Evidence of a Migration Preparatory Phase in Global Social Network Data

Social integration is typically understood to occur after migrants arrive in their destination country. Using de-identified Facebook data on 2.1 million recent international migrants from 165 sending countries to five major destination countries—Canada, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States—we track 3.9 billion friendships formed before and after migration. We identify a distinct six-month migration preparatory phase preceding migration, during which migrants sharply increase the number of new social ties with individuals in the destination country. During this period, migrants also join online community groups oriented toward integration; over 45% of migrants joined such groups, and those who did formed over 50% more destination-country ties than those who did not. Many of the ties formed during this preparatory phase are long-lasting, with a substantial share later developing into close friendships. Together, these findings show that social integration begins prior to physical relocation and highlight how digital platforms reshape the timing of integration processes.