Like other immigrant-receiving countries, Iceland has had to grapple with accommodating these newcomers. 202-266-1900, By Timothy Heleniak and Hjördis Rut Sigurjonsdottir, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THIS ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT, Camille Le Coz, Samuel Davidoff-Gore, Timo Schmidt, Susan Fratzke, Andrea Tanco, Maria Belen Zanzuchi and Jessica Bolter, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Language Access: Translation and Interpretation Policies and Practices, Latin America & The Caribbean Migration Portal, Illegal Immigration & Interior Enforcement, A Bridge to Firmer Ground: Learning from International Experiences to Support Pathways to Solutions in the Syrian Refugee Context, EU Membership Highlights Poland's Migration Challenges, Overwhelmed by Refugee Flows, Scandinavia Tempers its Warm Welcome, Newcomers in the North: Labor Market Integration of Refugees in Northern Europe, Diasporas and Development in Post-Communist Eurasia, No Quick Fix: Policies to Support the Labor Market Integration of New Arrivals in Sweden. Top Ten Origin Countries of Immigrant Arrivals to Iceland, 1986–2016. Flows from other regions were still quite small, including from the new EU Member States. New in Iceland answers all general questions concerning life in Iceland, such as health insurance, legal domicile and ID number, the labor market, the health system, education, housing, domestic violence, social services, tax issues, finances and family issues. One of the most serious environmental problems in Iceland is the loss of vegetation by wind erosion. Visiting address. As more foreigners move to Iceland, the government has started adjusting its immigration policies accordingly. A decade later, in 1995, origin countries had become more diverse. Meanwhile, the share of residents who are not Icelandic citizens has grown from less than 2 percent in 1996 to 9 percent in 2017. From 2003 to 2007, some 10,300 men immigrated, more than twice the 4,400 women. Workers at the Fish Processing Plant Íslandssaga Suðureyri, Most workers at the plant are immigrants and the company would not thrive without them.Photo: Hjördís Rut Sigurjonsdottir. Further, it is the key to communication and participation in society. In order to become assimilated in Iceland society, the government offers financial assistance, education, health services, housing, furniture and a telephone for up to one year to refugees in Iceland. A limited number of refugees are also resettled in Iceland every year. Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Issues of immigration and foreign nationals in Iceland are primarily the responsibility of two ministries and a number of public agencies. Available online. A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration.A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline Fiesole, Italy: European University Institute. All rights reserved. Over the years, immigration to Iceland has also diversified, owing in part to the expansion of the European Union. The tourism industry rather cleverly used the 2010 volcanic eruption to promote the country as an exotic place to visit. Heleniak, Timothy. Multicultural and Information Centre (MCC). Its economy is one of the most productive economies in the world, per-capita, and it is annually considered to be one of greenest countries on the planet, due in large parts to its vast renewable energy resources. Alexandra Briem, a trans woman and Reykjavík City Councilperson for the Pirate Party, believes that a large part of the problem is the endemic inscrutability of Iceland’s bureaucracy. 202-266-1940 | fax. However, returning Icelanders have comprised a falling share of in-migration in recent decades, from 73 percent in 1986 to 29 percent in 2008. Fertility in Iceland. Available online. One large plant in Reyðarfjörður, in eastern Iceland, started production in 2008 after being built with considerable immigrant labor. Dalvegur 18 201 Kópavogur. In response to the increased interest in migration to Iceland in recent years, Parliament passed a new law on foreigners in June 2016, after extensively reviewing the previous law from 2002. As a result, the government has placed significant emphasis on conserving the language, evident in the 2007 immigrant integration policy. This created demand for labor that was met by workers from the new EU Member States. RÚV reports that, according to data from Statistics Iceland, there were 201,000 people out of a total 338,000 who were employed in the second quarter of 2018. Three different demographic scenarios all project net migration into Iceland to be positive over the next 50 years, and as in other countries, an increase in Iceland’s foreign-born population will probably give rise to further migration. It achieved this through a series of free-market reforms combined with high levels of government intervention. In 1944, Iceland became an independent republic, and in 1952 introduced a citizenship law that remains in force today with a few amendments. 202-266-1940 | fax. Many Poles view their stay as temporary and thus do not make the effort to learn the rather difficult Icelandic language beyond a very basic level. The economy has since diversified and the service sector, including tourism, now accounts for about 60 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Stockholm: Nordregio. The country lacks natural resources such as oil, coal, and minerals but has abundant hydroelectric power, which it has used to construct several aluminum plants. Greve Harbo, Lisbeth, Timothy Heleniak, and Åsa Ström Hildestrand, eds. Reykjavik, Iceland: Ministry of Welfare. The Reykjavik Grapevine also denied the claim that there is a shortage of males in Iceland, citing recent population data that shows that Iceland … Polish citizens were now the largest group, exceeding those from Denmark. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the main goals of the legislation were to increase economic competitiveness, protect the rights of humanitarian migrants, and bring the country in line with EU laws. Here are 10 facts about refugees in Iceland: “The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.” From Migrants to Workers: Regional and Local Practices on Integration of Labour Migrants and Refugees in Rural Areas in the Nordic Countries. Citizens of Nordic countries have always enjoyed privileged status when migrating to or applying for citizenship in Iceland. Yet in light of Iceland’s unusual characteristics, the majority of Icelanders have welcomed refugees with open arms. Polish and other immigrant groups work in both low-skilled occupations such as fish processing and higher-skilled jobs such as welding. Disney brought its streaming service to Iceland last year. Iceland has made a strong recovery from the financial crisis and currently enjoys strong economic conditions overall, accentuated by rapid growth in the tourism sector over the last decade. ---. An interview may be required. 202-266-1900. This is the story of how I sold everything I owned and moved to Iceland. Denmark's ghettos: How one of Europe's most open countries took a hard line on immigration. The surge in visitors has among other things strained the local housing market, since many landlords choose to rent their apartments to tourists rather than long-term tenants. News in English from Iceland. There have been efforts recently to encourage integration through programs that teach Icelandic as a second language. Icelanders love their burgers and the latest Apple gadgets but also their Nordic fashion. Also, from the immigration department, they give us a card to use the supermarket only. Migration Booms and Busts A deeper dive into the data shows that since 1960, Iceland has vacillated between net emigration and net immigration. 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