The group consisting of 3 adults and 3 children from Somalia will be relocated in Portugal as part of the intra EU Relocation from Malta (EUREMA) pilot project, which aims to relocate refugees from Malta to other EU Member States.
UNHCR Malta is responsible for the identification and initial screening of potential candidates for relocation to the respective participating countries. The assessment process is based on individual needs and agreed selection criteria. It is the receiving countries that take the final decision about who to accept for relocation.
IOM provided a 5-hour pre-departure orientation class to help the refugees develop realistic expectations of their new lives in Portugal. IOM will also assist the refugees during boarding procedures, and in transit.
A representative of the Embassy of Portugal in Malta will be present at the departure.
Upon their arrival in Portugal, all beneficiaries will be sheltered in the reception centre of Bobadela (Lisbon municipality) where they will be given housing support, food and clothing, Portuguese language courses, childcare, employment services and other forms of assistance during their transition period to self-sufficiency.
The refugees had arrived in Malta by boat and had spent some years in Malta living in open centers.
This pilot relocation project is in response to the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum agreed in October 2008. It constitutes the largest intra-European resettlement operation with IOM support so far.
In Malta the project is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Justice & Home Affairs, IOM, UNHCR and the Emigrant’s Commission.
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