How do trends in international migration influence the internal mobility of foreigners in Switzerland? Mathias Lerch University of Geneva Institute for demographic and life course studies

Introduction Net internal migration is the major determinant of demographic trends in 80% of the Swiss regions Immigrants represent a fifth of the 7,7 millions residents and have a higher propensity to migrate internally than natives Immigrants’ internal mobility constitutes a secondary movement after settlement >> How do dynamics in immigration affect the redistribution of migrants in Switzerland ?

Swiss immigration regime and context Spatial inertia of immigrant distribution (2000-4)

Factors of internal mobility, successive immigrant cohorts and generations

Data Annual Central Aliens registers (stocks & flows) Deterministic & probabilistic record linkage ( ) ~1 million individual residential trajectories: Definitions Immigrant = foreigner, admin. def. of length of residence (at least one year) 1st generation = granted first permit at age 16 and more Internal migration = change of SM region (N=106) Iterative : stock’81 to flow’81 to stock’82 to flow’82 … to stock’04 to flow’04

Methods Decennial decomposition of crude internal migration rate differentials, measuring the contribution of : – Changing structure of immigrant population according to length of residence – Evolutions in duration-specific migration rates According to nationality Mapping spatial focus of internal migrants

Recent immigration inflated the mobility of 1 st generation stock, in the early 1990s

Lower immigration, but more mobile immigrant cohorts in

Different immigration regimes according to nationality and internal mobility IT & SP: less immigration, family reunified, low level of mobility, second generation Ex-Y: inflation due to numerous arrivals, mainly family members who move less DE & others: higher inflow recently, highly skilled arrival cohorts, very mobile

Increasing spatial focus of internal migration towards main agglomerations and their periphery Migration efficiency indexg

2 nd generation immigrants migrate more than recent immigrants

Internal migration of foreigners increased because of quantitative and qualitative dynamics in international immigration (role of migration policy) Foreigners’ mobility converge to the Swiss’ patterns Internal redistribution sustained structural change in the Swiss economy, as well as regional economic dynamics Places facing internal departures of natives and ageing could not entirely retain immigrants from abroad Conclusion

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