HackYourFuture’s Positive Integration Stories: Maya and Sacha
By: Hackyourfuture Copenhagen
Tags: Denmark, Copenhagen, Refugees, Self Reliance, Integration

The focus on immigration is politicised to such an extent that the debate is out of proportion — s​​ometimes it is hard to grasp what the discussion is all about. At HackYourFuture, we believe that immigration is neither positive or negative in itself, but dependent on what society does to make it work.

The immigration policy is not only affecting the lives of refugees in Denmark, but also foreign researchers working here, families who have been living here for many years and people who cannot live here with their partner.

On the occasion of the general election, we would like to share a positive integration story about some of the people who, despite the tight foreign immigration policy, creates a life for themselves in Denmark and benefit society.

Maya and Sacha

Maya and Sacha are from Syria and have been living in Denmark for a few years. They are both in their twenties and have very different educational backgrounds when we meet them at HackYourFuture: Maya is still in high school and wants to become a doctor, and Sacha already has a Bachelor’s degree in IT from Syria. She is determined to study Robotics Technology for her Master’s degree.

Maya and Sacha are ambitious and focused on their future careers and both have become skilful programmers and found relevant student jobs, even before completing HackYourFuture’s educational programme. But there is one thing that makes their situations very different from each other: the type of temporary protection status they have been granted. This has a big influence on their access to the Danish educational system.

Different kinds of asylum and protection

Maya has been granted §7.1 Convention Status which gives her a 2-year temporary residence permit in preparation for a permanent residence. This allows her to study at university on equal terms as Danish students.

Sacha has been granted §7.3 General Temporary Protection Status which gives her only one year of temporary residence permit with no preparation for permanent residence and without access to education. Sacha is worried — she is determined to continue her studies in Denmark, but she doesn’t know how to get access to the Danish educational system.

The §7.3 General Temporary Protection Status targets Syrians who don’t have an individual asylum motive, but have fled their country of origin because of the general situation. This type of asylum is granted to many Syrian women since their cause for fleeing is not military service, as it is for many Syrian men.

Indirectly, this discriminates Syrian women as they are not allowed access to education in Denmark on equal terms as Syrian men.

Access to education always makes sense

As mentioned above, Sacha was determined to study for an MA in Robotics Technology and luckily, she received a scholarship to The University of Southern Denmark.

When Maya completes the 1-year educational programme GIF (a high school induction programme for refugees and immigrants), she realises that she wants to continue with programming and decides to study for a BA in Software Technology at The Technical University of Denmark instead of becoming a doctor.

But Sacha and Maya’s access to education in Denmark is limited by the new Finance Act. In short, the new restrictions mean that the focus has shifted from integration to return — refugees and immigrants are not meant to be integrated, but sent back. This means that not all refugees have access to education in Denmark, depending on the type of temporary protection status that have been granted.

Maya and Sacha are young talented women who have learned Danish, achieved a strong professional and social network and well-paid student jobs, all in a short amount of time. The fact that they might not be able to study in Denmark while living here is incomprehensible — and the fact that the IT industry is hungry for more women makes it even more counter-productive.

Whether the immigration policy focuses on integration or return, access to free education always makes sense.

This is just one example of how people shape their lives through hard work, determination and integrity.

We focus on the positive side of integration, but sadly, we experience just as many stories where the Danish immigration policy obstructs the way that immigrants and refugees could share their skills and contribute to the Danish society.

All names have been changed due to privacy reasons.