A multistate life table approach to understanding return and reentry migration between Mexico and the United States during later life

Abstract

Background Empirical research describes retirement migration to Mexico as a viable option for some older Americans. However, far less research examines this phenomenon among Mexican immigrants in the United States. The literature that does address this topic treats international migration as a singular occurrence and does not examine the possibility of return and subsequent reentry between countries. This omission creates an important gap in our knowledge of international retirement migration considering the strong transnational ties that Mexican immigrants maintain to the home and destination countries. Objective Using a multistate life table approach, this study examines the rate of return to Mexico and reentry back into the United States among Mexican males aged 50 and older with U.S. migration experience, as well as the number of years spent in both countries. Results Results show that the rate of reentry from Mexico into the United States declined from 3.33% at age 50-54 to less than 1% at age 70 and older (p-value<0.05). In contrast, the rate of return to Mexico from the United States increased from 3.19% at age 50 to 54 to 4.44%at age 65 to 69 and dropped to less than 2% at age 70 and older (p-value<0.05). Conclusions While rates of return and reentry among this population are relatively low, they provide insight on the potential life course factors driving the migration patterns of a population of increasing size and relevance in the United States.

Expanding the Happiness Paradox: Ethnoracial Disparities in Life Satisfaction Among Older Immigrants in the United States

“…First-generation immigrants maintain strong ties with their home countries over the life course. Such transnational ties often result in circular migration at old age (Razum, Sahin-Hodogluil, & Polit, 2005; Vega & Brazil, 2015). In other words, immigration is not a single occurrence and first-generation immigrants tend to spend long periods of time at older age between the countries of origin and destination.…”

Social Security Contributions and Return Migration Among Older Male Mexican Immigrants

“…Limiting the analysis to those aged 50 and older provides the advantage of omitting migrants who might still be at risk of reentering the United States and contribute to the U.S. social security system. Vega and Brazil (2015) find that less than 5% of ex-U.S. migrant males in Mexico aged 50 years and older reentered the United States within the previous 5 years. Proxy responses are excluded because proxies were not asked a battery of questions related to migration experiences within the United States.…”

Bias in cohort-based comparisons of immigrants’ health outcomes between countries: a simulation study

“…For example, Polish migrants returned to Poland and then migrated back to a target country [21]. Similar patterns of return and subsequent reentry have been observed elewhere [22]. Transnational activities (see Carling and Erdal [23] for a definition) also play an important role in particular to evaluate a “true” exposure to the host country which is not just a question of time but also of intensity which needs to be determined.…”