The first years after arriving in the host-country are a critical timespan for new arrivals, who need to understand the functioning of the local labour market and acquaint themselves with public institutions and services. Newcomers typically have fewer networks in the host country and coping mechanisms than migrants who have been present in the host country for longer periods. Providing early access to integration measures can alleviate integration difficulties and prevent lock-in effects that reduce migrant outcomes. Still, providing such access to all eligible migrants presents several challenges.
First, there is the risk that demand for services may exceed available supply. To ensure that those who should benefit from introduction measures are able to do so as early as possible, countries must have adequate offerings. Determining who receives integration services is a precondition to understanding how many services are necessary, in both number and kind. Second, given that integration can be a substantial investment, countries may have an interest in targeting them to those migrants with a reasonable chance of staying in the country. Because of this, timing of access to introduction measures often depends on the channel of migration. Still, at the same time, migrants who enter on short-term permits may also need some integration to succeed. Migrants who initially enter a country for temporary stays may eventually stay for good, and they will benefit from an increased understanding of their host country and its language. In determining eligibility for introduction measures, it is also evident that the first months after arrival in the country might not be the most appropriate time for all migrants to begin their participation. Flexibility in timing of integration may allow host-countries to reach greater numbers of migrants. Some countries have developed “second-chance” programmes for migrants who have been present in the country for a long period without achieving certain integration benchmarks.1 However, a more effective approach is to consider when the best moment for a “first chance” would be. Migrants arriving with a job in-hand may not be ready to start introduction measures immediately. Still, they may find that certain measures, such as language training, help them meet their future personal and professional goals once they are more settled. In contrast, labour market access for family migrants may not be their first objective, as the focus may be on the needs of the family and children. While this should not automatically be understood as a gender issue, it is important to consider that women with children under the age of 6 experience significantly different integration outcomes. Refugee women are particularly likely to get pregnant the year after arrival, which seems linked to the fact that the uncertainty and insecurity refugees experience during and prior to flight (Liebig and Tronstad, 2018[20]). While foreign-born women without young children have roughly equal employment rates to native‑born women across Europe (between 64% to 69% in 2018), the employment rate of migrant women with young children (46%) is over 18 percentage points below that of their peers without children (OECD, 2020[6]). Longer eligibility periods for integration benefits recognise that, while early integration is important, many categories of migrants may benefit from support at a later point in their immigration journey.