Belgium is immigrant friendly

16 October 2007

Two European countries outperform Belgium when it comes to helping immigrants settle. Only Sweden and Portugal offer their immigrants better assistance during their integration process. The Netherlands follows in fourth place. This emerged from an EU survey among 25 EU member states, the BBC reported.

The study, which was carried out by various European organisations and the Migration Policy Group in Brussels, looked at factors such as the rights of immigrants on the work floor. Legislation and anti-racism laws were also taken into account. Other factors included the possibilities with regard to permanent residence and family reunification.

Sweden is the member state that provides the best support to immigrants. The country has a “fair, simple and transparent” system for awarding residence permits, according to the researchers. East European countries performed the poorest, with Latvia ranking last on the list of 25 countries.