The bumpy landscape of family reunification: experiences of first and 1.5-generation Filipinos in France

Recent studies on immigrant families have demonstrated how the migration status of parents influences their process of family reunification. In the current context of restrictions on family-related migrations in many receiving countries, concretising their family reunification projects often appears challenging to migrant parents and their children. Aiming to shed light on the way migrant families cope with these restrictions depending on their migration status, this article examines the family reunification process of first-generation Filipino migrants in France with their ‘1.5-generation’ offspring. Fieldwork data show that even when irregular migrant parents succeed in regularising their situation, family reunion remains difficult to them due to the complex French immigration policies. As a result, many Filipino immigrants, regardless of their migration status, turn to ‘black market’ channels to reunite with their children. Their family reunification process does not end with the reunion itself but continues to unfold for many years afterwards, as parents and children progressively come to terms with living together after a long separation.