Reverse Migration

In current patterns of international migration, an often-overlooked dynamic is the practice of a sizable number of people who sooner or later return to their respective countries of origin. This was one of the observations made about earlier waves of migration by Michael J. Piore in his book Birds of Passage. Less attention is given to practices of reverse migration, that is, on those returning home. Most data collected in the USA focuses on the sheer numbers of people who enter a country as immigrants, their national origins, and their patterns of settlement. But immigrants rarely follow stable patterns of settlement. Many move to other regions of a country (secondary migration) as employment, housing, education, and better opportunities for advancement dictate. Refugees may be sponsored and settled in a particular city, but later decide to relocate closer to co-ethnic social networks. Little attention is paid to immigrants who actually return home, either temporarily, as is common...