IOM Croatia organized a study visit to Lithuania for the stakeholders of TSI project
IOM Croatia organized a three-day study visit to Lithuania, as part of the project "Technical support for the integration of citizens of third countries in Croatia" (TSI). The visit was primarily organized for representatives of some of the main stakeholders of the project, whose work covers the area of integration of migrants from third countries in Croatia. In this way, representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Central State Office for Croats Abroad, Central State Office for Demography and Youth, Croatian Employment Service, Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, as well as the representative of the City of Osijek, were able to convince themselves of the best practices of their colleagues in Lithuania.
The first day included a visit to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor of the Republic of Lithuania. Lithuanian team presented legislative framework on migration and integration of TCNs, including newly developed Strategy on Demography, Migration, and Integration.
After that, the stakeholders had the opportunity to visit Invest Lithuania, Country's Investment Promotion Agency, a one-stop shop that informs, connects and supports foreign companies in Lithuania, all free of charge. As part of this visit, two programs were presented to our stakeholders.
Program Work in Lithuania is a platform dedicated to encouraging highly-skilled professionals living abroad to build their careers in Lithuania, while Create Lithuania is the only program in Lithuania for professional development and the application of the best foreign practices in Lithuania.
On the second day of study visit IOM Lithuania presented also two of their programmes:
A) Migration Information Centre which is a one-stop shop institution providing consultations for all returning Lithuanian migrants, or those who are still contemplating the idea to return to Lithuania.
B) MICenter a new Migration Information Centre for foreigners. MICenter is a centre for migrants and refugees seeking a safe haven in Lithuania and the integration into society, and its services are focused on helping them to resolve the complex issues that foreigners face when they arrive in Lithuania.
After that, a presentation was organized at the International House Vilnius (IHV) which is established in 2021 as a joint initiative of Go Vilnius, the city's official tourism and business development agency, and Work in Lithuania, a talent attraction program encouraging foreign talent to pursue careers in Lithuania.
On the third day of the visit, the participants had the opportunity to learn about the work of Caritas Vilnius, which holds an Integration program for foreigners. It provides social, legal, psychological and career counseling for refugees, migrants and third-country nationals.