Immigration Policies in Europe

Course content

The aim of this course is to describe and analyze immigration policy as practiced in Germany today, found its basis in the fifties and sixties, especially along two sectors: On the one hand in the areas of politics and law. Rules about migration, residency and work permits were passed at a very early date, long before the employment of foreign workers on a large scale was ever even considered. On the other hand in the area of economics, e.g. the actual opening of the Western German labor market to foreign workers. These two decades also illustrate a certain amount of continuity about the treatment of foreigners. This continues today along the administrative as well as the political level. As an example, one might mention at this point the regulations concerning residency permits, characterized by vagueness and complete flexibility when being interpretated and executed by German foreign authorities.