Migrant Diversity, Migration Motivations and Early Integration: The Case of Poles in Germany, the Netherlands, London and Dublin

Lucinda Platt, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Renee Luthra, University of Essex
Justyna Salamonska, European University Institute

This article explores the antecedents and early integration outcomes of migrants in a new migration system: east-west movement following the 2004 expansion of the European Union. Applying latent class analysis to a unique data source of 3,500 recent Polish migrants in Germany, the Netherlands, London and Dublin, we provide a systematic account of constellations of migration motivations and intended duration of stay in the absence of border restrictions. We characterize these diverse migrant types in terms of their pre-migration characteristics and link them to varied early social and economic integration pathways. Developing a set of testable hypotheses we provide a first step towards a middle range theory that captures the complex motivations and migration trajectories of immigrants in the context of ‘free movement’.