Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1267088
5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 8 JULY 2020 NEWS SALES EXECUTIVES FULL-TIME / PART-TIME brother was apprehended just be- fore we left. In fact, I had already left on another boat. My brother's boat was intercepted," he said. Isa's brother is now being kept in a Libyan prison, and will only be released against monetary pay- ment. "I haven't spoken to him since the capture," he said. The asylum seekers said that generally people have been help- ful, giving them food and drink, although they occasionally hear someone shouting 'go back to your country' from a cowardly distance. "One time, in the ear- ly morning, someone threw an empty water bottle at us as we slept." The Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS) has said it did not evict any migrants from its open centres as migrants are provided temporary accommoda- tion for a specific period of time, a spokesperson for the Home Af- fairs Ministry said. The procedure has been in place since the inception of migrant centres in Malta, as migrants are only expected to leave the open centre upon the expiry of a con- tract. Irregular migrants are admit- ted to an initial reception centre where all documentation is pro- cessed. Soon after a contract is set up between the State and the migrants for them to reside in one of Malta's open centres, typically lasting nine months. During this time, the migrants are encour- aged to find a job and alternative housing. The only exceptions to this process are vulnerable mi- grants who reside at the centre for a longer period than other mi- grants. Migrants may also consider ap- plying for assisted voluntary re- turn to the country of origin and benefit from a reintegration grant. Integra Foundation Director Maria Pisani however has com- mented that the systems in place to integrate migrants into society are flawed. "The problem in itself is systemic and it has been made worse this year with the increase in the number of arrivals and COVID-19… The issue of transi- tion from the open centre to life in the community has been an is- sue that was never addressed in a concrete or competent way," she told The Malta Independent. Migrants still face barriers to legal and regular employment. "They also face exploitation in the labour market, which is also com- pounded with racism, something that they also have to deal with finding access to housing. If they don't have any material or finan- cial support they cannot afford housing anyway since they don't have a regular income," Pisani said. in the capital THE decision to move the No- vember graduation ceremonies to February and March has been taken too early, the university stu- dent council has lamented. On Tuesday, students who were due to graduate in November were informed by the universi- ty that the ceremony has been moved to February due to the circumstances arising from the pandemic. "In order to not delay the award of degrees/diplomas, Senate has decided they [graduates] will be officially conferred on all gradu- ands in absentia on 20 November 2020," the announcement read. After the date, students will be asked to collect their formal cer- tificate from the University. In a comment to MaltaToday, KSU president Matthew Xuereb said that while the council ex- pects the university to abide by health regulation, it feels such a decision has been taken too early. "We will see how the situation evolves in November, but I think it is too premature at this point, especially when we are seeing the return of tourists and the opening of entertainment ven- ues," he said. Several student organisations have also lamented the decision. KSU president lambasts decision to postpone graduation ceremony