The Stages of Migration. From Going Abroad to Settling Down: Post-Accession Polish Migrant Workers in Norway

Abstract

This article discusses the temporal dynamics of labour migration from Poland to Norway since the 2004 EU enlargement. Analysing quantitative survey and registry data as well as qualitative migration histories of Polish migrants in Norway and of return migrants in Poland, I argue that there is a strong potential for a substantial proportion of these migrants to settle permanently or at least long-term in Norway. With borders open, migrants' decisions about settlement and return are shaped by their opportunities within segmented labour markets, and their embeddedness in transnational families and social networks. I posit that the migration process from departure to settlement can be constructed in three stages, from an initial stage of temporary work abroad, through open-ended transnational commuting, to permanent settlement. Not everyone goes through these stages, and individuals may return at any point, but their reasons for doing so—and the contexts in which they do so—differ depending on the stage they have reached in the migration process.