Asylum laws in Austria

The case of Arigona Zogaj, a 15-year-old Kosovar girl who has gone into hiding to escape deportation, has triggered vigorous debate in Austria. The Zogaj family has been living in Frankenburg for five years and is well integrated into Austrian society. Alexandra Föderl-Schmidt criticises Austria's asylum and residence law, which, unlike that of other countries in Europe, makes no provision for illegal refugees: "Austria needs to accept that it too is a country of immigration, and that people come to live and work here. Those who are integrated should be allowed to continue living here regardless of the reasons for which they came. Austria can afford to grant amnesty to the 3,000 people or so living with families here and under threat of deportation. Such figures wouldn't upset the system or destabilise the constitutional state or the minister of the interior."

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Austria
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