A life-course perspective on the health of undocumented migrants. How does the regularization of legal status affect their health trajectories?

In 2017, a regularization program called Operation Papyrus was implemented in Geneva, Switzerland, benefiting more than 2800 undocumented migrants. Using this program as a starting point, this thesis assesses the consequences of residence status regularization on undocumented migrants’ health through a life-course lens. To this purpose, this dissertation makes use of original, longitudinal data collected as part of the Parchemins project.

Findings evidence that residence status regularization has a positive impact on undocumented migrants’ mental health. However, this impact should not be overstated. Indeed, this dissertation highlights that undocumented migrants’ health is shaped over time by individual experiences as well as by various social, economic and contextual factors, and that residence status regularization is not a cure-all. Thus, this thesis suggests that comprehensive policy interventions empowering undocumented migrants in various areas of their lives may be needed to tackle efficiently health issues in this population.