A comparative study of the Danish and Swedish migration policies

Within the last ten years, the once so liberal Swedish migration policy has transformed and drawn nearer to the more strict Danish counterpart. The present thesis contributes with a thorough and systematic comparison of the current migration policies of Denmark and Sweden, focusing specifically on the entry of migrants. The results of the study show that the two countries’ current policies are, in fact, quite alike. However, regarding both labour migration, asylum, and family reunification, the most significant difference between the two migration policies concerns migrants’ access to permanent residency, which is substantially deprived in Denmark compared to Sweden. The inequal access to permanency may have negative consequences for the well-being of, especially, refugees. Moreover, this difference in access to permanent residency, as well as other minor differences between the policies, may be explained by differences in the theoretical reasoning underlying the Danish and Swedish migration policies, respectively