New Trends in Filipino Migration: patterns and stages of mobility among migrants

The Asian region has witnessed a shift in the flow of people across boundaries, and the complexity in which it is occurring. The diverse profiles of migrants, the patterns of movement, and policies towards migration have been overwhelming. Thailand, like several countries in the Asian region, has been experiencing an increasing trend in the movements of people from neighboring countries despite its efforts in managing migration through policies that provide legal opportunities for labor mobility and restrict irregular migration. For the last five years, Thailand has a growing stock of Filipino migrants. This research is a pioneering work on Filipino migration in Thailand, adapting Drachmann’s stages of migration process framework in analyzing the patterns and experiences of Filipino migrants in the country by focusing on the factors that facilitated the movement, the resources that made migration possible, and the opportunities and vulnerabilities experienced in migration. This study used multiple approaches to analyze the movement of Filipinos to Thailand. Findings revealed their socio-economic conditions, the ways migrants had to go through, the magnitude of irregularity among them, and the exposure to risks. Data also showed that social networks and intermediaries have a major role in promoting and sustaining irregularity.