LAWMAKERS will today debate over whether or not third country nationals should demonstrate proficiency in Greek to be granted long-term residency rights.
The controversial language proficiency clause has been an obstacle in the passage of the bill, which should have been made law in January of this year to harmonise with an EU directive on granting third country nationals long-term residency rights.
The bill requires third country nationals to demonstrate a “sufficient” knowledge of the Greek language and of Cypriot history and culture, although it currently says nothing about the Turkish language, which is also one of the official languages of the Cyprus Republic.
The provision has met with opposition from unions, parliamentarians and non-governmental organisations like immigrant support group KISA and women’s’ support centre Apanemi, who view the requirement as discriminatory and unjustifiable.
In an effort to placate the vocal opposition to the clause, the government amended the draft bill by exempting the Greek language requirement for third country nationals in certain trades.
But many, including trade union PEO, are dissatisfied with the amendment. Deputy General Secretary of trade union PEO Soteris Fellas told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that proficiency in the Greek language should not be among the criteria for receiving long-term residency.
“Our view is that language proficiency should not be raised during the application process for long term residency, but rather during its renewal, which comes up every five years,” Fellas said.
He has requested the government to provide economic assistance to foreigners to assist them in acquiring the necessary language skills.
Fellas has also claimed that the draft bill should have made reference not just to Greek but also to the other official language of the Republic of Cyprus – Turkish.
Speaking on behalf of trade union DEOK, Anna Pilavaki said the union was in full agreement with the positions of PEO; a SEK representative, on the other hand, said that the trade union was satisfied with the amended version of the bill that was submitted to the House.
House Interior Committee head Andros Kyprianou told the Cyprus Mail that while the government had hoped that the plan would be passed during today’s House session, it was almost certain the discussion would continue over the following days.
Ostensibly the reason for making Greek a language requirement is to ensure that foreign nationals can integrate into Cypriot society.
But KISA President Doros Polycarpou does not think the government has ever demonstrated any willingness to integrate third country nationals into the community, nor does he believe fluency should be a prerequisite to residency.
“We support such projects [offering language courses] but you don’t make it [fluency] a condition for them,” Polycarpou has said. “Instead, it should be obligatory that they attend courses upon being granted permanent residency.”
Health Minister Charis Charalambous recently said that due to a shortage of nurses, anaesthetists and radiologists, the government is lowering the Greek proficiency requirement for these positions so that it can bring in more foreign hospital staff.
??
??
??
??
