legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...

with an obligation to report to the police every second day. In such cases, asylum seekers are
accommodated in hostels or hotels under the responsibility of the authority of the Land (region).
Financial assistance
Work
Asylum seekers under federal care receive a monthly amount of ATS 530 [EUR 38,5] in pocket
money.
As mentioned above, asylum seekers without federal care are not entitled to any kind of social
assistance. In emergencies, however, some NGOs may, according to their own resources, grant
them small amounts of money.
In theory, asylum seekers have the right to apply for a work permit once they have entered the
normal determination procedure. In practice, only few are given the permission to work.
Language tuition
Asylum seekers are not entitled to any language tuition provided by the Government.
Those who want to learn German may attend some free courses run by private NGOs. Access
depends on the places available.
School attendance
Child care
Schooling is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15 for all children regardless of their
nationality and of whether or not they have a residence permit.
Children who do not speak German when they start school may be placed in “reception classes”
for foreign children.
No child care is available for asylum seekers.
Unaccompanied minors
Federal care is not granted automatically to unaccompanied minors. According to the law, the
locally operating youth welfare agency, acting as their legal representative, is responsible for the
welfare of unaccompanied minors. Some Länder (regions) provide accommodation to minors who
do not receive federal care, but no special programmes have been established for them.
Unaccompanied minors whose asylum applications are rejected are, like adults, subject to
deportation proceedings according to the Aliens Law. Pursuant to Section 68 of the Aliens Law,
however, aliens under 16 years may only be detained pending expulsion if accommodation and
care appropriate to their age and stage of development can be guaranteed. Minors who are
detained must be kept separate from adults. In practice, they are treated more or less like adults.
In theory, the police must investigate whether less restrictive measures than detention can be
applied, however detention is often imposed because the police fear the disappearance of the
minors if not detained.
Female asylum seekers
There are no special provisions for female asylum seekers.
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Austria