When Nordic Migration Research (NMR) was launched in 2008, there was total agreement among the founding members that one of the primary objectives of the organization was to establish a high-quality, interdisciplinary Nordic journal for research on international migration and migration-related issues in an international and transnational setting. Accordingly, the NMR statutes define the aim of the Nordic Journal for Migration Research (NJMR) as "devoted to publishing high-quality, peer -reviewed research in different aspects of international migration and ethnic relations, such as integration, ethnicity/race, culture, religion, marginalization, citizenship, nationalism, discrimination and racism". The statutes further specify that the NJMR aims to develop into "a forum for both applied and theoretical research, seeking to attract high-quality, original contributions from both Nordic and non-Nordic countries", and that an important part of its mission and raison d'etre would be to focus particularly, although not exclusively, on the areas mentioned above with respect to their relevance to and impact on "the Nordic countries in a global perspective" (Hedetoft & Sicakkan 2011: 1).

The considerable diversity among Sweden's immigrants reflects a humanitarian migration policy. Refugees have arrived in the country since the 1970s and 1980s, with their countries of origin shifting according to the ethnic and political conflicts of any given period. Sweden is also a longstanding magnet for labor migration from surrounding Scandinavia, and has attracted mobile EU citizens since its entry into the European Union in 1995—and especially following the EU enlargements of 2004 and 2007. Sweden's immigration flows continue to change today, as policy reforms in 2008 allowed employers to bring non-EU labor migrants to the country for the first time in decades. This report assesses how new immigrants to Sweden fare in the country's labor market. It shows that employment rates during newcomers’ initial years in Sweden are relatively depressed for low-educated refugees and migrants who come based on family ties, in comparison to natives and labor migrants from EU countries. Since Sweden's refugees and family arrivals are not selected through employment-related criteria, they are likely to lack locally in-demand skills and are often out of work in the years immediately after arrival. The obstacles these groups face can be exacerbated by certain features of Sweden’s labor market, such as high minimum wages, a relatively small pool of low-skilled jobs, and stringent employment protection for permanent work.

In 2008, Sweden changed its labour-migration policy to facilitate more labour migration from countries outside the EU. Most state ambitions to shape labour migration, including practices such as the use of labour-market tests and the assessment of migrants' human capital, were abandoned and the responsibility to select migrants was transferred to employers. We use Swedish register data and adopt a difference-in-differences approach to assess the effects of the policy change on labour migrants' labour income, in comparison to non-EU migrants who moved to Sweden for reasons other than work. The effects of the policy change are substantial. Labour migration from outside the EU increased and its composition changed after the reform, resulting in a significant decrease in mean income. We conclude that changes in their occupational composition were the main drivers of the income drop for labour migrants. In sum, the new non-selective labour-migration policy lowered labour migrants' mean income by opening the door to unskilled labour.

In 2008, Sweden introduced a non-selective labour migration policy without labour market tests and human capital considerations. This article studies the effects of the policy change on the size, composition and labour market outcomes. Using longitudinal register data, we find that the 2008 liberalizations of the Swedish labour migration policy increased the number of labour migrants from non-EU countries. Post-reform labour migrant cohorts have on average lower level of human capital, and the lower level of human capital translates into worse labour market outcomes. One year after migration, post-reform cohorts have a higher skills-mismatch and about 30 percent lower income. Migration controls against abuse introduced in 2011 and 2012 improved the labour market outcomes somewhat.

This paper analyses the marital dissolution of binational couples (i.e. couples comprised of immigrants and natives) in countries with traditionally distinct integration models: Canada, the United States and France. Previous studies appeal to cultural differences to explain the higher divorce rates of binational couples but they omit the potential effect of migration or that of environmental factors such as immigration policies and attitudes towards migration and intermarriage. In order to test a model that includes all these factors, an identical online survey was conducted in the cited countries. The concepts ‘binational couples’ and ‘culture’ were disentangled into specific types of couples and variables. While being involved in a binational marriage was not found to be a significant predictor of divorce, being involved in one where both partners are foreign born decreases the risk of divorce. Religion, family values and families’ perception of a relationship are also significantly related to marital stability.

