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Transnational Older Adults and Their Families *
Author(s) -
Treas Judith
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
family relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1741-3729
pISSN - 0197-6664
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2008.00515.x
Subject(s) - homeland , housekeeping , immigration , immigration policy , order (exchange) , qualitative research , political science , sociology , economic growth , law , business , social science , politics , economics , biochemistry , chemistry , finance , gene
This qualitative study explores the international migration patterns and the family lives of older adults. Informants ( N = 54) reported that they came to the United States to help out their grown children with housekeeping, child care, and domestic economizing. They described how they strategically navigated U.S. immigration laws choosing to visit, immigrate, or naturalize in order to balance their ties to the United States and their homeland. Their transnational loyalties sometimes led to lives that did not strictly match their visa categories. There were “permanent” temporary visitors, U.S. permanent residents who maintained a “permanent” home elsewhere, and U.S. citizens who had naturalized in order to spend more time abroad. Implications of the findings for immigration policy and family practice are discussed.