Public funding for all immigration and refugee related matters in Iceland will more than double next year, with sources claiming the amount will go from 150 million krónas to 410 million. Fréttablaðið reports.
The increased funding will be primarily used to assist immigrants and refugees in finding work and housing, as well as getting Icelandic lessons. Þorsteinn Víglundsson, Iceland’s Minister of Social Affairs and Equality, told Fréttablaðið that more emphasis will be placed on this field, with the goal of improving the state’s service in order to make it comparable to the one provided to resettlement refugees.
According to Þorsteinn, this funding increase will speed up the time needed for people to integrate into the Icelandic society, in order to become working citizens.
Last week we reported on Þorsteinn’s decision to offer up to 55 refugees next year a home in Iceland, with the number rising over the next years. Among the refugees are homosexuals who’ve awaited persecution in their home countries, as well as in refugee camps.