This deliverable consists of five tasks which were designed to gain an in-depth and broad understanding of the state-of-the-art on research, policy and practice on integration of refugees and host community relations. This was undertaken to form a foundation upon which to build Work Packages focusing on the field work (WP 3 and 4), the development of a refugee and host community toolbox (WP5 and 6) and the dissemination of all of these (WP7). To achieve this, WP2 has been divided into five separate, though highly interrelated Tasks. This includes; Task 2.1. a state-of-the-art review of the literature and research on the socio-economic integration of refugees. Task 2.2. a state- of-the-art review of the literature and research on the socio-psychological integration of refugees. Task 2.3 Part I. a comparative analysis of integration policies in Croatia, Germany, Jordan and Sweden. Task 2.3 Part II. a qualitative study of professionals’ views on integration practices in Europe. Task 2.4 a state-of-the-art desk review, interviews with key informants and a workshop with practitioners on the tools and solutions for successful integration of refugees. Finally, Task 2.5, a state-of-the-art review on the flows and patterns of asylum migration from Syria to, and sometimes through, Croatia, Germany, Jordan and Sweden.

The findings of these tasks showed the following. First, there are significant gaps in our knowledge about aspects of integration of refugees beyond labour market integration. This is especially apparent with regards to the understanding of socio-psychological integration. In addition, WP 2.4 also highlighted that practitioners noted that they were unable to keep up to date with the latest research on integration of refugees and that while general tools and solutions exist, they were often difficult to navigate anat d implement on the ground in different contexts. Therefore, the challenge is not just to fill this knowledge gaps, but also to disseminate the findings in an impactful way to key stakeholders and end users. Our new understanding of these knowledge gaps has already been drawn on to shape the methodology of the field research (WP 3-4), I the hope of addressing them in part at least. The results of WP3-4 will, in turn, inform the development of the toolbox in WP 5-6, as will the engagement of end users with the research findings.

Second, when looking at the integration policies of the four research sites, as well as the views on integration policies more generally by key actors in Europe, we can see there are shared approaches and foci. For example, how integration is understood, and the focus on achieving it by granting access to the labour market in all states, or more activity encouraging and facilitating this access (which can be seen in the European states and Jordan). While EU laws may have an impact here, as identified in WP 2.3 Part II, this is also a result of many organisations reliance on the EU’s AMIF funding, which key stakeholders and practitioners reported as having a significant impact on integration policy and practice.

Finally, with the exception of a few cases in Sweden, most of the refugees from Syria have been issued temporary residence permits in the four states. While the nature and duration of these vary considerably, securing permanent residency requires that the refugee has ‘integrated’ to some degree (except in the case of Jordan where acquiring permanent residence is not possible). The demand of the three European states vary, but, for example, all require the refugee has either secured employment or has reached a certain level of language proficiency etc. In general, with the exception of Sweden (who mainstreamed migration in all state activities), there is a lack of state-run public awareness raising initiatives or activities to encourage the host community to fulfil their part of the integration process. Here the findings of WP 2.4 provide a valuable resource in reflecting on small- and large-scale integration policies and the tools that have been used to bridge this gap between the two communities.

In a globalised world with an increasing division of labour, the competition for highly skilled individuals-regardless of their origin-is growing, as is the value of such individuals for national economies. Yet the majority of studies analysing the economic integration of immigrants shows that those who are highly skilled also have substantial hurdles to overcome: their employment rates and salaries are lower and they face a higher education-to-occupation mismatch compared to highly skilled natives. This paper contributes to the paucity of studies on the employment patterns of highly skilled immigrants to Sweden by providing an overview of the socio-demographic characteristics, labour-market participation and occupational mobility of highly educated migrants in Sweden. Based on a statistical analysis of register data, we compare their employment rates, salaries and occupational skill level and mobility to those of immigrants with lower education and with natives. The descriptive analysis of the data shows that, while highly skilled immigrants perform better than those with a lower educational level, they never catch up with their native counterparts. Our regression analyses confirm these patterns for highly skilled migrants. Furthermore, we find that reasons for migration matter for highly skilled migrants' employment outcomes, with labour migrants having better employment rates, income and qualification-matched employment than family reunion migrants and refugees.

The aim of this article was twofold: first, to provide an overview of immigration and integration policies in Sweden, and second, to analyse the labour market integration of humanitarian migrants who arrived in Sweden between 1998 and 2012 relative to other migrants and natives.

