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

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The basic social allowance is governed by the regional Laws on Social Aid and may differ
considerably from one province to another. For example, the monthly allowance granted in
Salzburg is as follows:
Single person ATS 4,785 EUR 348
First family member ATS 3,910 EUR 284
Additional person (without child benefit) Additional ATS 2,580 EUR 187
Additional person (with child benefit) Additional ATS 1,145 EUR 83
Child benefit also varies among the different provinces. In Salzburg, monthly rates are conditional
on the number of children and their ages:
Child under 10 ATS 1,350 EUR 98
Child between 11 and 18 ATS 1,550 EUR 113
Child over 19 ATS 1,850 EUR 134
First child Additional ATS 350 EUR 25
Second child Additional ATS 525 EUR 38
Further child Additional ATS 700 EUR 51
In addition, refugees have the right to integration assistance, which covers language and
vocational training, accommodation allowances and other financial support and benefits from the
Fund for the Integration of Refugees pursuant to Section 41 of the Asylum Law.
Convention refugees have free access to the labour market on the same terms as nationals and
EU citizens. Consequently, they do not require a work permit
Language tuition
Within the framework of the assistance towards integration provided by the Fund for the
Integration of Refugees, many refugees are offered German language courses, which last
between three to nine months.
School attendance
Compulsory schooling between the age of 6 and 15 applies to all children regardless of their
nationality. Children of refugees have free access to all levels of the Austrian educational system.
In order to determine each child's level, a test (“Einstufungsprüfung”) is carried out prior to
admission. Pursuant to the law, children who do not speak sufficient German may be admitted as
special students for a maximum period of two years. In practice, however, children with
insufficient knowledge of the German language are frequently sent to schools intended for
educationally subnormal children.
Mother tongue tuition
There is no mother tongue tuition available within the Austrian school system.
Access to the adult education system
Convention refugees have free access to the universities and are exempted from study fees.
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Austria