Welcome and Integration Contract - Contrat d´accueil et d´intégration (CAI)

The Luxembourg Reception and Integration Agency (Office Luxembourgeois d’Accueil et d’Intégration – OLAI) has set up an innovative and voluntary tool to facilitate active integration in Luxembourg while respecting the needs and socio-cultural origins of foreign citizens.

Project start date

September 2011

Contributing country

Luxembourg

Covering City

All cities/municipalities in Luxembourg

Main placement

Luxembourg, Social inclusion and integration

Summary

The ´welcome and integration contract´ (contrat d´acceil et d´intégration – CAI) has been provided by the Law of 16^thDecember 2008 on the reception and the integration of foreigners in the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg and its implementation has been defined by the Grand Ducal regulations of 2^ndSeptember 2011. With this contract, the Luxembourgish government has developed an instrument to promote and facilitate the active and voluntary integration of foreigners in Luxembourg. Luxembourg Reception and Integration agency (OLAI) – an administration of the Ministry of Family and Integration – is in charge of the implementation of the CAIs.

Issue

The CAI is offered to all the foreigners over 16 years of age who are legal residents in Luxembourg and who wish to stay in the country for a longer period of time. New arrivals from both EU Members and from third countries as well as people who have been living in Luxembourg for some time are eligible to apply to CAIs. Signing a CAI is not mandatory in any way. On the contrary it supports new arrivals who actively seek to integrate by helping them to discover the history, customs, languages and values of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg through active participation and integration in the society.

Approach

The CAI offers three services to those who want to be actively integrated in the Luxembourgish society:

Language training courses: participants can reach at least level A.1.1 in one of the three administrative languages of the country.
Citizenship training courses: training courses providing insights on integration and the conditions of living together in Luxembourg as well as on the history, the political organization, and the customs of the country.
Orientation days: half-day programmes in collaboration with several partners (ministries, NGOs, municipalities, etc.) are held twice a year at weekends. These events aim to familiarize the candidate with official bodies and organizations of Luxembourg.

Results

Signing welcome and integration contract is basically a symbolic act by which the signatory candidate and the State present testify their mutual commitment to each other regarding integration. Besides, an applicant who signs the contract can benefit from:

A discount for language courses;
Free citizenship training courses (civics) and free orientation day;
An optional citizenship training course for acquisition of Luxembourgish nationality; and
A CAI acknowledgement as evidence of good integration for obtaining the status of a long-term resident.

Beneficiaries

Non-Luxembourgers who want to be integrated in the Luxembourgish society

Organizations

OLAI : Office Luxembourgeois de l’accueil et de l’intégration

Phone

+352-247-85748

By: M. Firoozi,

19 Jan 2012