Migration and settlement of immigrants in a rural Danish municipality

Since 2000, international migration has increased in several European countries with settlement in both urban and rural areas. However, the proportion of immigrants settling in rural areas is much larger in the Nordic regions compared to other European countries (Hedberg & Haandrikman, 2014; Søholt, Aasland, Onsager & Vestby, 2012; Søholt, Tronstad, Rose & Vestby, 2015). At the same time, the Nordic countries have been the destination of a large number of asylum seekers and refugees, many of whom are settled in rural areas. Thus, migration of international migrants; immigrants and refugees change the demographic and ethnic composition of rural populations and contribute to the transformation of rural places (Hedberg, Forsberg, & Najib, 2012; Stenbacka: 2012 & 2016 and Søholt, Stenbacka & Nørgaard, 2017). This paper is based on a case study in a rural Danish municipality, where immigrants constitute an increasing proportion of the population. The paper is based on interviews with international migrants and explores why immigrants have chosen to settle in a rural Danish community, how they experience living there and whether they plan to stay. The paper also draws on data from Statistics Denmark on population development and demographic characteristics of the population. The case study is part of a comparative Nordic research project; MultiRur which examines immigrant settlement in perspective of exclusion and inclusion.