Third-country immigration : reception and social welfare provision in Sweden, Poland, the United Kingdom and Malta

Abstract

The following dissertation is an analysis of third-country immigration within the EU, particularly within the states of Sweden, Poland, the United Kingdom and Malta. Research is focused on the history of immigration, considered to be a decisive factor in influencing the creation of immigration policies. At an EU level, this dissertation seeks to outline the improvements and innovations at a multi-national sphere introduced in the area of immigration and asylum, outlining the EU's move from an area with limited to no competences to an area which gives great emphasis to the field and attempts to harmonise common measures between Member States; all this is done in the wake of the possible creation of a Common Policy on Immigration for Europe. This dissertation also outlines different conditions of reception and social welfare provision within the four mentioned states.