Long-term unemployment with dependency on social assistance in Sweden has increased and is particularly high among foreign-born persons. The present study explored immigrant recipients' experiences of being welfare reliant. Swedish-Iraqi women's construction of exclusion and belonging in relation to policies and welfare regulations was scrutinised. The women referred to unemployment with frustration, expressing that it renders dependence on social welfare and enforces adherence to the stipulations of the social services. The individual's mobility and agency are restricted and concerted efforts to obtain employment are futile, which increase the sense of exclusion. However, the entitlement to social assistance also engenders feelings of belonging, of being connected to and cared for by the new country. More research is needed to examine the role that social assistance regulations play in forming feelings of belonging and exclusion. It appears essential that political initiatives be taken to reverse the trend of high unemployment among foreign-born persons. © 2015 The Author(s) International Journal of Social Welfare © 2015 International Journal of Social Welfare and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Immigrant exclusion unemployment Belonging Sweden Long-term welfare recipient Social assistance

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