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Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

services and guidance provision to migrants, to supply information, support
mobility and career planning.

8.1.4. Promoting early support and bilateral agreements
Guidance counselling should be available ahead of migration. Integration is more
successful if prospective migrants have access to quality information on host
countries before their departure. This includes access to quality information on
admission procedures, housing systems, health systems, social security issues,
labour market participation, learning opportunities, and recognition and validation
procedures. It also can include familiarisation with other cultures and learning the
host country language.
Such processes are made more effective by cooperation between origin and
host countries, through the responsible ministries and services for integration.
Alongside face-to-face support, some of these services can also be provided
online. Host countries can take the initiative to provide fundamental online
information in foreign languages, to support entry, recognition, study and work
permit processes and to rationalise flows/applications.

8.1.5. Identifying target groups needs to inform integration strategies
To design effective guidance activities it is important to identify target groups and
their needs, and to engage them in planning and implementation. Adequate tools,
methodologies and staff training will frequently depend on this step in programme
design. It is important for policy that immigrant groups in the population and their
significance are known, so that resources can be allocated to integration
programmes. This requires previous delimitation and characterisation of these
groups, their contexts, problems and potential. Cultural origins, age groups, skill
levels, degrees of acculturation and gender should be taken into account in this,
and will impact on strategies and methodologies.

8.1.6. Engaging immigrant communities
Defining integration measures should include a strategy of engaging individuals
and communities, which is attractive, transparent, ethical, and relies on
cooperation and immersion in the communities. Immigrant communities have
high integrative potential given the accumulated experience of their members in
adapting to the receiving country and in finding effective cultural equivalents and
translations across cultures. Contacts should be made with community
representatives so that immigrants can be involved as mentors, role models
(especially in gender issues) and tutors, and so that parental involvement is
guaranteed in youth programmes.

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