| Summary: | The purpose of this thesis is to find out how the implementation of immigrant integration
policies have affected immigrants and whether in turn, this has had an effect within the
Finnish economic sector. This paper will specifically focus on the decision making
processes behind immigrant integration policies, highlighting its different scopes,
efficiency as well as the different roles the various actors play and contribute to shaping
these policies.
Historically, the issue of immigration was a crucial concern throughout Europe which
ultimately brought about high demand for labour, meaning Europe was in desperate need
of a high number of qualified immigrants. However, in recent times, there has been a shift
and influx of refugee immigration, which brought about significant challenges including
the need to integrate these immigrants into their new host societies. This influx of
immigration resulted in prohibitive policies at the macro and micro level i.e. European
Union level and National level, making it difficult for successful integration measures to
take place. This, in turn, affected the labour market and put a strain on the welfare state
because there was a high number of unskilled labour and high demand for social
assistance.
Through the analysis of case studies, government records, EU portals and network portals
as well as policy journals, the study concluded that the chain of immigrants coming into
to the EU and specifically into Finland are mostly highly skilled and educated individuals
from war-torn countries seeking asylum, followed closely by economic immigrants who
come into the country seeking better jobs and improved standards of living. They manage
to successfully retain their original cultures while at the same time engaging themselves
with their new cultures thus successfully being integrated into the Finnish society. This,
in turn, has a positive effect on the Finish labour market in that due to their high levels of
education, they are able to work and pay their taxes which in turn alleviates the pressures
placed on the welfare system. However, there was also some shortcomings that emerged
which highlighted the importance of an effective EU strategy which stretches beyond the
regulation of minimum legal principles and sharing of information to promote the integration of immigrants.
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