The legacy of empire: post-colonial immigrants in Western Europe

In the literature regarding immigration and immigrants in the various West European states,
the label post-colonial migration and/or post-colonial immigrants is regularly used. The use
of such a general label suggests that there is a fundamental similarity between this kind of
migrations setting it apart from other migrations as for instance from Turkey to Germany. As is often the case with such general labels, this is partly true and at the same time partly misleading. It is therefore worthwhile to take a closer look at the characteristics of migration from former colonies to present day welfare states.