It is more and more common to see a member of the family moving to another country and leaving their family members (including partner, children, elders…) in the country of origin. These families are known as “transnational families” and this has emerged from the understanding that migration does not end with settlement and that migrants maintain regular contacts across borders. However, EU migration and integration policies are designed as “migrant-centred”, based on the single individual who is moving and considering his/her specific features (woman, child, worker…) but do not reflect on the family dimension of migration.
We advocate to bring this reality to the fore, drawing the attention of policy makers to a growing phenomenon that has and will have strong implications on several sectors of EU policy. Our 2015 policy paper illustrates the inter-linkages of a series of policies, especially but not only on employment and care, family reunification policies and the impact of ICT and parenting.
COFACE Position on Transnational Families (2012)
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