A chat with Vincent of the Oisterwijk Asylum Seekers Center

, which,a himVincent is a 23 year old student from Tilburg currently working at the asylum seekers centre in Oisterwijk. We met him and asked all those questions you’ve always wanted to ask.

DM: How many people are hosted here and where are they from?

The Center hosts about 300 people, both adults and minors. The majority is from Syria and Eritrea and Iraq are also comingguests from Eastern Europe as Albania, Serbia, some Roma peoplepeople from West Africa, and few from East African countries as Tanzania. We also host a couple of people from Asia.

DM: How long do they live here?

It depends, because when you apply for asylum in the Netherlands the practice is sent to the IND organization (Immigration and Naturalization Services) that is in charge to decide and the procedure varies case to case.

For example, people from Iran that apply for asylum, they only obtain it for religion matters or sexual orientation but assessing this can take a large amount of time. An Iranian womanexample waited for 4 years in the refugee center before receiving approval for her resident permit.

But Syrians and Eritreans get the resident permit almost immediately. They might wait in the refugee center for a maximum of 2 years but this rarely happens. Usually they obtain the refugee status within one year and a half, withinone year or even earlier. The amount of time needed to get the permit also depends on the municipality where the refugee centre is. There are some of those like Tilburg for example, which assigns residence permits quicker than others like Den Bosch or Best.

DM: Are there rules asylum seekers have to abide in the center?

Yes, there are basic regulations that require avoiding noises after 22:00, respect each other, show up on the day the documents that assess their presence have to be stamped. Praying is allowed but religous gathering are not.

DM: What is the process that asylum seeker undergo when they come to The Netherlands?

There are three different locations that deal with newcomers:  Ter Apel, Gilze and the international airport of Schiphol.

Schiphol is usually reached by people coming from African countries. Once there, asylum seekers are kept in a department which is a sort of detention centr Schiphol is not the favourite destination This is because if the asylum request is not accepted, people are sent to their motherland without any other chance to have their case reevaluated.

Schiphol is not the most favourite destinationThis is because if the asylum request is not accepted, people are sent to their land of heritage immediately without any other chances to have their case reevaluated.

Ter Apel, is a village in the North of The Netherlands Germanyt is a big receiving center and the first destination traveled toreached by newcomers. Once there, asylum seekers are interviewed extensively for three times by IND personnel. The aim of the interview is to assess exactly where asylum seekers come from, by investigating the language they speak and other elements to see if they meet the requirements for the refugee status. This procedure is very detailed because there are countries as Somalia where war is not spread all over the territory. In  that case it might be that asylum seekers will not be given a resident permit and instead itthey will be suggested to move to an  area of their country where there is no ongoing conflict.

If newcomers meet these requirements, then they are spread to different AZCs around the Netherlands. These centers host both asylum seekers and refugees who are at different stages of their immigration procedure. There are those who are waiting for the assessment of the refugee status, peoplethose who have already obtained the resident permit and those who are waiting for the availability of social housing. There are also people whose asylum requests have not been accepted and who are waiting to be repatriated or they are trying to have their cases reevaluated by taking legal actions. It is possible that some of them will have to return where they came from. Especially those ones from Albania, Kosovo and Roma people, who are considered to have fled safe countries.

In Gilze there is a family location where parents and kids are allowed to stay until they become adults. Those who were born in The Netherlands or came at a very young age can obtain a residence permit once they turn 18, whereas their parents by then will be repatriated.

DM: What happens once asylum seekers get the refugees status?

They will wait in the AZC until they are assigned a social housing accommodation. ByThen with the help of non-governmental organizations like VWN (VluchtelingenWerk) refugees are helped to find a job and with other practical matters. There also other organizations like IOM (International Organization for Migration) thatwhich offers financial support and help to people that decide voluntarily to repatriate.

DM: Orcmake known

No, it will be decided by the COA main organ dealing with asylum requests. COA then will assign asylum seekers to different AZCs (Asylum seekers centers) in the countryHere personnel dealing with their intakes, outtakes and the research of social housing whenever the resident permit is obtained. Exceptions to this procedure happen just in the case of family reunions and university students

DM: Are there refugees who came this past summer or September 2015 who already obtained the refugee status?

