Österreichischer Integrationsfonds

The Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) is a partner of the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs along with many responsible authorities on integration and migration in Austria. The fund runs integration centres located throughout Austria offering information and counseling services. The ÖIF focuses its activity on • Recognized refugees, beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, and third-country nationals • People from a migrant background • Institutions, organizations and key communicators in integration, social affairs and education • Austrian society The ÖIF was founded in 1960 by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR and the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BM.I) under the name United Nations Refugee Fund (Flüchtlingsfonds der Vereinten Nationen). The Hungarian crisis in 1956 and the resulting wave of refugees made it clear that Austria needs an appropriate institutional framework to support refugees. Following its separation from the Federal Ministry of the Interior in 1991, the year 2002 was a milestone in the history of the ÖIF. At that point, the service profile of the ÖIF was expanded, and since then the ÖIF shares responsibility for implementing the Integration Agreement. Within this framework, the ÖIF handles German tests for different skill levels across Austria and evaluates German integration courses to ensure consistent quality. With integration centers in all state capitals as well as mobile counseling services in towns, the ÖIF assists immigrants throughout Austria with their integration process by providing counseling and information.