Drivers and trajectories of multinational migrations of West African international students

Abstract

This article focuses on international students from West Africa and their migration trajectories. Based on in-depth interviews, we investigate the migration drivers and students' motivations to become international students. Building on the analytical framework of multinational stepwise migration, we also explore their aspirations, obstacles and coping strategies at different stages of their migratory paths. This study maintains that this form of international mobility is not solely driven by academic aspirations. We find that international student migration is an increasingly important part of larger mobility projects for West African students. The paper also relates to facilitators of migration, constrained opportunities in the home countries and restrictive mobility regimes that, in conjunction, have impacted the stepwise migration toward the Global North. To fulfil their broader mobility projects, African students often have to engage in complex stepwise migrations and face various struggles and drawbacks. This study has demonstrated that African students from middle-class backgrounds are not exempt from these struggles.