This paper provides an overview of the socio-demographic characteristics, labour-market participation and occupational mobility of highly educated immigrants1 in Sweden. Based on a statistical analysis of register data, we compare their employment rates, salaries and occupational skill level and mobility to those of immigrants with lower education and with natives. Among the questions addressed in this paper are: What is the socio-demographic profile of highly skilled immigrants to Sweden? Where do they come from and how do they enter the country? Are there differences in highly educated immigrants’ employment rates by citizenship status, migration entry route and place of birth? How do the salaries of highly educated men and women compare between immigrants and natives? What is the education-to-job match for them? How do occupational mobility patterns compare for highly educated immigrants versus those with lower education? Finally, are there differences in occupational skill level for highly educated migrants by entry route? Our results show that, while highly skilled immigrants perform better than those with a lower educational level, they never catch up with their native counterparts.

This paper analyses the marriage patterns of multi-ethnic people – who have one native-born and one foreign-born parent – born in Sweden (multi-ethnic Swedes). Based on Swedish register data from the period 1997–2016 and multinomial regression analysis, this paper looks into the generational transmission of inter- and intra-marriage for multi-ethnic Swedes versus mono-ethnic individuals who have two native-born parents (mono-ethnic Swedes). It also analyses specific partner choices for multi-ethnic and mono-ethnic Swedes as well as the contribution of other factors to their marriage patterns. We find that the odds of multi-ethnic Swedes marrying individuals with a foreign background are higher than those of mono-ethnic Swedes. Living in one of the three major cities was found to be the strongest predictor among other factors affecting marital patterns. Our results also show that highly educated multi-ethnic and mono-ethnic Swedes are slightly less likely to marry individuals with a foreign background than they are to marry mono-ethnic Swedes.

Due to globalization and international migration to and from Sweden, the option to choose a life partner who is of migrant background has been increasing in Sweden. Despite the growth of and greater ethnic and racial diversity in mixed marriages in Sweden, however, few researchers have studied such unions to any great extent. This article focuses on mixed marriages in which one person is of Swedish background and the other of a different ethnic or racial background. It questions whether Sweden is becoming what is metaphorically described as a melting pot or a salad bowl. The article, first, includes a meta-analysis of existing research on mixed marriage and families in Sweden. These studies present the actual numbers and patterns of mixed marriages and the socioeconomic status of mixed families as well as attitudes toward mixed marriage. The second part turns to analysis of 2014 register data, which shows how such factors as gender, country of origin, and immigrant generation affect the composition of mixed marriages and the socioeconomic status of mixed families.

Delmi Policy Brief 2023:2 summarizes the main results of two EU-funded projects. The projects study how refugee integration policies stand in relation to the EU-directives and other EU countries, in contrast to the experiences of beneficiaries of integration policies.

Empirical evidence suggests that immigrants appear to be more entrepreneurially active than native people. While the formation of new firms by immigrants has been widely studied, the literature about the performance of these new ventures created by immigrants after their inception remains scarce and anecdotal. This study sheds light on firm-internal and firm-external factors that affect the life expectancy of new firms created by immigrants within a local economy during a period of recession, when the creation of firms is particularly important. The results show that immigrant entrepreneurs are more likely to quit their businesses earlier than their native counterparts. We argue that this may be partially explained by the liability of foreignness faced by immigrants.

The economic integration of immigrants has become a challenging topic in the European political agenda. This is especially true for countries that are struggling to survive the economic recession which started in 2008. In this context, entrepreneurship emerges as an alternative to unemployment. While the self-employment propensity of immigrants is well documented, little is known about the performance of these ventures. This article contributes to the literature by comparing and explaining the differential earnings of self-employed versus salaried immigrants in Spain. A binary logistic regression is applied to explore data collected by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor project for 2005 and 2006. Our findings show that self-employed immigrants’ income exceeds that of salaried workers. Human capital and location-related environmental variables were found to be the best predictors of both self-employed and salaried immigrants’ earnings.

The liability of foreignness is a phenomenon scarcely studied in the entrepreneurship literature. While immigrants seem to be prone to create new firms, they face different sorts of barriers to launch new businesses. We apply a binomial logistic regression on Global Entrepreneurship Monitor data to compare immigrants’ and natives’ entrepreneurial intentions to the actual self-employment activity of each group, and the factors affecting potential differences. We found that immigrants are more likely to have self-employment plans than natives but less likely to end up becoming self-employed. We explain this gap by the liability of foreignness hypothesis, i.e. additional difficulties faced by immigrants when entering the job market or starting up a business in a new country such as poor language skills, the lack of labour experience, the lack of human and social capital endowments specific to that country, and institutional restrictions including discrimination.

This comprehensive brief, authored by Nahikari Irastorza, Basak Yavcan, and Carmine Conte, presents key findings and policy recommendations derived from the comparative analysis of the Whole-COMM survey on public opinions regarding refugee integration in four European countries: Austria, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.

