Nedelcu, Mihaela

Family reunification migrants and the Zero Generation
2023

Among different categories of “ageing migrants”, two bring into attention the migrants’ parents. The first one – ‘family reunification migrants’ – reflects the administrative treatment of migrants’ ascendancy by migration regimes. The second one – the Zero Generation – highlights the active role of mobile grandparents within transnational families. This chapter stresses a striking contrast between, on the one hand, family reunification policies reducing elderly family members to technical criteria weighting their (expected) dependency on migrant sponsors and welfare states and, on the other hand, the prominent childcare contribution of the Zero Generation. On this basis, it puts in evidence that administrative and analytical categories mirror different facets of complex realities, and draws attention to the importance of critically reflecting on ageing migrants’ different categorisations. In addition, it points the need for a shift in immigration regimes based on transnational family-oriented policies that recognize the active support provided by migrants’ ascendants.