Published: 12 Jun 12 11:39 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/41392/20120612/
Immigrants should be required to learn Swedish before being granted citizenship and do more before receiving certain types of benefits, the Liberal Party has argued in a new integration policy programme unveiled on Tuesday.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
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"We have to do a better job with integration."
Why does it take the rise of an anti-immigrant party in Sweden before the mainstream parties present policies that plainly should have been implemented years ago?
I chose to come to Sweden. The Vikings didn't drag me by my hair to land of perpetual winter. I agreed to this.
It is my responsibility to learn the language to the best of my ability and to adapt to this environment. It's wonderful to have help with this, and help helps learning happen more quickly and smoothly.
But always, it's my personal responsibility. Why is this missing for others?
Worse, why they believe that the inmigrants want to obtain citizenship? Is it really?
I'm not against that all must learn swedish, but everyone who has go to SFI know that is poorly organized. Perhaps it is the prophecy fulfilled, saying that refugees / immigrants don´t learn quickly the language but the efforts I do to they can learn it are scarce ... a paradox well exploited politically.
Finally, the labour market must be less strict and stop consider that if you have a foreign name, you don´t speak swedish. I think that it is a social problem and not a inmigrants problem.
SFI might be bad, I have no idea, never went, but I know many who speak Swedish fluently largely due to SFI.
It is almost impossible to integrate sans language acquistion. If you can't integrate yourself into society fully and be a part of civil discourse, exercising your right to suffrage in an informed and decisive way, then the only reason for being a citizen is to get a passport.
If you want to come to Sweden temporarily to work, live, study then do so. If you wish to settle permanently then learn the language and integrate, there can't be any other way.
(#3) And about SFI, really i appreciate it a lot, but that does not mean that the constructive criticism that it is poorly organized is not correct.
Finally, integration is a process comes from both sides, not one.
Sweden is currently actively in Afghanistan and AFAIK that is a war
Wow sure sounds like a good idea to me. Think of all the money spent on them in that 7 year period.
The things that could be done with that money like better benefits for women who have several children to raise the birth rate back to replacment levels or on education, health care any thing except spending your money trying to be the worlds baby sitter.
But then I remember that those who go to Sweden to study have to leave the country after graduating. Why do the ones who definitively want to stay in Sweden and work and be productive members of society are forced to leave, and those who come only for the social benefits without doing anythin in exchange are allowed to stay?
#3: I agree with the personal pride thing.
Just read this article http://www.thelocal.se/41386/20120612/ why they are focused on immigrant only we immigrant are more educated than Swedish
It's even more important to learn English than Swedish to be granted a Swedish citizenship; because you as an immigrant probably will not be able to find job in Sweden, and have to look job in other countries, it means to learn English is even more crucial than Swedish!
Why would you want to move to/work long term in Sweden if your goal is NOT to learn Swedish and survive only on English? Seems pointless in my opinion. You'd be much better off living/working in an officially English-speaking country.
Under the current system, there are "citizens " of Sweden, well into their second decade of SFI, who haven't yet passed the basic exams. They attend class the minimum hours necessary to qualify for their benefits and childcare, and have never paid a Crown in taxes.
Successive governments have tolerated this; politicians, language teachers and anyone else who questions it is called a racist. Whilst deportation is a bit strong, something needs to change, and this proposal is a good start.
Could someone brief on that?
Cheers ;)
Well...I'm sorry, if I cant spell right but that is not the point here , then you make yourself look really bad. I can be well educated in how to bake cakes and not know how to spell, and if I cant do simple things such as spelling correctly, then...people are going to think I'm an idiot. Also, political science isn't something to prove much, its not that hard of a major. Don't care about what you say/think, if you understand what i want to say that is enough for me to explain my view.
Also, dear TL, the Swedish word of the day has been "lång" for at least a week now. How about some multisyllabic words and/or some idiomatic phrases? :)
oral Swedish Language test,then he/she should be tested on their knowledge of
Sweden,since he/she wished to become a Swedish citizen..
Of course,the oral Swedish Language test and General knowledge of Sweden
should be made compulsory for all people who wised to become Swedish citizen
though a time frame should also be given to the person concerned.
As not to burden the people concerned,the Swedish Government should provide Oral Swedish Language class free of charge "
So when do you plan to start?
There are an estimated 1,300 languages spoken worldwide with 100,000 speakers or more and only 40 with at least 30 million speakers. Are you suggesting that all languages that aren't among the few most spoken are irrelevant? If so, you are also suggesting that the 3.5 billion people and their cultures who don't use at least 1 of the 10 most spoken (#10 French, #9 Malay, #8 Portuguese, #7 Bengali, #6 Arabic, #5 Russian, #4 Spanish, #3 Hindustani, #2 English, #1 Mandarin) languages are irrelevant. Frankly, that's quite benighted and destructive if you ask me.
The failure of some immigrants/refugees to learn Swedish is just one more mundane failure in a history of failure, individual and societal (it is certain societies failure in creating tolerable living conditions that is responsible for them being in Sweden in the first place).
Groups of people are not fungible and bringing in large numbers of people with low collective social capital is never going to end well (especially if they already think they're better or more moral than Swedes).
The disdainful attitude toward the Swedish language (not 'important' enough) is symptomatic of a disdainful attitude towards _all_ Swedish values (like secular education, civil society and rule of law).
What is the current requirement to become a Swedish citizen, so that we compare the current system with what is mentioned in the article?
Should we send them all back to Mother Sweden?
While most Swedes CAN speak English, they don't tend to speak English because they live in Sweden so they speak Swedish. This makes sense, yes?
Considering that SFI is offered free of charge (and, in fact, offers $ if you pass a certain level within a certain time frame) I find it to be quite good. Sometimes I think people don't realize that SFI is designed to HELP you learn the language. You have to take the rest of that responsibility on yourself. Learning a language is difficult but not learning the language of the country you live in is just arrogant.