Assessing effects of non-citizenship: legal and professional trajectories of Peruvian men and women in Switzerland

Author(s) : Romina Seminario

Source : https://www.academia.edu/33007838/Assessing_effects_of_non-citizenship_legal_and_professional_trajectories_of_Peruvian_men_and_women_in_Switzerland

Abstract:

In this paper, I compare the professional trajectories of Peruvian men and women according to the evolution of their legal situation in Switzerland. From a life-course perspective, the classification of immigrant’s experiences among different types of mobility such as irregular, student and family migration is not static or univocal. Legal status and entitlements that characterize them change, and immigrants might be classified in various streams across their life-course. In particular, the dynamics of legal configurations such as evolving migration regimes in the host county and immigrant’s practices to navigate restrictive laws show the utility of a time-sensitive analysis beyond entry categorisations. Legal trajectories impact downward and upward employment experiences, as well as, professional continuity between home and host countries. However, irregular legal situations at the beginning do not automatically correspond to downward professional trajectories or advantageous legal situations at the beginning always lead to upward employment experiences. Gender and social class play an important role to explain these paradoxes.