Reasons for Migrating and Settlement Outcomes: Evidence from the Longitudinal Immigration Survey New Zealand

Abstract

People migrate internationally for many different reasons: some want a better lifestyle, for instance, while some want better employment opportunities. The Longitudinal Immigration Survey: New Zealand (LisNZ) presents a rare opportunity to study the relationship between reasons for migrating, background characteristics, and settlement outcomes. We use correlations between responses to group reasons into five main categories. We examine how migrants' social and demographic profiles differ according to their reasons for migrating. We then examine whether migrants with different reasons for migrating experience different settlement outcomes at six months after residence approval. Among other things, we find that lifestyle migrants are particularly likely to be satisfied with life in New Zealand.