ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a profile of Northern Ireland, including its significant historical legacies and its key characteristics (social, economic and demographic) to illuminate the context for integration. It describes the political background and the way in which space has for a long time been contested in the region before examining, in some detail, emerging settlement patterns of migrants. This pays attention to the difficulties of measuring immigration. The chapter provides a rich context that analyse migration governance and everyday migrant encounters. Migrants to Northern Ireland moved within wider global flows and arrived to a place encumbered with complex community relations. Issues of identity, territory, and political and intercommunal violence have in the past contributed to social and political disorder. Predicting longer-term migration figures continues to challenge service providers and government agencies. Migrants' choice of housing is often confined to accommodation directly tied to the workplace or located nearby.
