Return migration intentions of Moroccan residents in Europe

Mohamed Fassi Fihri
Tineke Fokkema, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)

The literature on return migration comprises competing hypotheses with regard to the influence of structural integration in receiving countries on return migration. This paper will test these hypotheses by examining the strength of return intention among Moroccan migrants across Europe and the main determinants of return migration. The analysis will draw on data from the 2005 survey ‘Les Marocains Résidant à l’Étranger’ (N=2,832). This survey provides a unique opportunity to study a variety of factors in sending and receiving countries impacting on return migration intentions among Moroccan migrants across Europe. We expect that strong social and economic ties with the host country decrease return intentions, whereas maintaining strong social and economic ties with Morocco are likely to reinforce return pressure. In addition, the less the migrant is integrated socio-culturally and the lower the level of residential and job satisfaction, the higher return intentions are expected to be.