MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Asscher stressed that many of the migrants had missed the 3-year deadline to meet integration requirements as part of the Civic Integration Act that came into force in January 2013.
"Fewer than half the people who should have passed a test by the first quarter of this year had done so," Asscher told parliament, as quoted by the Dutchnews English-language online outlet.
The ruling coalition Labour Party politician reportedly pledged to figure out "why the test is not working and so few people are taking it."
Asscher further reportedly claimed that refugees fare worse in the integration program than other migrants.
One of the proposed ways of fixing the system is extending the 3-year deadline, a measure opposed by other lawmakers. Those who oppose the move want to stop paying benefits and not extending residency permits to migrants who fail the integration test.
