Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.05.2014, Side 12

12The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 5 — 2014
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The Candidates On
Immigration Issues
by Tómas Gabríel Benjamin
For the benefit of voters, especially im-
migrants who have resided in Iceland for
at least five years (three if they are from
a Nordic country), candidates convened
to inform the public about their party’s
immigration policies for the May 31 mu-
nicipal elections.
The general consensus was that there
were a variety of means by which immi-
grants could be better served. Common
suggestions included better Icelandic
language classes, making the public
sector’s documents available in more
languages, sending new residents a wel-
come package with information on their
rights and making it easier for the chil-
dren of immigrants to take part in sports
and hobbies.
Leader of the city’s Social Democrats
Dagur B. Eggertsson said it was very im-
portant that Reykjavík, as an employer,
doesn’t discriminate when hiring and
makes sure that people get equal pay for
equal work. He also suggested the city
open a multicultural café with a function
room available to immigrants for gather-
ings.
The top two people on Bright Fu-
ture’s list, Elsa Yeoman and Björn
Blöndal, talked about the importance
that immigrants play in the city’s cul-
tural landscape. Elsa wanted to come up
with solutions for longterm unemploy-
ment amonst immigrants.
Björn was proud of how cosmopoli-
tan Reykjavík had become in the last
decade, noting that there is little segrega-
tion between natives and immigrants.
Salman Tamimi of the Dawn party, how-
ever, disagreed. He said that nationalistic
ideas run rampant in the country, with
foreigners comprising the bottom rung
of society. He said that foreigners needed
an ombudsman of their own.
The Pirate Party’s captain Halldór
Auðar Svansson and first mate Þórgnýr
Thoroddsen emphasised the importance
of access to information for immigrants
and natives alike. They want to open up
the city’s administrative process so that it
is open to public scrutiny.
Líf Magneudóttir from the Left
Greens wants the city to formally ac-
knowledge degrees from non-Western
countries as equal to Icelandic ones. She
suggested making kindergarten and af-
ter-school programmes free of charge, as
immigrant families are often low-income
households and these programmes help
children integrate into Icelandic society.
The Independence Party’s Áslaug
María Friðriksdóttir talked about the
benefit that a good school system and
low taxes had for families with difficul-
ties making ends meet. She said her
party wants the services offered by the
city to be more cost-efficient than they
By Immigrants,
For Immigrants
Society | New Icelanders
When she asked about the process for
obtaining a residence permit, she was
told that because she was married to an
Icelander, she didn’t need any special
documentation. It wasn’t until she was
stopped going through customs at the
airport some time later that she found out
that this wasn’t at all true, but rather that
she should have applied for a residency
permit immediately upon her arrival.
“Not even Icelanders understood how
things worked,” she says. “There were no
services for foreigners at all.”
It might be assumed that Iceland
doesn’t actually need significant services
for immigrants, or that the immigrant
population in the country is not large
enough to sustain dedicated services. So
to put matters in perspective, consider
that in 1996, Iceland’s immigrant popu-
lation—both those who have Icelandic
citizenship and those who are foreign res-
idents—totalled 5,357. As of today, there
are 25,926 immigrants in Iceland, over
6,600 of who have citizenship.
Meeting The Demand
Sensibly, then, the City of Reykjavík has
risen to meet the needs of its growing
population of immigrants and foreign
residents, dedicating resources to multi-
cultural initiatives and counselling ser-
vices. Today, the city’s Human Rights Of-
fice employs four counsellors who speak
English, Filipino, Icelandic, Lithuanian,
Polish and Russian and are able to provide
free and confidential counselling services
at their office every week. Translators are
provided free of charge for individuals
who speak other languages. In the first
part of 2013 alone—from January until
July 2013—these counsellors met with
632 immigrants, the majority being in-
dividuals from Poland. The issues ad-
dressed in these meetings were quite var-
ied, including everything from workplace
issues, financial matters, and domestic
and family issues, to housing trouble,
health matters, tax questions, legal advice,
schooling and educational issues.
Reykjavík has offered some form of
service for immigrants since 2010, and
the Human Rights Office has provided
counselling since 2010. Recently, the lat-
ter office decided to also make its services
available for two hours a week at the main
branch of the Reykjavík City Library. “We
want to go into the community, instead of
making them come to us,” says counsel-
lor Joanna Marcinkowska. She has lived
in Reykjavík for ten years, but recalls her
own difficulties when first arriving. “I
came before Poland had joined the EU, so
the process of obtaining work permits and
residency was much more complicated.”
Coming From Experience
Both women agree that it is of utmost
importance that the counsellors advising
immigrants and foreign residents also be
immigrants themselves. “Having gone
through the same kinds of experiences—
the emotional experiences—helps you to
develop a sensitivity,” Barbara says. Joan-
na agrees: “When they get the feeling that
you really do understand what they are
going through, it helps them to open up.”
In addition to the services they provide
to immigrants, Joanna says that the coun-
sellors also act as advisors for city em-
ployees, such as social workers, who are
dealing with immigrant issues. They hold
regular short lectures throughout the city
in which they provide general informa-
tion about Reykjavík’s immigrant popula-
tion—how many immigrants there are,
where they are from, which residence per-
mits and documentation they require—as
well as useful context about what kind of
challenges and problems immigrants
face, and pointers on how to communicate
better with a person for whom Icelandic is
second language.
“Professionals in the city don’t always
know or use all the tricks of communica-
tion,” Barbara says. Such tricks include
using short and simple sentences, or ask-
ing the person to repeat information to
be sure he or she understood. “They’ll
think a person understood, when they
didn’t. And sometimes people are afraid
to ask questions—they already feel stupid
enough.”
The counsellors hope to encourage
immigrants and foreign residents to take
advantage of their services, to not be em-
barrassed to seek out professional advice.
Immigrants naturally turn to their com-
munity to get advice or information about
legal processes, services and other ques-
tions, but Barbara points out that “some-
times people think they know the answer,
but there will be a little piece of the puzzle
missing—something that has changed
over the years, or something that worked
for one person, but won’t be right for an-
other.”
“Some people are ashamed to ask for
help, but they don’t need to be,” Joanna
says. “There are no stupid questions.”
Barbara agrees, saying that getting settled
in a new country and learning a new
language can take a long time, which is
precisely why their services are in place.
“Integration doesn’t just happen.”
“We want to go into the
community, instead of
making them come to
us.”
Barbara Jean Kristvinsson, a counsellor with the
city’s Human Rights Office, knows from experience
how difficult it can be to get accurate information
when you move to a new country. Barbara came
to Reykjavík from the United States in 1991 and
remembers her first call to the immigration office,
which at that point was called ‘Útlendingaeftirlit,’
or “Foreigner Supervision.”
Continues over
Reykjavík’s Human Rights Office
offers counselling and advice
— By Larissa Kyzer
Where Do I Go To Get Help?
Counselling services offered by the
Human Rights Office have expanded a
great deal in the last few years, with new
counsellors speaking additional lan-
guages joining the staff and expanded
hours of availability. From January 2013
until July of the same year, the counsel-
lors assisted 632 individuals.
Counselling and advice services for
immigrants and foreign residents are
available at the Human Rights Office
at Borgartún 12-14, Monday through
Friday. Call 411-1111 to be connected
with a counsellor and to make an ap-
pointment. Counsellors will also be at
the main branch of the Reykjavík City
Library at Tryggvagata 15 on Thursdays
from 14:00–16:00.
ELECTION POLL
ROUNDUP
SPECIAL
Provided by Barbara