2007-10-15

Sweden best for immigrants

From the department of the-marketplace-is-not-always-the-most-efficient:
A study of how Europe integrates immigrants has exposed wide variations in the welcome foreign workers receive.

The European Union-backed research found Sweden doing the most to help migrants settle - and Latvia the least.

Overall, EU nations are only doing half as much as they could, said researchers acting for a consortium of 25 organisations across Europe.

The study of policies across the continent ranks countries on key factors affecting immigrants' lives.

The Migration Integration Policy Index is produced by a consortium of European organisations, led by the British Council and the Migration Policy Group in Brussels.
The reason Sweden is like this is not because its people are somehow more friendly than others, or that the migrants going there are somehow the nicest in the world - it's because there is an intelligent form of state-based aid to help immigrants assimilate into their new society. If Australia or other places in the world want good immigrants then it might be time to examine the Swedish example.

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