Language Training for Adult Migrants

2. Make sure that new arrivals get language training early

WHAT and WHY?

The first years after arriving in the host-country are a critical timespan for new arrivals, who need to acquaint themselves with public institutions and available services and understand the functioning of the local labour market. Newcomers have fewer coping mechanisms than migrants who have been present in the host country for longer periods. Early intervention to alleviate language difficulties can prevent lock-in effects that reduce migrant outcomes. Learning the host-country language early also implies that learners are younger, which facilitates the learning process and increases migrants’ motivation and the returns on their investment – with important benefits for them and for the host-country.

WHO?

Early language training should be a priority for all new arrivals with limited proficiency in the host-country language. Often, however, the timing of access to language training depends on the channel of migration. While successful asylum claimants may be the group that most needs language training, this group often waits longest to access language programmes, depending on the duration of the asylum procedure. Some countries have tried to counter long periods of inactivity by providing language training to asylum seekers while their application is still pending (see Table 2.1). For reuniting family members and resettled refugees, learning should ideally start prior to arrival, namely once a visa has been secured.

HOW?

Early intervention requires that migrants are informed about and referred to available language learning options as early as possible. This can be done through:

• Pre‑arrival language screening or training

• Contact with outreach staff in the migrant’s native language

• Increasing the number of available courses and hiring more teachers

Some OECD countries, including the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Korea, provide information sessions and language training prior to departure in major origin countries, so that new arrivals already possess basic language skills when entering their new country of residence. Such sessions will be most effective when linked to the curricula of post-arrival language training, thereby guaranteeing continuity in the integration pathway. Pre‑departure integration programmes could also significantly improve outcomes in family reunification, as family members arriving without a job face different challenges from their petitioning family member. They will not have the same contact with native speakers in the host country on arrival as a working principal immigrant. Once in the country, migrants who arrive without prior training and those who require further training need to undergo an individual assessment (see Lesson 7), whereupon they should be referred to appropriate language programmes by the competent immigration authority or public employment service.

Reaching migrants with limited knowledge of the host-country language may also require advertisement in foreign-languages in immigrant media and frequently visited areas, as well as face‑to-face contacts from outreach staff. More detailed print materials as well as a comprehensive online portal can provide an overview of the full range of available language learning options and of course‑providers by area (see Box 2.1).1

Box 2.1. Disseminating information on language courses to prospective migrants and new arrivals in Canada and New Zealand

Canada informs prospective migrants and new arrivals about the importance of learning English or French, outlines to them the course enrolment process, and provides them with contact information of the closest language assessment centre and the closest provider of general or employment-related language training via the “Welcome to Canada” resource for settlement-related information. Users can also access an online self-assessment test in English or French (CLB-OSA/NCLC AEL) to estimate their current level of proficiency before doing a formal assessment. In addition, immigrants preparing to move to Canada receive free information and individual advice on language and vocational training options through the free Immigrant Integration Programme (CIIP) in a wide range of countries of origin.

Migrants to New Zealand through the Skilled/Business stream who do not meet a minimum standard of English must prepay for English classes as a condition for receiving a visa. The courses, partially funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and endorsed by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), must be taken within five years, or the funds are forfeited. In response to signs that migrants were having difficulty locating courses in smaller locations or that fit their work/family responsibilities, Immigration NZ, together with the TEC launched an online tool to help migrants find a convenient class located near them. The tool is part of the New Zealand Now portal, which offers pre‑departure and settling in advice and resources.

Ensuring that migrants get language training early also implies that demand for language training is forecasted efficiently to make sure that spots are readily available and waiting lists are limited. Currently, many OECD countries struggle to provide a sufficient number of courses, which may lead to longer waits (see Table 2.1). One way to reduce wait times is to increase the number of teachers (see Lesson 11). In many countries, strict certification requirements for language teachers, combined with low salaries, have led to a dearth of available educators for integration programmes.

Table 2.1. Timing of access to language training for migrants in OECD and origin countries, 2020 or latest available year

	Average waiting time between enrolment and course placement (length of backlog)	Access to pre‑departure language courses	Access for asylum seekers (depending on availability)
Australia	None	No	Yes (except for Illegal Maritime Arrival adults in Community Detention or holding a Bridging Visa type E)
Austria	n.a.	Yes (e‑learning)	Yes (asylum seekers with high prospects to remain in Austria)
Belgium	n.a.	No	Yes
Canada	n.a.	No (online self-assessment tool is available pre‑departure)	No
Chile	/ (no language training provided)	No	No
Colombia	/	No	/
Czech Republic	n.a.	No	No
Denmark	n.a. (but the waiting time between course enrolment and course placement may not exceed 1 month)	No (except for quota refugees)	Yes
Estonia	1 month for welcome programme (longer for other publicly financed language courses)	Yes (e‑learning)	Yes
Finland	Approximately 2.5 months after initial assessment (2016)	No (but e‑learning tools are available)	Yes
France	18 months within signing the integration contract (CIR)	Yes (in-person courses are not subsidised; e‑learning tools are available)	No
Germany	n.a. (but the maximum waiting period is fixed at 3 months)	Yes (including e‑learning)	Yes (asylum seekers with good prospects to stay in Germany)
Greece	n.a.	Yes	Yes
Hungary	None	Yes (in Serbia)	Yes
Iceland	/	No	No
Ireland	There is no identified waiting list	No	Yes
Israel	A few days	No	No
Italy	n.a.	Yes (in specific programmes)	Yes
Japan	No waiting time	No	No
Korea	n.a.	Yes	Yes
Latvia	Training must start no later than 1 month after PES client has signed the training voucher	No	Yes
Lithuania	No waiting time	No	No
Luxembourg	n.a. (maximum 3 months as the course offer is trimestral or semesterly)	No (but e‑learning tools are available)	Yes
Mexico	n.a.	No	No
Netherlands	n.a.	Yes (e‑learning)	Yes
New Zealand	n.a. (some areas of high resettlement have pressure on access to ESOL places)	No	No
Norway	n.a. (2014 target was that 80% start within 6 months)	No	Yes (mandatory for asylum seekers in reception centres)
Poland	n.a.	No	Yes (for asylum seekers who receive social assistance)
Portugal	n.a.	Yes (e‑learning)	Yes
Slovak Republic	n.a.	No	Yes
Slovenia	6‑12 months (2014)	No	No
Spain	n.a.	No	Yes
Sweden	n.a. (municipalities must provide SFI within a month for those who have an introduction plan and 3 months for others, actual waiting time varies across municipalities, but many offer a spot in a shorter time period than prescribed)	No	Yes
Switzerland	Varies according to canton but those with large migrant populations have taken measures to increase course availability to avoid backlog.	No	Yes (in federal asylum centres and in some cantonal centres)
Turkey	n.a.	No	Yes
United Kingdom	n.a.	Yes	Yes
United States	n.a.	Yes (e‑learning)	Yes (but not systematically provided)

Note: n.a. = information not available; / = not applicable. See Table 1.1.

Source: OECD questionnaire on language training for adult migrants 2017.

Note

← 1.  A 2009 pilot voucher programme by Citizenship and Immigration Canada significantly increased enrolment by informing randomly selected newcomers about available free language training. The news release reporting the result of the Language Training Vouchers pilot project is available here: https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2010/11/vouchers-work-more immigrants-enrolling-language classes.html.