Research and analysis

Marriage-related migration to the UK

Occasional Paper 96 brings together the available evidence on marriage-related migration.

Documents

Marriage-related migration to the UK (PDF file - 272kb)

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Details

Spouses form the largest single category of migrant settlement in the UK. Research and policy making on marriage-related migration to the UK has been dominated by a focus on South Asian populations, which are among the largest groups of such migrants.

Occasional Paper 96 brings together the available evidence on marriage-related migration and settlement to provide a much broader perspective on this phenomenon.

The varied and dynamic picture which emerges challenges conventional understandings of marriage-related migration to the UK. It also exposes the limitations and lacunae in existing research, highlighting the danger that policy made on the basis of partial evidence will produce unexpected consequences.

Published 16 August 2011