Abstract
The notion of residential settlement associated with the acquisition of new citizenship has been recently challenged by a number of studies highlighting its instrumentality as a subsequent mobility factor. The long and diverse history of Switzerland as a country of immigration and the availability of rich data on naturalization and international migration that allow individuals to be followed over time make this country a valuable case for investigating the impact of naturalization on international (return or onward) migration. Using longitudinal data, we follow 88,900 immigrants who entered the country between 1998 and 2000 over a period of 84 months between January 2011 and December 2017, documenting changes in naturalization status and in migratory movements and their direction. Using different implementations of a Cox proportional hazards model, we examine whether and under what conditions the international migration behaviour of naturalized persons differs from that of non-naturalized persons. Our results show that the population accessing naturalization tends to be less mobile, but also that among third-country nationals, naturalization can trigger further international mobility, in particular among those with poor economic performance and with no family ties in Switzerland.
Highlights
International migratory movement has been interpreted and analysed frequently and for many years as a unidirectional process
The case of Switzerland, a country with a long diverse history of immigration and comprehensive data on emigration linked to the extinction of administrative obligations, allows us to contribute to this body of research by providing an overview of different factors involved in the potentialemigration of naturalized migrants and to empirically inform debates on naturalization
A growing body of research has recently challenged the implicit “sedentary assumption” (Sheller and Urry, 2006; Halfacree, 2012) underlying the vast majority of studies on the multiple outcomes of naturalization, those related to international migration
Summary
International migratory movement has been interpreted and analysed frequently and for many years as a unidirectional process. The aforementioned unequal distribution of rights associated with a nationality, in a context of growing international mobility (and inequality), has led some scholars to speak of “instrumental” (Ip et al, 1997; Aguilar Jr., 1999), “compensatory” (Harpaz, 2019b), or “strategic” citizenship (Finotelli et al, 2018; Harpaz and Mateos, 2019) These conceptual frameworks aim to challenge the settlement or “sedentarist” assumption (Sheller and Urry, 2006; Halfacree, 2012) underlying the vast majority of studies, policies, and even the popular imaginary about naturalization, mainly associated with permanent or long-term residential settlement in the host country.
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