ABSTRACT In multiple EU Member States, immigrants are subjected to an increasing number of integration requirements in order to gain access to residency and political rights. This article explores the legitimacy of such requirements from the perspective of recent theories of social equality. According to these theories, states must seek to uphold a ‘community of equals’ and to avoid problematic status hierarchies between citizens. I argue that aspects of current integration schemes in EU states jeopardise social equality by indicating symbolic hierarchical variations in the status of non-immigrant citizens and citizens with certain immigrant backgrounds. First, there are integration requirements that convey the message that certain immigrants are unwanted or will never truly belong to the nation. Second, there are integration requirements that suggest that the citizenship of (certain) immigrants must be earned conditionally and is contingent on certain competences and efforts, while native-born citizens of the majority are implicitly perceived as natural possessors of their unconditional citizenship. I argue that these integration requirements are problematic from a social equality perspective. Integration requirements that suggest a status hierarchy between citizens who naturally belong and those who conditionally belong should be rejected.

中文翻译：

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有条件的归属：从社会平等的角度评估融入要求

摘要 在多个欧盟成员国，移民要满足越来越多的融入要求，以获得居留权和政治权利。本文从最近的社会平等理论的角度探讨了这些要求的合法性。根据这些理论，国家必须寻求维护“平等社区”并避免公民之间出现有问题的地位等级。我认为，欧盟国家当前一体化计划的各个方面通过表明非移民公民和具有某些移民背景的公民身份的象征性等级差异而危及社会平等。首先，融合要求传达了某些移民不受欢迎或永远不会真正属于国家的信息。第二，融入要求表明，（某些）移民的公民身份必须有条件地获得，并取决于某些能力和努力，而大多数本地出生的公民被隐含地视为其无条件公民身份的自然拥有者。我认为，从社会平等的角度来看，这些融合要求是有问题的。在自然归属的公民和有条件归属的公民之间暗示地位等级的整合要求应该被拒绝。我认为，从社会平等的角度来看，这些融合要求是有问题的。在自然归属的公民和有条件归属的公民之间暗示地位等级的整合要求应该被拒绝。我认为，从社会平等的角度来看，这些融合要求是有问题的。在自然归属的公民和有条件归属的公民之间暗示地位等级的整合要求应该被拒绝。