Permanently Provisional : Facts & Figures of Portuguese Immigration in Switzerland

This article provides an overview of the main demographic, social and economic characteristics of Portuguese immigration in Switzerland. First, the political and economic underpinnings of Portuguese migration flows to Switzerland are outlined. The demographic and sociological composition of these flows, as well as of the Portuguese population in Switzerland, is then analyzed, and processes of economic and cultural integration are assessed. It is notably argued that the enduring Portuguese "ideology of return migration" has played a significant role in the patterns of integration of Portuguese immigrants in Switzerland