Irregular Migration – Between Legal Status and Social Practices: 'Narratives of Polish labour migration'

Abstract

How do Polish migrant workers experience the process of migration and how does irregular migration status influence their life plans? In this article I analyse how the shifts between different legal statuses may be related to the social practices connected to the specific area of activity and to the accumulated capital of the individual. The aim is to identify how opportunity structures affect the migration process and how migrants react to them depending on the available capital and biographical knowledge and experiences. The horizon of experience is captured through biographical narrative interviews with the purpose of contributing with new perspectives and understandings of constructing irregularity.

Keywords

• irregular migration
• opportunitystructures
• strategies
• motivation
• recognition