Immigration policies in European countries are reinforcing racism, study shows

New research has revealed that racism is embedded not only in attitudes and prejudice against migrants, but in the laws, policies, and administrative systems surrounding work, welfare and immigration, despite anti-racism efforts across Europe.

The report, Racial Logics of Irregular Migration in Europe: Policy, Perception, and Precarity, launched today (26 February), led by a collaboration between academics at the University of Birmingham and the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), through the Horizon Europe and UKRI-funded project, Improving the Living and Labour Conditions of Irregularised Migrant Households in Europe (I-CLAIM).

Drawing on findings from Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom, the study shows how unequal access to rights, protection, and welfare is systematically caused through migration, labour and welfare policies that negatively affect migrants and ethnic minority groups, even if they are citizens of that country.

The report follows the European Union's publication of the EU anti-racism strategy 2026-2030, at the end of January 2026, which highlights the need to address structural racism and to mainstream anti-racism across policy areas.

However, the researchers found that unequal access to vital services persists for racialised groups, even when formal commitments to equality are made by government bodies, and that when it comes to immigration policy, it is missing from the EU’s strategy.

Professor Nando Sigona, Chair of International Migration and Forced Displacement at the University of Birmingham, co-author of the report and Scientific Coordinator of I-CLAIM, said: “This research shows that racism in Europe is not only a matter of attitudes or behaviour. It is built into how migration, labour, and welfare systems operate. If we are serious about tackling structural racism, as the new EU Anti-Racism Strategy calls for, migration governance cannot remain outside the scope of equality and accountability; this seems to be a blind spot for the EU currently.”

Deserving and undeserving migrants

Across all six countries, the research found that migrant workers with insecure or temporary status in sectors such as agriculture, domestic work, and food delivery face higher risks of exploitation, exclusion, and loss of basic human rights.

Public narratives, often amplified by politicians and the media, contribute to these patterns by constructing moral and societal hierarchies that there are ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ migrants.

The report’s authors state that these racialised narratives and the way they are incorporated into policy and laws surrounding housing, work, and welfare, also negatively impact EU citizens from the same backgrounds, adding additional barriers to access. For example, Roma communities and Muslims across Europe often face heightened surveillance, barriers to welfare, and exclusion from labour markets, blurring the line between migration control and internal racial inequality.

Dr Stefano Piemontese, co-author of the report and Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham, said: “Our findings show that unequal treatment is not accidental. It is the result of policy designs that make people’s rights conditional on their migration status and their dependence on employers. In practice, insecurity becomes a normal feature of labour governance.”

Dr Emmanuel Achiri, co-author of the report and Policy and Advocacy Officer at ENAR, said: “For many migrants and racialised communities, racism is experienced not only through insults, but also via institutional and structural mechanisms. This report shows that anti-racism policies must be mainstreamed in laws and policies both in their design and implementation, especially in migration and labour, if Europe is to live up to its commitments on equality.”

While welcoming the EU anti-racism strategy’s focus on combating discrimination, xenophobia, and exclusion, the authors stress that progress will remain limited unless migration policies and their implementation are examined as part of the problem.