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The paper examines the process of return among the fourth largest South American immigrants groups in Spain: Argentines, Bolivians, Colombians and Ecuadorians. Using several sources of official data from Spain and Population Census from origin countries, the paper describes the incidence of return as well as returnees characteristics. Immigrants from Bolivia, who are the ones arriving later to Spain and having the largest numbers of irregular migrants have the highest return rates. Besides, we found that men are more likely to return and also that returnees have higher educational attainment and lower labor force participation rates that the whole population in origin countries. The study points several conceptual and methodological challenges for the study of return migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two are the main aims of the paper: to highlight the contributions of sequential mixed method designs in the study of migrations, more specifically in the study of migratory trajectories of skilled Romanian professionals in Barcelona and explain the trajectories of a profile of immigrants that in the Spanish context must be understood from a double exceptionality. Based on a design that includes an online survey to 217 Romanians (belonging to a professional network abroad), 30 biographical interviews and 30 life charts satisfaction of Romanian professionals living in Barcelona, the article tackles the way mixed methods are shaped in the case of skilled profiles of migrants and the particularities of a profile that counts with a low social and academic visibility. As for the methodological contributions, the article reveals the usefulness of online survey (and cluster analysis) as a tool to determine the selection of the profiles studied in the second phase of the study (qualitative). The second methodological contribution links with the way life satisfaction charts may be combined with the analysis of biographical interviews. Finally, the main empirical contribution highlights the heterogeneous nature of the profile of skilled migrants, who develops strategies and different paths depending on the set of resources that mobilize before and especially after migrating. While those who migrate through the transfer of a multinational company count on a safety net that is the company itself, for those who correspond to the profile of international students, the institution is perceived as a launching platform that leads to the incorporation into the skilled labour market, even in times of economic crisis. Finally, when the meso level resources do not exist, the micro-level resources (social networks) are the one that explain successful careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to debate the dynamics existing between users of and trainers in a home care course for illegal immigrants in Barcelona. The analysis of these dynamics reveals the ambivalence of the help and support devices used by immigrants. These devices expose distant and top-down social positions (Spanish citizen /immigrant-foreigner), as well as alliances between users and trainers based on their shared identification as "employees" vis-à-vis the "lady of the house". Our analysis also reveals the importance of care work for the reproduction of life and also the lack of social recognition, low pay and poor legal coverage this type of job gets in the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the vulnerability of foreigners in the Spanish labor market by conducting empirical analysis based on Spanish statistics. This article goes in depth the tendencies (especially during the current financial crisis, 2008-2012) and the determinants of the vulnerability of foreign workers, mainly non-EU countries immigrants. On the one hand, an increase of unemployment rate of foreign workers, a loss of occupational biography, a long distant between Spanish and foreign salaries and finally, more difficulties to obtain incomes for foreigners, represent the main tendencies. On the other hand, the concentration in less qualified occupation, a higher rate of temporary contracts, the inflexible regulation and the decrease of the negotiation power of Spaniards, lead to suppose a higher vulnerability of foreigners in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crisis has started a new migration cycle in Spain. As an effect of the restrictive measures taken and the depth of the crisis, migrant inflows have reduced and outflows have increased, the latter especially among Latin Americans. This paper explores the impact of the crisis on migrant people and their families in terms of unemployment, of declining living conditions, and of legal uncertainty. In this situation, a growing minority of immigrants, particularly Latin Americans, implement transnational strategies such as return, circular migration and others. Notwithstanding this, most immigrants are facing the crisis here, combining work, social and family strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the problem of the regulation of foreign labor in Spain. We trace different strategies developed for the purpose of regulating labor in different historical periods, basing our methodology on the comparison of legal texts from the past (16th century onwards) to those that fulfill a similar function at present: to implement policies intended to employ workers in agriculture. We also deal with the similarities observed between the Prussian system for establishing a flow of Polish workers in East Prussia (19th century) and the system for the recruitment and supply of foreign workers created by the Unió de Pagesos farmworkers' union in Catalonia, Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]