The policy brief highlights the crucial role of national and local policymakers in promoting inclusive integration policies that address the diverse needs of migrant populations. It offers concrete recommendations aimed at:

• Promoting a comprehensive understanding of integration as a mutual learning process.
• Addressing differences in attitudes towards migrants from different regions.
• Achieving better integration policies based on MIPEX-L scores.Handling structural constraints and fostering inter-group contact.
• Reflecting on the linkages between integration policy frameworks and public attitudes on migration.

This comparative working paper reports on the analysis of the Whole-COMM survey on public opinions on the integration of refugees from outside Europe and Ukraine to four European countries: Austria, Germany, Italy and Sweden. It also summarizes the key findings of a pilot integration policy index, MIPEX-L whose result are analysed in relation to the typology of the localities selected by the project as well as the survey results sampled from these localities in an attempt to link attitudes and policies.

This chapter gives an overview of the socioeconomic situation of Asian immigrants, and their decedents, in Sweden. With the steady growth in the number of immigrants from Asian countries to Sweden since the 1970s, Asians are becoming increasingly visible among the Swedish population. However, they are rarely represented in the public, political, and academic discussions. As a first step to tackle the “narrative scarcity” (Lee and Ramakrishnan, RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 7 (2):, 1–20, 2021), we use register data to describe the educational position and employment situation of the 10 largest East, South and Southeast Asian groups in Sweden, in comparison to non-Asian immigrant groups. We found differences based on the regions of origin: East Asian groups are highly educated but have lower employment rates. Once employed, they work in highly skilled occupations. Southeast Asians have lower education and, therefore, are underrepresented in highly skilled jobs but have high employment rates. South Asians stand between these two groups.

This special issue brings together nine articles on the experiences of multiracial and multiethnic individuals from nine different countries across the globe – the United Kingdom, Sweden, Ireland, Spain, Canada, the United States, Japan, Singapore and Israel. The articles in this volume address the diverse experiences of the identification, socialising and mainstreaming of multiethnic and multiracial individuals in different national contexts. The collection consists of both qualitative and quantitative research from various disciplines in the social sciences and thus contributes to an interdisciplinary understanding and a multi-method approach to this reality. Through a cross-country analysis of the results provided by each paper, this Introduction proposes a conceptual framework for better understanding the realities of mixedness globally.

Increasing migration worldwide and the cultural diversity generated as a consequence of international migration has facilitated the unions of people from different countries, religions, races, and ethnicities. Such unions are often celebrated as a sign of integration; however, at the same time as they challenge people’s idea of us and them, intermarriages in fact still remain controversial, and even to some extent, taboo in many societies. Research and theorizing on intermarriage is conducted predominantly in the English- speaking North American and British contexts. This special issue includes empirical studies from not only the English-speaking countries such as the U.S., Canada, and the UK, but also from Japan, Sweden, Belgium, France, and Spain and demonstrate the increasingly diverse directions taken in the study of intermarriage in regards to the patterns, experiences, and social implications of intermarriages. Moreover, the articles address the assumed link between intermarriage and ‘‘integration.’’

In this paper, we investigate whether integration policy improves refugees' economic performance, specifically examining the effects on refugees' income of Sweden's 2010 reform of the introduction programme (or IP). We also evaluate how the reform effects vary depending on refugees' gender and educational attainment. Our key finding shows a strong positive effect of the reform on refugees' income, immediately after the completion of the IP. More importantly, this positive effect intensifies over time, with no signs of diminishing, which implies a longer-term effect of the reform. Furthermore, the effects of the reform do not significantly vary between men and women or between the highly educated and the less-educated, suggesting that the new Swedish IP benefits refugees to the same extent, regardless of their gender and educational attainment.

This report presents a data inventory on available statistical data on various aspects of post-2014 migrant settlement and integration, as well as contextual characteristics in small- and medium-sized town and rural areas (SMsTRA). Understanding various aspects of migrant integration at different governance levels is crucial. To do so, quantitative data on integration policies, outcomes and contexts are particularly useful in conducting cross-country comparative analysis and in understanding trends over time. Furthermore, data allow us to analyse the role that policies play on migrant integration outcomes. This report therefore lists and explains the main sources and datasets on integration policy, integration outcomes, public perception and attitudes and social cohesion. Our analysis shows that despite improvements in data availability in the EU, there is still a lack of sub-national data on these issues, which limits cross-country and cross-locality comparisons.