Spouses constitute the largest category of migrant settlement in the UK. In Britain, as elsewhere in Europe, concern is increasingly expressed over the implications of marriage-related migration for integration. In some ethnic minority groups, significant numbers of children and grandchildren of former immigrants continue to marry partners from their ancestral homelands. Such marriages are presented as particularly problematic: it is argued that a 'first generation' of spouses in every generation may inhibit processes of individual and group integration, impeding socio-economic participation and cultural change. New immigration restrictions likely to impact particularly on such groups have thus been justified on the grounds of promoting integration. The evidence base on the relationship between marriage migration and integration is, however, surprisingly limited, and characterised by differing and often partial understandings of the contested and politicised concept of integration. Marriage Migration and Integration is a new, two-year research project funded by the ESRC. The study is a collaboration between the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship, University of Bristol, and the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford. The quantitative phase of the project is now underway, with qualitative fieldwork due to start in early 2014. The project combines analysis of relevant quantitative data sets, with qualitative research with the two largest ethnic groups involved (Indian Sikhs and Pakistani Muslims). The research design includes an innovative ‘sibling pair’ sampling strategy, to compare transnational ‘homeland’ marriages with intra-ethnic marriages within the UK. In recognition of the two-way nature of integration processes, and the important role of local contexts, the qualitative fieldwork will take place in two contrasting locations. Findings from the research will enhance understanding of the relationships between marriage-related migration and the complex processes of integration, providing much needed new grounding for policy, service provision and academic debates.