Yes, this the case of Eritreans and Syrians because Syria is very dangerous and becauseEritreans who flee are not welcome in their country anymore. At AZCs people that got the refugee status are totally free to move they just have to prove their presence at the camp once a week by getting a stamp on a document.

Here there are also some unaccompanied minors that are studying and who have applied for family reunion in order to bereunited with their parents, brothers and sisters.

DM: What about those who do not get the refugee status? Can they still live here in the center?

Yes, they can. This is the case when they are taking legal actions to have their asylum requests reevaluated. Here, we had the case of a woman in this situation that waited almost 5 years before getting the resident permit.

DM: What practical help does the government offer to asylum seekers? 

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They are given a weekly contribution with which they have to provide themselves food and clothes. In the case of families the amount increases but not proportionally to the amount a single person receives.

What language do you use in the Centre to communicate with asylum seekers? 

Mainly English and German. Sometimes we have Dutch translators but often we rely on asylum seekers themselves.They know more than one language and are willing to help translate for both their peers and the working personnel. Generally, it is common that asylum seekers help each other, among others with language. Some of them learn Dutch very quickly and then they are able to help even more with the communication.

Children are the ones who learn fastest and so it is common seeing them translating for their parents or other adults. But when official communications have to be translated we refer to organizations that offer professional translators. Otherwise we rely on refugees' and personnel's knowledge also because the aim is to make asylum seekers as independent as possible.

DM: What activities are being offered in the center? 

For those who obtained the refugee status, Dutch lessons are provided twice a week. People here also make use of mobile applications to study Dutch. The teaching personnel often is not aware of  this subject matter refugees are usually much more up-to-date than Dutch teachers and AZC personnel. It is also possible to fitness and to play volleyball. Other activities are offered by organizations which are independent from COA and that organize activities, such as handcrafting for children.

People here also make use of mobile applications to study Dutch.

DM: Do guests of this center use mobile applications as a means of translations?

Perhaps, but I have not seen it.

DM: Do you know any story of a refugee that have integrated successfully?

Yes. A man from Eritrea named Gebre. He has been living in the center for 2 years who mastered the Dutch language quite quickly. He is taking extra language courses in Eindhoven because he aims to undergo the Integration Exam about Dutch language and culture as soon as possible so as to be able to pursue a higher education. But generally, the time people take to learn the language is relative. Some people are quicker because they are driven by a strong will to start a new life and to integrate in the Dutch society.

DM:  Are there children in this centre who join the regular school? 

In The Netherlands education for minors is compulsory and if children do not attend school, Government personnel will step inthe AZC, we have a kindergarten school, but when children need to go to higher levels of school, they can join the same ones as locals. That would be the case if they meet a certain level of Dutch and their procedure to get the resident permit is proceeding positively. In fact, tlocated

DM: How did you come so close the issues related to refugees?

Among my friends I am the only one working with refugees. I will say that people are not that much acquainted with refugees, because if you do not have any contact with this environment it is less likely that you will be interested in it. My interest in the refugee cause, however, stems from the reading of the book “If this is a man” by Primo Levi in which the Italian writer reflects upon the extent of atrocity that humankind can reach within horrible situations. For this reason, I chose to study Social Work. I always knew I wanted to work with people. I started to follow the refugee issue because it was a hot topic in media that struck me. On top of it I always liked diversity of people and I believe that as far as humankind is one, we should all help each other.

All over The Netherlands there have been several demonstrations against refugeesainly it happened in small villages. Oisterwijk is a small village known to be one of the richest municipalities in the Netherlands. Are residents from Oisterwijk unhappy about the AZC or have they ever had problems with refugees?  

No, no problems at all, not any serious case I have heard of. I believe that it is mainly because this centre has been here for a long time and Oisterwijk residents are acquainted with the situation. Sometimes there have been arguments between young asylum seekers and locals, but I think that it is normal. We do not have to solve many conflicts, be it internally or outside the camp, only small frays at most.

DM: Thank you for your time Vincent.