"If you have not put on the shoes, you cannot understand": Reconsidering the role of perceived state (il)legitimacy in transnational migrant compliance

Abstract This study was carried out with the aim of assessing how Nigerian migrants' perceptions of the (il)legitimacy of migration control impact their compliance with migration policies, with the aim of demonstrating how a transnational approach to studying migrant decisions could offer a more comprehensive understanding of their trajectories. By focussing initially on the salience of migration rules and regulations as well as the role of legal consciousness in migrant decision-making, this study demonstrates that, contrary to previous studies (i.e., Ryo, 2013), perceptions of (il)legitimacy are not always a factor in migrant considerations pre-departure.