Remittance and Socio-Economic Conditions of Nigerian Migrants in The Netherlands

The motivation of Nigerian migrants’ remittances are the subject of this study based on survey of Nigerians’ migrants living and working in The Hague, The Netherlands. For the analysis of both documented and undocumented migrants’ remittance behaviour descriptive analysis is used. I focus on all individuals with a migration background but with different residency status. Major findings are: first, the degree of integration into host society matters. Second, the probability to remit is not dominated by income. Third, Nigerian migrants are not a homogenous group concerning their remittance behavior: Undocumented migrants send more remittances for insurance motives. This finding agrees with other studies done somewhere else. The study points to potentially interesting directions for future research: (a) deeper investigations of the extent to which the legal status of the migrant influences cross-border transfer behavior and (b) reconsidering the theoretical arguments since the motive for remittances might have changed during the ongoing globalization process.