Navigating Migration Regimes Together: The Journeys of Brazilian Couples in Auckland, Gold Coast and Perth

ABSTRACT This article builds on data collected as a part of two research projects to provide a comparative study on the migration journeys of young Brazilian couples in Auckland (New Zealand), the Gold Coast and Perth (Australia). We employ the theoretical lens of multi-stage migration to explore how Brazilian migrant couples plan and pursue journeys across different visa statuses to transition through less precarious forms of migration. Findings suggest that they often plan and pursue their journeys together and that their decision to migrate to Australia and New Zealand is linked to the pathways provided by these countries for more secure forms of migration and visa status. The comparative perspective shows that the trajectories of Brazilian migrants in New Zealand are different to the journeys of Brazilians in Australia in relation to the most protracted stage of their visa journeys. The strategies pursued by Brazilian couples to transit to a less precarious migration status are also particular to each of these countries. This article contributes to the sociological literature on multi-stage migration by emphasising how migrants enact collective agency and navigate restrictive migration regimes together as couples, pursuing joint migration strategies that depend on the maintenance of the relationship.