. For example, a Dutch anti-discrimination organisation has launched an online campaign to encourage people to speak out against prejudice and discrimination arising from the pandemic. 

In addition, the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) published a paper highlighting the impact of Covid-19 on racialised communities (8 June update).

The Intercultural Cities Programme of the Council of Europe has put together a webpage on good and promising practices that address the challenges for equality, diversity and human rights as a result of the pandemic. The page includes dedicated sections on migrants, multilingualism and non-discrimination. 

Integration programmes

The Swedish government has announced that various labour market integration programmes will be extended for 12 months, allowing people whose subsidies would expire in the near future to remain employed. In Denmark, the pandemic is putting integration programmes on holdIn Spain, asylum seekers and refugees may benefit from relaxed conditions for accessing and receiving aid from the asylum system during the pandemic.

Education

A concern for many parents during this time, with schools being closed, is how to balance their work obligations with not only childcare but in many cases also becoming substitute teachers for their children. There are specific concerns about this situation for migrant children (link in German), who may fall behind in language learning and are often in households where the parents may not be able to work from home. Disparities in living conditions might also hinder learning for migrant pupils (link in German)

Social connection and language learning 

One of the difficulties of the pandemic is that of maintaining social contact when meetings and events are cancelled, and physical distancing rules are in place. This can be especially difficult for migrants, who may not have had time to develop an extensive social network in the host country.

In Sweden, a language-learning programme has launched an online initiative that sets up virtual meetings between a newcomer and a Swede, helping to tackle both the newcomer’s need to continue language training and the need of both participants to stay connected to others.

The University of Warsaw in Poland has also launched a virtual meeting programme to help students from abroad get to know their Polish classmates, learn the language and learn about each other’s experiences and cultures. Meanwhile, the French interior ministry has gathered links to digital language learning tools that have been developed since 2017 in response to a call for projects launched by the ministry’s directorate for reception, accompaniment of foreigners and nationality (DAAEN). Since then, the French Office for Integration and Immigration has collaborated with DAAEN to continue language courses which started with beneficiaries of the Republican Integration Contract through distant learning.

The UK's All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Integration launched a call for evidence about social connection for isolated groups during the COVID-19 pandemic and recently published an initial report with findings and recommendations from its two-part enquiry.

This page will continue to be updated with information about outreach to migrant communities regarding COVID-19 in different Member States. Last update: 27 July 2020

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