Abstract
The Illegal Immigration of Italians to France and Switzerland after the Second World War: Differences and Similarities of French and Swiss Immigration Policies
The great size of the black labour market and the restrictive legal immigration policies of both the French and the Swiss State were the main causes for the illegal immigration of Italians to France and Switzerland after the Second World War. While the French State actively controlled and encouraged the immigration of foreign workers by promoting settlement services to immigrants and their families, the Swiss immigration policy was characterized rather by reluctance and even hostility towards the reunification of immigrant families. In both countries, the restrictive nature of immigration policy was designed to reduce the number of foreign workers during economic crises. However, it also complicated the recruitment of foreign workers during phases of economic growth. Illegal immigration enabled both the French and the Swiss State to add the necessary flexibility to this rigid framework.
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