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Linked Lives, Dividing Borders: From Transnational Solidarity to Family Reunification of an Older Parent

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Ageing and Migration in a Global Context

Part of the book series: Life Course Research and Social Policies ((LCRS,volume 13))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a relatively unexplored phenomenon concerning transnational families: family reunification of an ascendant. It combines theories of the transnational life course, intergenerational relations, and citizenship negotiation. It is based on a qualitative research conducted in French-speaking Switzerland using semi-structured interviews with 24 families who tried to bring in elderly parents and 48 social workers working in services helping these families. Two main questions are studied: what are the motivations that lead migrant families to try to bring elderly parents to their countries of residence? How do these families deal with residency laws? I conclude by discussing discrepancies between definitions given by families and immigration authorities about what is a ‘family’ and their practical consequences for transnational families.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Grant n°13DTD3-122658 of the Swiss National Science Foundation. The project was conducted by Claudio Bolzman and Elisabeth Hirsch Durrett. Simon Anderfuhren, Marylène Vuille and Monique Jäggi contributed as researchers.

  2. 2.

    Asylum seekers, granted leave to enter temporarily or refugees, are able to sponsor their parents. Article 51 of the Asylum Act provides for asylum for families. The article refers primarily to spouses and minor children (para. 1). However, Article 51 para. 2 mentions the possibility of granting asylum to other ‘close relatives of refugees if there are special reasons for family reunification’. Therefore, the possibility of family reunification of parents for people who have obtained the status of recognized refugee in Switzerland — or the status of long-term temporary entrant — is at least provided for in the current legislation. In that sense, the situation of officially recognized refugees appears slightly more favourable than that of non-EU/EFTA nationals settled in Switzerland who wish to sponsor their parents. Furthermore, application for asylum can also be filed at the outset by the whole family (including parents) if the members were able to escape the conditions of persecution that prompted their exile together.

  3. 3.

    We observed also a third category: contextual events in the home country (like political violence) or in the immigration country (changes in legal regulations) that may lead to family reunification. However, we don’t have enough space in this chapter to develop this aspect.

  4. 4.

    This was also confirmed by a ruling court analysis that was part of our research analysis but that we don’t develop in this chapter (Bolzman et al. 2008).

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the Swiss National Science Foundation (Research Project 13DTD3-122658) for its support. Thanks also to Elisabeth Hirsch Durrett, Simon Anderfuhren, Marylène Vuille and Monique Jäggi for their active contribution as researchers to the project. Finally, my gratitude to the editors of this book for their relevant and useful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work HES-SO Geneva, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Swiss National Centre of Competences in Research LIVES, Geneva, Switzerland

    Claudio Bolzman

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  1. Claudio Bolzman
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Correspondence to Claudio Bolzman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work HES-SO Valais-Wallis, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Sierre, Switzerland

    Marion Repetti

  2. Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Toni Calasanti

  3. School of Social Sciences, Manchester Institute for Collaborative Research on Ageing, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Chris Phillipson

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Bolzman, C. (2021). Linked Lives, Dividing Borders: From Transnational Solidarity to Family Reunification of an Older Parent. In: Repetti, M., Calasanti, T., Phillipson, C. (eds) Ageing and Migration in a Global Context. Life Course Research and Social Policies, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71442-0_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71442-0_7

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-71441-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-71442-0

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