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Labour market shortages, structural problems and unfavourable demographics have all prompted governments to act, often by focusing on high-skilled immigration. However, policy responses have been very different. Some countries were able to adopt quite open high-skilled immigration policies, while others did not. This article provides a political economy explanation for this. It argues that, despite similar pressures, high-skilled immigration policy outputs vary due to shifting coalitions between disaggregated sectors of native high-skilled, low-skilled labour and capital. To probe this argument, the article examines coalitions in four countries (France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom) from the late 1990s to present, and draws on original interviews with policy-makers, unions and employers' associations; official documents and the literature on immigration, political economy and public policy. The varying labour market organization of actors informs differences in coalitions which in turn has resulted in different high-skilled immigration policy outputs, cross-nationally and over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on an exploratory study of Polish 'returned' migrants aided by the Barka Foundation, carried out in 2010 shortly after the men were returned to Poland, during the liminal stage of readjustment and decision-making about whether to remain in Poland, return to the UK or migrate elsewhere. The interviews centred on migrants' assessment of their migration projects; engagement with Barka outreach workers; decision-making processes about returning to Poland; assessment of most pressing needs; evaluation of provided services once they returned to Poland; and plans for the future. Discussions with service providers mirrored these themes to compare the emic or insiders' (migrants) and etic or outsiders' (programme staff's) assessment of the strategies employed to aid Polish 'returned' migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigration policy is a very unlikely case for EU integration. EU policy-making is constrained by member states' sovereignty claims and interest heterogeneity. Still, tentative integration towards EU conditions of entry and residence for some immigrant categories can be observed. By using the example of the skilled labour migration directive, the article explains how deadlock in policy-making was overcome. It explores the factors that led to agreement in the EU immigration policy area, from the Commission's first proposal on labour migration in 2001 to its adoption in 2009. Explanations for integration in the policy area are member states' venue shopping the EU level for changing domestic legislation, their interest in locking-in national standards in EU law, and the EU Commission's agenda-framing. Strategic partitioning of policy was also used by actors to overcome deadlock in policy-making. The reframing of policies, by reducing their scope to a few narrowly defined immigrant categories, influenced their adoption. This mechanism was observed in studying the eight years of policy-making leading to the labour migration directive. The longitudinal analysis helps to identify the key dynamics that define this nascent EU policy area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with individual and contextual effects on the religiosity of first and second generation migrants in Europe. Noticing that little attention has been directed towards intergenerational transmission of religion in processes of integration, we argue for an intergenerational perspective on immigrant religiosity. Social integration theory is used to derive the hypothesis that second generation immigrants are less religious than the first generation. Perceived discrimination is introduced in the immigrant-religion research to account for the stress buffering capacities of religion. On the contextual level we expect a positive effect of native religiosity and religious diversity. Three aspects of religiosity are examined: (1) religious affiliation, (2) inner religiosity and (3) praying. We use four waves (2002-2008) of the European Social Survey ( ESS) in a 3-level random intercept multilevel model with 19,567 individuals, 235 regions and 26 countries. Among others, the most interesting results are that (1) second generation immigrants are less religious than their first generation counterparts, (2) perceived discrimination has a positive effect on immigrant religiosity and the effect is greater for the second generation, (3) native religiosity has a positive effect on immigrant religiosity with a greater effect on the second generation as well and (4) the influence on migrant religiosity is more salient at the regional than at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present findings from an anthropological field study on the role of language and language policy in migration from Poland to Norway, and the larger implications for emerging language and immigration policy in Europe. Initial fieldwork in Norway found that Polish workers without knowledge of the Norwegian language struggled to secure employment in the formal economy. The 2008 financial crisis intensified competition in the labour market and underscored fluency in Norwegian as a means of discriminating among workers. Comparative case studies of language schools revealed that these organizations are active participants in channeling Polish migrants' movements into a segmented labour market, often in ways that involve cooperation between private companies and the State. We frame the Norwegian case within the larger context of Europe and the trend there toward favoring integration over multiculturalism. The emergence of restrictive language policies in Europe may be interpreted as a legally and culturally acceptable means for discouraging access to rights associated with permanent residency or citizenship by work migrants from CEE countries, while at the same time permitting them access to the labour market for temporary work. The long-term consequences of such policies for European society are uncertain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the role of sending states in migrant transnationalism, with a particular focus on Turkish state influence on migrants in the Netherlands. According to the author, the influence of the sending state depends on the nature and purpose of its interaction with migrants abroad and can vary significantly over time. It is suggested that migrants' length of stay and political climates in Turkey and in host countries have played significant roles in Turkish government policy towards Turkish nationals abroad. Details on the regulation of remittances and Turkish government concerns over opposition groups' activities abroad are presented. Other topics include guestworkers, political parties, and the cultural education of Turkish children living abroad.

