This information was used in Chapter 2, but was not appropriate for use in the empirical analysis in Chapters 3 and 4 given the lack of detail needed for this analysis. It starts with an overview of the macroeconomic environment and the rapid socioeconomic development the country has experienced, in particular during the 1980s and early 1990s. Subsequent sections provide the immigration context and consider the main groups of immigrants, together with a brief discussion on the perception of immigrants and the governance of immigration.