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Migrant welfare tactics and transnational social protection between Portugal and the UK

Machado, Bruno,McGarrigle, Jennifer,Fonseca, Maria Lucinda,Esteves, Alina

Abstract

Migration and the sustainability of the welfare state are irrefutably two essential topics in the political debate throughout Europe. Not only has the dominant pattern within the political discourse been focused on the generosity of benefits attracting migrants as, until recently, researchers tended to concentrate on the supposed “weight” of migration on destination countries. This view contrasts with new perspectives that highlight not only the levels of unawareness regarding benefits or social services in the destination countries as well as transnational practices involving a myriad of formal and informal providers across borders. Drawing on qualitative data gathered through 39 interviews conducted with British migrants in Portugal and Portuguese migrants in the UK, we explore migrants’ welfare experiences. Deploying the idea of social protection assemblages, which is the combination of formal and informal elements of protection, the analysis explores the welfare tactics that migrants adopt across transnational space to ensure their social welfare needs are met in the present and future. Local social capital, social networks and the process of welfare learning are key aspects in navigating the welfare system in the destination. Simultaneously, transnational practices are employed to overcome the gaps in formal services, either by piecing two formal social protection systems or informal elements provided by interpersonal networks. We demonstrate the importance of happenstance and “just in case” practices as well as cultural values and other non-economic factors as bearing a deep impact on how migrants ‘do’ social protection. .

Full text

MIGRANT WELFARE TACTICS AND TRANSNATIONAL SOCIAL PROTECTION BETWEEN PORTUGAL AND THE UK Bruno Machado1 Jennifer McGarrigle2 Maria Lucinda fonseca3 alina esteves2 ABSTRACT – Migration and the sustainability of the welfare state are irrefutably two essential topics in the political debate throughout europe. not only has the dominant pattern within the political discourse been focused on the generosity of benefits attracting migrants as, until recently, researchers tended to concentrate on the supposed “weight” of migration on destination countries. This view contrasts with new perspectives that highlight not only the levels of unawareness regarding benefits or social services in the destination countries as well as transnational practices involving a myriad of formal and informal providers across borders. Drawing on qualitative data gathered through 39 interviews conducted with British migrants in Portugal and Portuguese migrants in the UK, we explore migrants’ welfare experiences. Deploying the idea of social protection assemblages, which is the combination of formal and informal elements of protection, the analysis explores the welfare tactics that migrants adopt across transnational space to ensure their social welfare needs are met in the present and future. Local social capital, social networks and the process of welfare learning are key aspects in navigating the welfare system in the destination. simultaneously, transnational practices are employed to overcome the gaps in formal services, either by piecing two formal social protection systems or informal elements provided by interpersonal networks. We demonstrate the importance of happenstance and “just in case” practices as well as cultural values and other non-economic factors as bearing a deep impact on how migrants ‘do’ social protection. Keywords: intra-eU mobility; social protection; transnationalism; arrangements welfare; strategies. recebido: maio 2019. aceite: outubro 2019. 1 associate researcher, Centro de estudos Geográficos, instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do território, Universidade de Lisboa, rua Branca edmée Marques, 1600-276, Lisboa, Portugal. e-mail: [email protected] 2 Professor and effective researcher, Centro de estudos Geográficos, instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do território, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] 3 full Professor and effective researcher, Centro de estudos Geográficos, instituto de Geografia e Ordenamento do território, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal. e-mail: [email protected] Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27 ‑43 issn: 0430-5027 doi: 10.18055/finis17809 artigo 28 Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. L., esteves, a. Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27-43 RESUMO – tÁtiCas De BeM-estar DOs MiGrantes e PrOteÇÃO sOCiaL transnaCiOnaL entre POrtUGaL e O reinO UniDO. as migrações e a sustentabilidade do estado-Providência constituem, indubitavelmente, dois tópicos centrais do debate político em toda a europa. além de o padrão dominante do discurso político se ter focado na generosidade dos benefícios sociais como fator de atração para os imigrantes, até recentemente, os investigadores têm privilegiado a análise do suposto “peso” das migrações para os países de destino. esta visão contrasta com novas perspetivas que sublinham não apenas os níveis de desconhecimento dos benefícios sociais e serviços públicos existentes nos países de destino, assim como as práticas transnacionais que envolvem uma miríade de atores formais e informais, que prestam assistência além-fronteiras. através de 39 entrevistas com migrantes britânicos em Portugal e migrantes portugueses no reino Unido, exploramos as suas experiências com a proteção social. analisando a noção de “assemblagens” de proteção social, consistindo numa combinação entre elementos formais e informais de proteção, a nossa análise procura compreender as táticas relacionadas com o bem-estar adotadas pelos migrantes de forma transnacional com o objetivo de garantir que as suas necessidades, neste contexto, sejam garantidas no presente e futuro. O capital social local, as redes e o processo de “welfare learning” são aspetos fundamentais para lidar com o sistema de proteção social no destino. simultaneamente, práticas transnacionais são desenvolvidas com o objetivo de ultrapassar as falhas existentes nos serviços formais, quer através da combinação de dois sistemas de proteção social, como através de elementos informais providenciados por redes pessoais. Demonstramos aqui a importância de elementos como o “acaso” ou práticas preventivas, assim como dos valores culturais e outros fatores não económicos que detêm um profundo impacto na forma como os migrantes ‘fazem’ a sua proteção social. Palavras-chave: Mobilidade intra-europeia; proteção social; transnacionalismo; “pacotes” de proteção social; estratégias. RÉSUMÉ – taCtiQUe DU Bien-Être Des MiGrants et PrOteCtiOn sOCiaLe transnatiOnaLe entre Le POrtUGaL et Le rOYaUMe-Uni. Les migrations et le développement durable de l’État-providence sont, sans doute, deux thèmes centraux du débat politique dans toute l’europe. non seulement le modèle dominant du discours politique a mis l’accent sur la générosité des prestations sociales comme un facteur d’attraction pour les migrants, bien comme jusqu’à récemment, les chercheurs se sont concentrés sur l’analyse du “poids” supposé des migrations vers le pays de destination. Ce point de vue contraste avec les nouvelles perspectives qui soulignent non seulement les niveaux d’ignorance des avantages sociaux et des services publics existants dans le pays de destination, ainsi que les pratiques transnationales qui impliquent une myriade d’acteurs formels et informels, qui fournissent une assistance transfrontalière. Lors de 39 entretiens avec des migrants britanniques au Portugal et des migrants portugais dans le royaume nous avons exploré leurs expériences avec la protection sociale. explorant la notion “d’assemblées” de protection sociale, consistant d’une combinaison d’éléments de protection formels et informels, nôtre analyse cherche à comprendre les tactiques liées au bien-être adoptées par les migrants de manière transnationale afin d’assurer que leurs besoins, dans ce contexte, sont satisfaits pour le présent et l’avenir. Le capital social local, les réseaux et le processus de “welfare learning” sont des aspects essentiels pour faire face au système protection sociale du pays de destination. en même temps, les pratiques trans- 29Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. L., esteves, a. Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27-43 nationales sont développées avec le but de surmonter les lacunes des services formels, soit par la combinaison de deux systèmes de protection sociale, soit à travers des éléments informels fournis par des réseaux personnels. nous démontrons ici l’importance d’éléments tels que le “hasard” ou les pratiques préventives, ainsi que les valeurs culturelles et d’autres facteurs non économiques ayant un impact profond sur la manière dont les migrants “font” leur protection sociale. Mots clés: Mobilité intra-européenne; protection sociale; transnationalisme; “paquets” de protection sociale; stratégies. RESUMEN – tÁCtiCas De Bienestar De LOs MiGrantes Y PrOteCCiÓn sOCiaL transnaCiOnaL entre POrtUGaL Y eL reinO UniDO. La migración y la sustentabilidad del estado del bienestar son, sin duda, uno de los temas centrales del debate político en toda europa. además, el padrón dominante del discurso político se he centrado en generosidad social de los beneficios como factor de atracción para los inmigrantes, hasta hace poco, los investigadores han privilegiado el análisis del “peso” de la migración a los países de destino. esta visión contrasta con nuevas perspectivas que enfatizan no sólo los niveles de desconocimiento de prestaciones sociales y servicios públicos existentes en los países de destino, así como las prácticas transnacionales que involucran a un sin número de actores formales e informales, la asistencia transfronteriza. a través de entrevistas con 39 inmigrantes británicos en Portugal y los inmigrantes portugueses en el reino Unido, exploramos sus experiencias con la protección social. explorando la noción de “ensablajes” de protección social, consistente en una combinación entre elementos formales e informales de protección, nuestro análisis busca comprender las tácticas relacionadas con el bien-ser adoptadas por los migrantes de forma transnacional con el fin de garantizar que sus necesidades en este contexto estén garantizadas en el presente y en el futuro. el capital social local, las redes y