Wild assumptions, estimates and number games are made in regard to irregular migration flows. While the numbers cited are, in fact, often dated and of unclear origin, reports use such numbers to suggest a rise in irregular migration; they also usually assume that irregular entry and, to some extent, overstaying are the only significant pathways into irregularity. To properly account for irregular migration flows, however, both in- and outflows, as well as the complex ways of becoming (or ceasing to be) an 'irregular migrant', have to be included. Thus, apart from irregular migration flows in the narrow sense, like unlawful entry and emigration of persons (unrecorded returns, registered voluntary returns and deportations), other flows - notably status-related inflows (overstaying, withdrawal of residence status, rejection of asylum claims), status-related outflows (regularisation, ex lege changes of the legal status of irregular migrants, etc.) and flows related to vital events (births and deaths), must be considered. The article provides a critical appraisal of available data sources, indicators, estimates and methods to estimate irregular migration flows. In the context of a case study, we then analyse statistics of apprehensions at the EUROPEAN UNION's external borders in Eastern Europe as indicators of geographical flows -- migration flows in the narrow sense -- arguing that despite the many limitations of the available data, the data can nevertheless be used as indicators of certain trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, all European societies have experienced continued and increasing migrations, albeit with very different intensities and characteristics. Our focus is on new immigrants -- those who have come from abroad in the past 15 years -- in both old and new receiving West European countries. Comparative analyses on this issue are rather weak as the literature on immigrant integration in the labour market is well-established in the old receiving countries, but is just beginning to be developed in the newer receiving ones. The article aims at introducing the articles collected in this special issue, which present the results of a research project that concerns six European countries -- Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. Our focus is on inequalities between immigrants and natives with respect to the risk of unemployment and to the access to highly qualified occupations. After having highlighted similarities and differences across those countries, we tried to draw some general conclusions concerning the main factors that may have shaped new immigrants' incorporation into West European labour markets. In particular, the role played by the nature of immigration and by the labour demand seems to be crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article focuses on the comprehensive and global response to the issue of international migration. These include expanding of temporary migration particularly within Europe and removing obstacles to the mobility of highly educated professionals, creating jobs and economic opportunities in the sending countries, and strengthening efforts to lessen the criminal cases of migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

Looks into the research in connnection with human trafficking within and into Europe. Focus on trafficking for sexual exploitation, domestic service and labor exploitation; Increase in the funding for counter-trafficking efforts; Argument over interdisciplinary approach to the issue of trafficking and assessment of counter-trafficking strategies.

In recent decades, the southern European countries of Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece have all undergone transformation from senders to receivers of migrants. On the basis of this common feature, they have been grouped together in recent discussions of migration experiences and prospects. However, as revealed in comparisons made possible by the newly available data set from Greece's first regularization programme, the migration experience of Greece departs radically from that of other southern Europe countries. To an extent unparalleled in southern Europe, Greece has been subject to an immigration impact as the result of the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe, some of which share borders with Greece. Characteristics of Greece's major source countries differ from those of other countries of southern Europe (1) in that they are former communist countries that appear to have a long and difficult road of economic transition ahead, (2) with respect to proximity, and (3) in terms of dominance of a single source country. These differences have important implications for future patterns of migration and of articulation of the labour markets of receiving countries with those of specific sending countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the asylum policies in Europe. Experiences of asylum seekers; Discussion of the reservations regarding the policies; Involvement of traffickers in negotiating restrictive asylum policies; Exposure of asylum seekers to vulnerability; Links between asylum policies, trafficking and vulnerability.

Presents an overview of the legal and policy issues affecting refugee and asylum-seeking women in Europe. Types of persecution experienced by women; Status of women relative to men; Legal basis for asylum; Lack of recognition to the range of experiences of refugees.

Examines the role of migration on the spread of AIDS in Eastern Europe and the Community of Independent State countries. Effect of the collapse of communist systems on the region's health services pressured by growing number of migrants; Labor migration in former Soviet states contributing to the prevalence of AIDS cases in the area.

Presents a study conducted on international migration policy objectives between Central/Eastern (C/EEc) and Western European countries. Participants of the study; Division of Europe; Competition between Eastern Europeans and Third World immigrants in Western Europe; Recommendations for migration policy.

Discusses the volume of labor immigration into Western Europe, particularly Switzerland, Sweden, France, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Increase in output of industrial and service sectors in post-war era; Various sources of foreign labor; Comparison of the migration policies of the individual countries; New temporary migration schemes.

The article focuses on the South-North migration systems in the European Community (EC). It says that South-North refers to the migration streams between Less Developed Countries (LDCs) and industrialized countries. It states that combined demographic trends, age structures, and activity rates can cause unprecedented labour force growth in LDCs. It adds that striking economic and social equalities are disparities among industrialized and developing countries. It concludes that the future of South-North migration regarding Europe depends on the economic growth and policies of industrialized countries in the field of international migration.

The article offers information on the return migration, along with its meaning, its modalities, and its consequences in Europe. It states that the return migration is a variety of movements on topics including the return of emigrants, the return of foreign workers at the end of their temporary contracts, and the repatriation of administrators of foreign colonies. It mentions the importance of distinguishing the types of migration flows to analyze the consequences of return migration. It also highlights the characteristics of migrants, such as returnees and emigrants.