Emigration of Immigrants’ Descendants from Norway, and Their Possible Return to Norway

Marianne Tønnessen , Oslo Metropolitan University
Tone Liodden, Oslo Metropolitan University

Whereas emigration of immigrants’ descendants has received increasing scholarly attention, little is known about the difference between those who move to their parents’ origin and those who move to another country, and very little is known about the extent to which they come back after having emigrated. Few theoretical works exist in this field, and there is little knowledge of the mechanisms behind their choice of destination and possible return. In this study, we use a three-step analytical process, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, to investigate emigration of immigrants’ adult children in Norway. First, descriptive analyses of rich register data illuminate who leaves and where they leave, as well as who returns to Norway again. These results are used – along with other considerations – to guide our selection of interviewees. Second, we use in-depth interviews with emigrated descendants to explore why they emigrate and why some of them return to Norway again. Third, the results from the interviews are used to develop hypotheses about the mechanisms at work – hypotheses which we aim at testing using register data analyses.

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 Presented in Session 87. International Migration Intentions