Ageing of returnees to Morocco: Residential strategies under constraint?

Abstract

The end of a person's active life is often a key moment in the emergence of new life projects involving, in particular, important issues linked to the choice of the place of residence or even the adoption of poly-residence practices. It is within this framework that many retired Moroccan immigrants in France choosing to return to Morocco as a residential choice for retirement are to be found in this particular situation. One option is a return migration to Morocco. However, the alternative to a move to Morocco often turns into Moroccans leading transnational lives which, in view of the ageing process, can be a questionable practice. Thus, this article analyses the different residential and mobility strategies implemented by ageing Moroccan immigrants. Have these retirees taken ageing into consideration in their residential strategies? The article is based on a survey conducted between 2017 and 2019 in the Souss-Massa region (Morocco) among 20 Moroccan retirees either returning permanently to Morocco or in regular circulation between France and Morocco. The article shows that the ageing of these ‘returning’ migrants raises several challenges of a financial, health and social isolation nature and that their care practices are transnational. Ageing sometimes implies changes in their initial residential and migratory projects. This could involve, for example, a wish to be reunited with the family, adapting their residential requirements and considering new mobility. However, we will also see that those without dual nationality and in precarious situations find their migration projects and residential choices restrained, particularly by difficulties in accessing certain social rights.