BACKGROUND Family reunification of migrants in their destination country is often the result of a process that includes one or more steps and combines family and migration events. However, the lack of relevant data often limits the possibility of studying all these stages. OBJECTIVE The paper aims to identify family migration models by means of the entire family migration trajectory, highlighting the relationship of these models with the migration project and with the family, cultural, and gender norms of the country of origin. METHODS We used sequence analysis on a large sample of resident families with at least one foreign-born member in Italy, using data collected by the Italian Institute of Statistics in 2011-2012. We focused exclusively on migrants from less developed countries and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. RESULTS Our results indicate that family characteristics and stability in the host country are not always relevant for family reunification. Family, cultural, and gender norms of the home country and the nature of the migration project itself determine the family migration model. When the migration project becomes orientated, or converges over time to settlement, family reunification is pursued regardless of the possible difficulties and conditions during emigration. Conversely, during the time that migrants are maintaining a temporary project, family reunification is not even considered. CONTRIBUTION Adopting a longitudinal approach, we generalised and extended previous results, considering migrants from additional countries and studying the reunification of all
Migrant families have become relevant in Italy during the past decade and Lombardy is one of the Italian regions with the largest foreign presence. The aim of the article is to contribute to the international debate on the relationship between couple formation and migration event. Using data from the 2010 ORIM ( Osservatorio Regionale sull’Immigrazione e la Multietnicità) sample survey and event history techniques, we look at the main determinants of the transition to couple formation. The results show both the presence of significant time-related interrelations between the two events and the importance of the gender role in migration. Migrant men have a low propensity of couple formation in the period around the migration event. Their length of stay at destination is positively related to such propensity. Women have the highest likelihood of transition to couple formation in proximity to the migration event. However, interesting differences in the timing of union formation persist by origin backgrounds.
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