el proceso de “welfare learning” son aspectos fundamentales para hacer frente al sistema de protección social en el destino. al mismo tiempo, se desarrollan prácticas transnacionales con el fin de superar las deficiencias existentes en los servicios formales, bien mediante la combinación de dos sistemas de protección social a través de elementos informales proporcionados por redes personales. Demostramos aquí la importancia de elementos como el “acaso” o prácticas preventivas, así como de los valores culturales y otros factores no económicos que tienen un profundo impacto en la forma en que los migrantes ‘hacen’ su protección social. Palabras clave: Movilidad intraeuropea; protección social; transnacionalismo; “paquetes” de la protección social; estrategias. i. intrODUCtiOn european mobility for some is a ‘taken for granted reality’, however, as trenz and triandafyllidou (2017, p. 551) point out it has more recently become a ‘contested field’ seen to the extreme in Brexit. The idea of benefit tourists and undeserving intra-eU migrants was a key feature of the political and public rhetoric of the leave campaign leading up to the Brexit referendum. in this context, the connections between migration and 30 welfare have come under increasing scrutiny. Based on a qualitative study, this paper contributes to the growing literature on complex intra-eU mobility experiences by focusing on two contrasting flows – Portuguese migrants in the UK and British migrants in Portugal. On the one hand, the former reflects unevenness in european labour markets exacerbated after the economic crisis and austerity in Portugal (Bartolini, Gropas, & triandafyllidou, 2017). On the other, north-south lifestyle migration from the UK to Portugal presents a counter stream of migrants in search of a better quality of life at a lower cost (King, Warnes, & Williams, 2000; torkington, 2012; sardinha, 2013). The eU’s transnational framework to enable intra-eU migrants to port their social protection among member states has been the focus of much discussion and, in regulatory terms, cited as a “best-practice example” (scheibelhofer & Holzinger 2018, p. 201). However, to understand how this regulatory system works in practice, in this paper, we explore the welfare experiences and tactics of intra-eU citizens during mobility. Borrowing from De Certeau (1984), we use the term tactics, relating to migrants’ routines of everyday practice acting within the more powerful strategies defined by institutions or organized bodies. Through the comparison of two case studies with different welfare regimes, we demonstrate how difficulties in understanding regulations as well as different cultural and institutional practices can limit the access of migrants to welfare and impact levels of satisfaction. in response, we explore how migrants learn and respond to the limits of the system through the construction of welfare assemblages across different sectors and nation states. Our analysis draws upon recent scholarship on transnational social protection, which provides an analytical and theoretical framework to move beyond the coupling of welfare and nation and to embrace new forms of transnational living and strategies of social protection. as such, we adopt a broad definition of welfare, including formal and informal providers across borders (tiwari, 2011; faist, Bilecen, Barglowski, & sienkiewicz 2015; faist, 2017; Levitt, Viterna, Mueller, & Lloyd, 2017). in order to explore these aspects, we interviewed migrants at different stages in the life cycle. Yet, while we take a life course approach, we frame it more broadly. in the words of Hockey and James (2003, p. 5), we conceive “the passage of a life time less as mechanical turning of the wheel and more as the unpredictable flow of [a] river”. The life course approach has been based on the idea of linearity, a programed sequence of events (Collins & shubin, 2015, p. 96). However, as our empirical data demonstrates, there is also an element of “happenstance” in migrants’ lives. The paper is structured as follows. in the first section, we focus on the debate regarding migration and social protection in the context of intra-eU migration. This is followed by an outline of the methodology and a brief description of the context. The empirical sections explore the strategies of social protection and experiences with portability, processes of welfare learning to access public services and transnational social protection strategies. Cross-cutting these sections we demonstrate the importance of cultural values and other emotional or non-economic factors as bearing a deep impact on how migrants ‘do’ social protection finally, in the conclusion we argue that migration and Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. L., esteves, a. Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27-43 31 social protection tactics are creative assemblages, strongly embedded in social networks, developed often in happenstance or ‘just in case’ in response to changing individual, institutional and political settings (Bilecen & Barglowski, 2015; Phillimore, Humphris, Klaas, & Knecht, 2016). ii. tOWarDs a transnatiOnaL UnDerstanDinG Of sOCiaL PrOteCtiOn: BeYOnD MaGnets anD natiOnaL tYPOLOGies studies developed on welfare and migration have, largely, crystalized around two main discourses and assumptions. first, they have focused on the theory of the state as a “welfare magnet” (Borjas, 1999; razin & sadka, 2000; Kvist 2004; sinn 2004; Giulietti, 2014). This theory emphasizes the burden of migration flows on destination countries’ social security systems, constituting a host country bias. it also assumes that migrants have perfect information on benefits and public services available in the country of destination. However, as Ciobanu and Bolzman (2015, p. 10) argue, there is a degree of misinformation about the details of a given country’s benefits and/or social services. second, the “deservingness” of migrant welfare beneficiaries echoes in current discourses surrounding migration and welfare. Migrants are often portrayed as the perpetrators of high levels of welfare take-up and dependency, a net drain to the system. However, some studies have argued to the contrary by showing that, in Portugal, migrant contributions are higher than benefit take up (Peixoto, Marçalo, & tolentino, 2011). similarly, comparing Germany and the UK, Bruzelius, Chase, and seeleib-Kaiser (2016) found that the percentage of eU citizens claiming benefits is lower than that of national citizens. The welfare state in the United Kingdom has been classified as liberal and can be described as a regime with a low level of decommodification, meaning that welfare depends on an individual’s market position. This changes somewhat when healthcare is brought into the analysis as the healthcare system shows high levels of decommodification in that is more redistributive or universal (Bambra, 2005). Outside this classification, we find the Mediterranean regime, a “familialistic” category, alluding to the central role of the family, shared by Greece, Portugal and spain mainly due to the similarities in economic and socio-demographic aspects together with an authoritarian or dictatorial regime in their past. if, on the one hand, scholars have broadly applauded this typology, on the other hand it has been criticized (arts & Gelissen, 2002; Bambra, 2007). esping-andersen (1990) refers to ideal-types of welfare states concurrently ignoring the actual delivery of services. Hence, this typology though constituting an important starting point for studying the welfare state should be viewed critically (Bambra, 2007, p. 1101). indeed, as we demonstrate in this paper there is a need for scholars to look at welfare state related matters in a more holistic or all-inclusive way. tiwari (2011, p. 5) calls it a “total view of the welfare system”, including social security, social protection and social safety nets. it is then crucial to move away from fixed notions of the welfare state and make room for analyses that contemplate migrants’ personal/informal practices and formal resources (Boccagni, 2011, p. 319). Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. L., esteves, a. Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27-43 32 Moreover, relying on welfare state typologies necessarily produces a nation-state-based view of welfare provision. as migrants’ lives encompass wider social fields there is a need to look beyond the fixed analytical boundaries of the nation state. recent approaches have paved the way for this analytical shift. authors like Levitt et al. (2017) along with faist (2017) present us with the notion of “transnational social protection” which can be defined as “the policies, programmes, people, organizations, and institutions that provide for and protect individuals (…) in a transnational manner” (Levitt et al., 2017, p. 5). furthermore, this approach calls our attention to different ways individuals operate and “piece together a package of protections from more than one nation-state, or how nation-states might protect and provide for a population on the move” (Levitt et al., 2017, p. 4). fixed analyses at the national level are questioned by these authors, underlining the need to excavate more than just migration flows and sets of benefits and effectively investigate the complex relationships that constitute the interplay between individuals and both formal and informal welfare state regimes (Bilecen & sienkiewicz, 2015). as formal systems can be difficult to navigate, there is a need to rely on interpersonal networks and to build informal strategies (Ciobanu & Bolzman, 2015; Bilecen & sienkiewicz, 2015; ehata & seeleib-Kaiser, 2017) and the combination of different resources creating complex assemblages (Phillimore, Humphris, Klaas, & Knecht, 2016). iii. MetHODOLOGY anD COnteXt as previously mentioned, this paper draws on qualitative data gathered through 39 interviews conducted with British migrants in Portugal and Portuguese migrants in the UK. Based on different life course traits, we defined 3 main profiles with specific age limits, family situations and having experienced or expecting to experience specific life transitions (table i). table i – Life-course profiles of the interviewed migrants. Quadro I – Perfis dos migrantes entrevistados relativamente ao curso de vida. Age Transition period Family situation Number of interviews Portuguese migrants in the UK British migrants in Portugal Profile 1 18-35 from studies to working life (first 4 years working experience) no children 6 3 Profile 2 25-54 recent parenthood or recent family formation Living with partner or not with at least one pre-school child (up to 7 years) 14 9 Profile 3 55 or more from working life towards retirement or retired Diverse situations 3 4 Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. L., esteves, a. Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27-43 33 interviews were conducted over spring and summer, in 2017, following snowball sampling both in person as well as through skype. interviews were transcribed fully before coding took place with nVivo. Our research focussed for the most part on the capital regions in each country, London in the case of the UK and the Lisbon Metropolitan area in the case of Portugal. all names presented here are pseudonyms in order to maintain interviewee anonymity. The British community has a long-standing presence in Portugal and has grown substantially in the last few years (sef, 2019). UK citizens, unlike the other labour or post-colonial migrants can be described as lifestyle migrants (torkington, 2012). recent Portuguese policy has actively tried to attract intra-eU migrants through fiscal benefits or exemptions for non-habitual residents (Montezuma & McGarrigle, 2018). Besides the ancient trade relations that consolidated the presence of english wine producers in the Douro Valley and on the island of Madeira, British citizens have been living in the Lisbon region since the WWii and are one of the major communities settled in the algarve (Cavaco, 2005; Moreno, 2007). in the capital region, where the interviews used in this paper were conducted, they mostly reside in Cascais, estoril and Lisbon. at the national level, it is the 5th largest migrant group in the country, with 26445 people (sef, 2019). according to sef (Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras) (non-published data), this group is characterised by a mix of professionals and retirees shown by age composition and income sources, with 38.1% of all documented British citizens in 2017 being 65 or older, whereas 52.0% are aged between 25 and 64. in addition, according to data from the 2011 Population Census, income from retirement pensions was the main source of funds for 41.1% of the British population aged 15 or above, while only 29.9% lived on income from work and 11.7% lived on family means. according to estimates of the Observatory of emigration, in 2017, there were 139 thousand Portuguese citizens residing in the United Kingdom, representing the 5th largest Portuguese community living in a foreign country (Pires, Pereira, azevedo, Vidigal, & Moura Veiga, 2018). although not a recent phenomenon, Portuguese migration to the UK gained relevance from the end of the 1990s onwards (almeida & Corkill, 2010) and is presently the main destination for Portuguese migrants (Pires et al., 2018; rocha, 2018). Looking into data from the Observatory of emigration, since 2008, in the context of the long-lasting economic crisis, high levels of unemployment, labour market imbalances and the high social costs of austerity policies, the number of Portuguese citizens who entered the UK leapt from 12980 in 2008 to 32301 in 2015. Despite Portugal’s economic recovery since 2014i, only in 2016 was it possible to observe a slight reduction of the migratory flows to the UK (30543). The United Kingdom is also the country that attracts most high-skilled Portuguese migrants (Góis, Marques, Candeias, ferreira, & ferro, 2016; Pires et al., 2018). However, despite general assumptions, Portuguese immigrants are among the least qualified, in educational terms, when compared to other immigrant groups, and are mostly employed in the distribution, hotel and restaurant sectors (Justino, 2016). although dispersed across Great Britain, according to data from the 2011 Population Census, London is the region where more Portuguese-born residents live (46.6%), followed by the south east and Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. L., esteves, a. Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27-43 34 the east of england, respectively with 14.25% and 13.8%. While the research contexts are distinct, in the following sections we will tease out, not only differences, but also similarities between the two nationality groups concerning individual tactics developed to navigate public services and social protection systems. in the following section, we turn to the question of portability to explore the interviewees’ experiences and future perceptions on porting pensions and social benefits. iV. sOCiaL PrOteCtiOn anD POrtaBiLitY: COMPLeXitY, trUst anD “JUst in Case” safetY nets regarding the european Union’s modus operandi, in theory, individuals are able to port their pensions and social benefits between eU member states (regulations eC 883/2004 and eC 987/2009). indeed, in accordance with other studies (Carmel, sojka, & Papiez, 2016), in general, porting contributory state pensions was a straightforward and linear process even when it included periods of work in more than one eU member state. Linda, a retired British migrant living in Portugal provides an example of this: “it was brilliant, plain sailing. and they said, which countries have you worked in and they contacted the countries, they got a letter from england, they got a letter from spain and started receiving from Portugal, england, spain (…).” (British migrant in Portugal, 63, profile 3). Those of working age had less faith in the future of public pension systems and specifically the portability of pensions in the context of Brexit. Muriel expresses the pessimism shared by several other interviewees, “i made contributions in Portugal for 5 years. i’ll probably not get to make use of it in the future. especially not with Brexit. i suspect that it’s gone” (British migrant in Portugal, 60, profile 3). Misinformation on the part of public institutions was also an obstacle to porting benefits. a few Portuguese interviewees living in the UK had received inaccurate information from bureaucrats, which had an enormous impact on migration trajectories. One example is Maria who lives in the UK with her husband: “it’s hard for us. for sure, well we are not sure, but if we change our pension to Portugal, we were told, that we might have to pay more taxes, that taxes will increase, right? and because our retirement pension is bigger than the one [in Portugal], they might cut it (…) i don’t know. We are afraid that it might happen, so we will stay in between places, but we won’t be able to do that all the time, of course, we’re getting older.” (Portuguese migrant in the UK, 77, profile 3). The portability of other social benefits was not straightforward in practice for several of the Portuguese migrants living in the UK, due to regulatory and institutional complexity as well as discretion on the part of bureaucrats, as noted in other contexts (Perna, 2017; Lafleur & Mescoli, 2018). When Cátia became unemployed in Portugal, she moved to the UK to look for employment with the knowledge that she could port her Portuguese Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. L., esteves, a. Finisterra, LIV(112), 2019, pp. 27-43 35 unemployment subsidy. However, UK institutions had difficulty in processing her application, as she explains in her own words: “i filled in paper work without end (…) supposedly the Job Centre in the UK should have reported to social security in Portugal that i was there (…) but i never received anything (…) There was a failure in communication (…) i paid all of the contributions... but had no money to eat (…) But honestly i was so sick and tired of those guys [bureaucrats], i even had to come back to Portugal [to try to sort it out]. They won by exhausting me.” (Portuguese migrant in the UK, 34, profile 1). The paperwork and the need to travel back to the origin country to try to provide the necessary information actually resulted in this particular migrant losing her social benefits, confirming findings of other studies (scheibelhofer & Holzinger, 2018). This was less of an issue for British interviewees as, in general, they tried to avoid benefit take-up due to feeling a lack of deservingness. rather than relying on national social security systems, several British migrants still of working age pieced together an assemblage of social protection, including contributions in Portugal and the UK as well as property investment. This practice predates the 2016 Brexit referendum and reflects what several of our interviews described as a lack of trust in the political and administrative system. as Peter, who also makes social security contributions in Portugal, illustrates: “i make voluntary national insurance contributions in the UK but it’s just, you keep your pension going (…) i haven’t completely ruled out going back to the UK, so just in case. .. up until with the recent events of the UK leaving the eU and things like that, i understood that it was relatively simple to transfer but that’s probably something to change so (…) i kept the property in the UK (…) it’s the flat which is probably more important as a kind of investment in the future (…) so in terms of pensions it is really property that, fingers crossed, is going to pay the pension when we eventually get there.” (British migrant in Portugal, 39, profile 2). This “just in case” practice highlights the importance of return considerations (Carling & Pettersen, 2014; sampaio, 2017) and a clear lack of trust in the portability of benefits within the eU, exacerbated in the aftermath of Brexit. such arrangements are common among those who are locally contracted. However, those who engage in transnational professional activities with higher levels of mobility – some have UK registered businesses or work in multinational settings with remote working practices – make pension provisions in the UK and have little information on the functioning of the social security system in Portugal. a few Portuguese migrants interviewed in the UK also saw property investment as an additional safety net for retirement. as amélia describes in her own words: “i just don’t count on the pension pot as my only safety net, so we’re thinking about other forms of investment, personal investment or through real estate, whatever, something that works as a pension supplement. for example, i don’t have one, but my husband has a Plano Poupança reforma [Private Pension scheme], and we intend to invest some money we have on the side in investment funds or something like that.” (Portuguese migrant in the UK, 40, profile 2). Machado, B., McGarrigle, J., fonseca, M. 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