Point of no return : navigating temporary labour migration during displacement : the case of Iranian Baha’is in the UAE

Abstract

This thesis highlights dynamics of ‘invisible displacement’ (Polzer & Hammond, 2008), namely, those displacement pathways which fall outside the scope of the asylum system (Bakewell, 2011). Specifically, the research focuses on displaced persons residing in temporary labour migration (TLM) systems. Employing the case study of Iranian Baha’is settled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), this thesis asks: how do displaced persons navigate residency in TLM-based immigration systems? Relying on original material collected through in-person, in-depth interviews, I argue that displaced persons migrating through TLM are at greater risk of legal precarity than ‘ordinary’ migrants. This is because they risk experiencing involuntary onward migration due to the lack of a return option. Interviewees attempted to mitigate such legal precarity by adopting long-term residency strategies relying on strategic citizenship and community-level support networks. While the findings are only representative of interviewees’ experiences, this research provides insights relevant to understanding the TLM pathways of any migrant community without a return option.