Immigration Countries and Migration Research: The Case of Germany

The Federal Republic of Germany does not belong to the set of “classical” immigration countries like Australia, Canada or the United States. Nevertheless, migration has become a topic of increased interest for the whole of western Europe and, in particular, for Germany. This interest has arisen from the expectation of massive migration flows in the near future: migrants from the new democracies in East Europe, migrants moving within the growing European Community from the south to the north, and migrants trying to escape war and starvation in many countries of the Third World. It is believed that these flows will particularly affect Germany because of its ties to East Europe and its relative affluence.