Delighted to see our research on the migration journeys and experiences of EU citizens who choose to leave the UK after Brexit published in The Sociological Review. The article draws on 37 in-depth qualitative interviews we carried out with EU citizens no longer in the UK in 2018 and 2019. The article reveals the challenges and negotiations involved in the decision to leave the UK after Brexit for EU families. For mixed-nationality families and families with children born in the UK the process of ‘return’ was particularly difficult and in some cases involved migrating separately and leaving a part for long periods.

The study is authored by Professor Nando Sigona and Dr Marie Godin and published in the prestigious academic journal The Sociological Review. The authors unveil the social hopes, migratory trajectories, motivations, and decision-making processes of EU families who experienced post-Brexit emigration in the context of turbulent diplomatic relations between the UK and the EU, revealing the myriad challenges these families faced.

The study offers unique insight into how major political changes impact the everyday lives of people in Britain. Professor Nando Sigona, principal investigator of the Eurochildren study, says:

“Brexit was a seismic event, and its aftershocks are still being felt in the lives of EU families. Our research underscores the importance of understanding how political decisions reverberate within households, shaping the futures of individuals and families alike.”

It also gives voice to a population whose voice was hardly heard in the public conversation on Brexit. Dr Marie Godin explains:

“Our study delves deep into the untold stories of EU families who decided to leave the UK post-Brexit. It’s a complex web of hopes, challenges, and sacrifices that goes far beyond headlines and statistics.”

The article is available here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00380261231194506

You can listen one of the families we interviewed for our research on return migration here: