Social Class, Migration Policy and Migrant Strategies: An Introduction

Policy differentiation and the politics of belonging in India's emigrant and emigration policies

India is the largest emigrant origin country in the world. The majority of Indian emigrants work in low-wage employment in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. This paper contrasts India's policy responses directed at migrants living in the Gulf countries with policies targeted at those in the Global North. India has extended substantive rights and symbolic inclusion to Indian citizens and (descendants of) former citizens residing in the Global North. However, while it established a social protection framework for low-wage emigrants in the Gulf, these emigrants are often unable to access other substantive citizenship rights and are mostly ignored at the symbolic level. Through critical approaches to the study of diasporas and the lens of boundary work, this article analyzes how emigrant origin states (re-)define belonging through differentiated emigration and emigrant policies. It shows that the Indian state links inclusive/exclusive boundaries of (symbolic) national membership, inherent in emigration and emigrant policies, to classifications regarding emigrants' social identities, in this case class and religion.

Opportunities and Cracks in Canada's Two-Step Migration Model During the Pandemic: Lessons from Chinese Migrant Experiences

Canada's migration management has been evolving into a two-step model since the 1990s, creating pathways for temporary residents to apply for permanent status through federal and provincial programs. The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges but also holds the potential to be a key policy moment to re-imagine Canada's migration future. In this paper, we draw on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 16 Chinese temporary residents, to reveal some of the successes, opportunities, as well as challenges, limitations, and conspicuous cracks in these new policies intended to maintain high levels of immigration during the pandemic and through Canada's post-pandemic recovery. We review some of the recent pandemic-related policy measures that strengthen Canada's current two-step migration model, which created more opportunities for temporary residents within Canadian borders to transition to permanent resident status, while restricting the eligibility of overseas applicants. The lived experiences of Chinese temporary residents can provide useful lessons as Canada determines which pandemic measures to make permanent.

In harm's way: Non-migration decisions of people at risk of slow-onset coastal hazards in Bangladesh

Non-migration is an adaptive strategy that has received little attention in environmental migration studies. We explore the leveraging factors of non-migration decisions of communities at risk in coastal Bangladesh, where exposure to both rapid- and slow-onset natural disasters is high. We apply the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to empirical data and assess how threat perception and coping appraisal influences migration decisions in farming communities suffering from salinization of cropland. This study consists of data collected through quantitative household surveys (n = 200) and semi-structured interviews from four villages in southwest coastal Bangladesh. Results indicate that most respondents are unwilling to migrate, despite better economic conditions and reduced environmental risk in other locations. Land ownership, social connectedness, and household economic strength are the strongest predictors of non-migration decisions. This study is the first to use the PMT to understand migration-related behaviour and the findings are relevant for policy planning in vulnerable regions where exposure to climate-related risks is high but populations are choosing to remain in place.