In a small town in northern Austria, Sylvia Hochstoeger never imagined she would become the figurehead for a protest movement.
But it was the threat of expulsion hanging over Shafi, an Afghan apprentice training at her business, which forced her to fight against an “absurd” situation.
“They tell you that integration is the most important thing, that you have to show that you’re integrated. Shafi’s done that. He’s learnt German, he’s found a job and he’s developed a good social setting,” she explains calmly.
With her husband, Hochstoeger runs a zinc roofing business in Pabneukirchen about 150 kilometres (90 miles) west of Vienna.
Shafi, 23, was recruited as an apprentice in 2016 while he waited for his asylum claim to be processed.
But a few months ago, his request was turned down so he filed an appeal and is now anxiously awaiting the outcome.
And he’s not alone.
Around a third of the 850 candidates for asylum who are currently in training are facing the same threat, says Rudi Anschober, an MP handling integration issues in Upper Austria who has taken up the case on behalf of the businesses involved and their trainees.
In a country lacking manpower in many sectors, “we have to take a long-term view on asylum-seekers. In this sense, apprenticeships are ideal, everyone’s a winner,” says Anschober, a member of the Green Party.
Source: France24
