World Bank: Immigration policies in Sweden and the United Kingdom

A key challenge...is to create an environment that allows foreigners to become members of local communities rather than outcasts. Contrasting the recent migration policies of Sweden and the United Kingdom gives some insight into different modulations for managing immigration and its accompanying issues. Immigration plays a big role in both countries: in 2008 foreign-born people accounted for 14 percent of the Sweden’s population and 11 percent of the British population. Both have fairly liberal policies toward migrants from the new EU member states, but they have different ways of assimilating foreigners. Sweden allows foreigners to access almost all benefits available to natives, setting clear rules on how to obtain citizenship. The United Kingdom’s appeal does not come from its migration policy. The country attracts highly skilled newcomers for a range of reasons: cultural diversity, low language barriers, metropolitan centers such as London, and the presence of multinational companies. If newcomers calculate the probability of obtaining a job, they will most certainly go to a country where the pool is bigger. With many minorities already in the country, an immigrant may easily find his or her ethnic group, work in the native language, and/or live close to native culture. European countries need models to learn from in managing immigration. Sweden and the United Kingdom offer contrasting examples, but both have aspects that deserve study, adaptation, and even emulation...Read more