Chapter 7
In: Handbook of Chinese Migration to Europe
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Abstract
This chapter explores the reasons Chinese nationals decide to migrate to and remain in the UK without legal immigration status, despite the UK’s increasingly stringent immigration policies. The research uses the term “statusless” to describe these migrants, reflecting the fact that the illegality of their immigration status is based on the political and legal choices determined by the current immigration regime. Through a qualitative study involving participant observation and interviews with fifteen Chinese migrants between 2017 and 2019, it challenges the predominant economic narrative of migration. The study reveals that alongside economic factors, emotional dynamics and complex familial relationships significantly influence migrants’ decisions. Emotional factors—including fraught intra-household power relations, gender inequality, and family estrangement—emerge as key drivers for migration and the decision to remain in the UK. The importance of the often-overlooked emotional dimension in statusless migrants’ narratives demonstrates that migration is a multifaceted decision-making process that involves both economic aspirations and the desire to escape negative relationships or maintain intimate connections. The conclusion calls for future research to further explore the emotional aspects of migration and the impact of gender roles, as well as to examine the effects of punitive border controls across Europe on migrants.