Persistent ties, evolving networks: Accounting for changes and stability in migrant support networks

One of the salient themes, both in the social network analysis literature and its applications to migration research, is a shift to a more dynamic conceptualization of (migrant) social networks. To elaborate on the dynamic nature of migrant networks, I reconstructed and examined the support networks of 134 Filipino nurses, domestic workers, and care workers in New York and London across three migration phases (pre-migration, initial adjustment, and current situation). I analyzed the factors that significantly shaped their stability or evolution at both micro- and macro-levels. At the micro-level, shifts in the respondents' networks were examined in relation to biographical events and transitions. At the macro-level, immigration policies and migration pathways were discussed as key influences on network dynamics. It was further observed that transnational ties re-emerged as relevant connections after the initial adjustment phase. Additionally, ties in intermediary countries and geographically mobile connections should be included in an expanded concept of transnational ties, extending beyond the countries of origin and destination.