Don’t waste money on reaching Europe unless you need refuge

Some 15,000 young men are said to have left the Kurdistan Region of Iraq recently for a better life in Europe. Slipping in with the bigger group of refugees from Syria, often posing as Syrians themselves, they took the dangerous road to the future.

Yet their situation cannot be compared to that of most Syrian refugees. These young men might have suffered from the fact that Baghdad has not paid the Kurdish region out of the national budget for the past three months, meaning that civil servants – over 75 percent of all workers – again did not get paid.

They may be fed up with the political situation in Kurdistan, where the conflict among the parties about an extension to the presidential term is slowing down most decisions. Or they may be fed up with living so near to the war.

Among themselves and within their families, young Kurds talk about the refugees entering Europe, and that they may be able to slip in too. Sometimes, parents even give their sons the money to pay smugglers for the trip.

Yet, not much has changed for those who in Europe are branded as economic migrants. For them, the door is not open. Most do not realize that the chances being able to stay in Europe are slim, and how much time, money and energy they are wasting.

In the asylum procedure they will have to start in any of the European countries, the authorities will check whether they fled a life threatening situation. For the Kurdistan Region, generally, that is not considered to be the case. Even Iraqis who fled the violence of the radical terror group ISIS might well be turned away, if the officials think they could find a safe haven in the region.

About a week after registering, the first decision will be made: is there enough reason to check the background of the applicants in detail, or is it clear they are not in danger? With so many refugees and migrants that have to be interviewed, this might take longer than normal, but all applicants have to remain in the asylum centers and wait for the decision.

Even if the young Kurds are allowed to remain in Europe for the moment – because they claim to be Syrians for instance – they will most probably get refused in the next stage of the procedure. Their dialect will be recognized as not Syrian, or they may be found not to have good knowledge of the geography of the place they claim to come from.

Next to refugees, Europe only accepts migrants that can boost specialized knowledge that is needed: musicians, doctors and nurses for instance. Other labor comes in from the newer EU member states, like builders and painters from Poland.

Those 15,000 young Kurds will mostly be considered as luck seekers, and that is not considered a reason for giving them residency. Even though more and more voices are heard saying that foreign labor is needed because of the aging European population -- whilst luck seekers often are very motivated people -- the rules remain strict and tough.

Look for instance at the Syrian family that was recently refused a residency permit in the Netherlands, and has been told to leave. A judge decided that the Christian family can safely go to Armenia, where the grandparents lived until the genocide of 1915.

This is what refugees and migrants do not hear, but should: that even after having lived in Europe for two years or longer, they still can be told to leave; that many people waited for years in the asylum camps, fighting negative decisions, to still be eventually flown back.

Recently, a group of over 70 Iraqis from Baghdad stepped on a plane for home from Belgium. They were returned because their stories were considered too much alike, so their procedures were stopped. They were given the chance to be flown back with 250 euros in pocket money.

As these cases show, battles to get a residency are tough. Although the story of three-year-old old Alan Kurdi, who drowned with his brother and mother on the way to Greece, touched many European hearts, migrants generally are not welcomed and asylum seekers will only get a temporary refuge.

The general mood is negative. Luck seekers are considered to be opportunists, and not a valuable asset to the society and the country. Even those who have every right to ask for asylum are looked upon with distrust – and that is partly caused by those who lied about their situation.

Of the 15,000 Kurds, most will be back home within the next months, after having wasted time and money, enriched the smugglers and negatively influenced Europe’s view of refugees.

I hope others who still consider to go will realize this, and drop their plans,  If not for themselves, then for those who really need refuge.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.