Migration is rarely the result of a single decision. Instead, migration decision-making unfolds across the entire migration journey: before departure, during transit, and after return. Yet migration policies often focus on only one stage - particularly pre-departure - rather than reflecting the complex and evolving nature of people's choices.

In this webinar, researchers from the PACES Horizon project present new findings on the factors that shape migration decision-making across every stage of the migration process. Drawing on survey data collected along migration routes and interviews with African migrants in Italy, Spain and Slovakia, as well as returnees in Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, the session explores how structural conditions, social ties, lived experiences, and social welfare policies influence migration aspirations and decisions over time.

The discussion featured Lucia Mýtna Kureková (Slovak Academy of Sciences), María Jesús Cabezón Fernández (University of Alicante), Ravenna Sohst, (MPI Europe) with moderation from Jasmijn Slootjes (MPI Europe).

PACES promotes the use of migration science in policymaking. The project analyses European migration policies, examines how societal change and life course factors shape migration decisions, and explores policy options that support mobility or sustainable staying. Using co-participatory methods, the project incorporates the perspectives of migrants and key stakeholders, including employers, unions and communities at origin and destination. 

The project runs from 2024 to 2026.