In Romania, in 2024, 202,000 migrants were registered, of which over 120,000 are third country nationals (TCNs,) most of them from Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey, China, Syria, Nepal, and over 82,000 are citizens of the European Union / EEA / CH, most of them from Italy, Germany and France. The main purposes for which foreigners have established their residence on the territory of Romania are employment, family reunification, the pursuit of studies, or being beneficiaries of a form of international protection.
The object of the present paper is to know, analyze and understand in detail the major obstacles for TCNs in accessing basic services and their specific needs in relation to the education in Romania. In addition to identifying the needs of the migrant citizens, this study includes the analysis of the strategies used in the processes of social integration and based on desk research, interviews and focus-groups with 50 persons (migrant citizens and asylum seekers/refugees). An interview guide and focus group specifically designed for this purpose were used. The data collected were analyzed through descriptive and relational statistics in order to meet the objectives of study and to identify and prioritize the needs indicated by the TCNs.
The results shown us that one of the main challenges that refugees and migrants face in Romania is the lack of sufficient Romanian language classes and also teachers who are trained to tackle discrimination towards the TCNs. By involving and empowering local teachers and professors to engage pupils in learning about the circle of discrimination, who the migrants are, and how the local communities could commit to helping, rather than excluding.

Keywords: Romanian society, education, accessing services, third country nationals, integration.