Migration from Poland to Germany Presentation prepared for the European Science Foundation Exploratory Workshop

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Migration from Poland to GermanyPresentation
prepared for the European Science Foundation
Exploratory Workshop Where Migration Policies
Meet the Migrants Comparing European and North
American ExperiencesAthens (Greece), 2-4
October 2008

• Frauke Miera
• European University Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder

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Contents

• I Background Migration regimes and migrant
  typologies
• II Case I Katarzyna German Aussiedler (1988)
• III Case II Beata from an undocumented
  commuter to a registered self-employed EU-citizen
  (1992-1995 and 2005)
• IV Conclusion

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I BackgroundI.1 Post War period
Migration regime

• Poland
• Restrictive emigration and return policies

• Germany
• Encouraging immigration

• Migrant typology
• Ethnic Germans (Aussiedler)
• Political Refugees
• ? Predominately permanent migration

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I BackgroundI.2 The 1990s
Migration regime

• Poland
• Open borders

• Germany
• Restriction of long term settlement
• Recruitment scheme for temporary labour

• Migrant typology
• Undocumented commuters and long term migrants
• Marriage migration/family unification
• Legal temporary labour migrants (guest
  workers)
• Double passport holders (legal commuters or long
  term migrants)
• ? Increase of temporary / commuter migration

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I BackgroundI.3 Since Polands EU-accession
(2004)
Migration regime

• Poland
• Open borders

• Germany
• As before (until 2011)
• Restriction of long term settlement
• Recruitment scheme for temporary labour
• New
• Legal self-employment ? permanent residence for
  EU-citizens
• Cross-border provision of services within the EU
  (firms based in Poland are permitted to send
  employees to Germany to fulfil a particular
  service order)

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I BackgroundI.3 Since Polands EU-accession
(2004)

• Migrant typology
• As before
• Undocumented commuters and long term migrants
• Marriage migration/family unification
• Legal temporary labour migrants (guest
  workers)
• Double passport holders (legal commuters or long
  term migrants)
• New
• Legalisation of former informal practices by
  registering as self-employed or cross border
  services
• ? Temporary / commuter migration and permanent
  settlement (to be investigated more in depth)

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II Case I German AussiedlerII.1 Met nodal
points and social networks

• Encouraging German immigration policies
• Restrictive Polish re-entry regime
• Decisive source of support and information
  Social / family networks
• ?Nodal point which was met by the migrant and her
  husband in their decision to emigrate and to
  permanently stay in Germany

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II Case I German AussiedlerII.2 Met and missed
nodal points the role of gender relations

• General supporting legal framework for
  integration of Aussiedler
• ?Actual nodal point
• But Gender specific division of responsibilities
  within the family and absence of gender sensitive
  integration policies
• ?Katarzyna could not finish her German course
  missed nodal point

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II Case I German AussiedlerII.3 Indirect nodal
point migration policies as an opportunity
structure

• Liberalisation of the Polish migration regime and
  possibility of commuting
• Katarzynas wish to make an independent decision
  and to keep in touch with her relatives in Poland
• ?Indirect nodal point open borders as an
  opportunity structure for her individual
  emancipation from her husbands decision

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III Case 2 From an undocumented commuterIII. 1
Ignored nodal point

• Overstaying a tourist visa or working as a
  tourist is not legal
• Socio-economic and individual factors determine
  the migrants decision to migrate
• Open borders facilitate the decision
• Main source of support and information Social
  networks
• ?Ignored nodal point

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III Case 2 From an undocumented commuterIII.2
Absence of nodal points

• Absence of welfare policies for undocumented
  migrants
• ?Beatas decision to return to Poland (after
  having had an accident)

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III Case 2 to a self-employed EU-citizenII.3
Met nodal point and social networks

• Legal possibility to settle as a self-employed
  EU-citizen
• Well informed informal social network
• ?Met nodal point Beatas decision to return to
  Berlin
• Experts report that this level of being informed
  is quite exceptional and misinformation about
  raising a business in Germany often result in
  missed nodal points.

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Conclusion

• Prohibitions or restrictive migration policies do
  not prevent people from migrating but push them
  into an insecure and vulnerable position.
• Social networks are hugely important for
  information, support and for dealing with
  misleading information.
• Institutions are not sufficiently able to
  substitute or correct missing or false
  information.
• The lack of intercultural competence in the
  bureaucracy and a lack of gender specific
  integration measures hamper existing general
  integration policies.