After the implementation of the new Dutch naturalisation law around 250 thousand migrants, who often already live in The Netherlands for years, are obliged to do a naturalisation course, including an exam. The costs for the course and the exams have to be partly paid by the migrants themselves.
The new law caused a lot of commotion. Eventually the Dutch government wanted to oblige all 800.000 migrants that come from outside of Europe to do the naturalisation course. But this was forbidden by the Dutch Council of State, since it is impossible to oblige naturalised Dutch people to do the course.
The new law obliges migrants to do the course to learn to speak and write Dutch and to improve the knowledge of the Dutch society. Most of the Dutch municipalities have outsourced the activities. The naturalisation course and exams need to be finished in five years. If people do not manage to pass the exams in time they will be fined.
A crew from the program Eòrpa from the Scottish BBC travels to the Netherlands to create a background reportage about new Dutch naturalisation law and the course migrants are obliged to do.
During the filming a varied migrant group gets a cultural language tour through the Amsterdam historical museum. Later they get lessons in the Dutch language and participants of the duo-project – one on one meetings between Dutch volunteers and migrants – is are followed and portrayed. Some so-called ‘old comers’ from Turkey, that already live in The Netherlands for many years, complain that they do not need the course,
For this reportage Featurez proposed the story idea, did the research, set up, and planning of the filming, booked a rental van, did the driving, accompanied the filming did the interviews and translations.