POLICY PAPER Promising Practices in Migration Policy One-stop-shops: coordinating integration from day one Dirk Gebhardt and Bella Kosmala »The first contact with a reception service is not neutral(…). Because in that first moment it is still possible to see the person as a whole. Before they become mere ›access data‹ and the system loses sight of what happened next. The question that rarely appears in the design is how we are configuring the trajectory of a person through this first contact. Not just what resources we have available. Also what we are favouring and what we are leaving out. What barriers we are not seeing. What opportunities we are not recognising, for the person and for the city. Because we are talking about new neighbours. And a well-thought-out welcome is not just a service. It is a commitment to social cohesion.« Glória Elena Rendon Toro, former Coordinator of the One-stop-shop SAIER, Barcelona Introduction Newcomers often arrive in a new city with only limited knowledge of how the local society works and where to go for support. This may be the case whether they have moved from a neighbouring country or from the other side of the world. Questions such as how to register for child care, access health care, find work, have qualifica­tions recognised or apply for a residence permit can quickly become complex and overwhelming. How much more so when someone also has to cope with a new lan­guage, unfamiliar institutions and financial insecurity. When people are unable to access the right information and support early on, the consequences can be signifi­cant. Migrants may end up working in jobs below their qualifications, struggle to access health care or housing, or become isolated from wider community life. Problems One-stop-shops: coordinating integration from day one 1