Migrant diversity, migration motivations and early integration: the case of Poles in Germany, the Netherlands, London and Dublin

This paper demonstrates the relationship between migration motivations and intended durations of stay and subsequent early integration among recent east-west European migrants. We use a unique, four-country data source covering over 3,500 recently arrived (previous 18 months) Polish immigrants. First we use a data reduction technique to allocate the migrants to six migrant types according to their motivations, intended duration of stay, and previous migration history. Second, we link these migrant types to pre-migration characteristics such as gender, age, and region of origin. Third, we explore how the migrant types are associated with social, subjective, and economic measures of integration.