Migration for Marriage

Author: Shadi Farahzadi (University of Liverpool)
Posted: 26 January 2026

Abstract

The impact of policies restricting marriage migration depends on whether it is driven by preferences to marry within one's group (endogamy preferences) or gains from residency in a developed country (outside market value). I develop a novel marriage matching model incorporating the choice to marry from one's origin country. I focus on British Muslims, since half of them marry someone from their origin country. I find that 80% of Muslim marriage migration is explained by endogamy preferences. Therefore, raising the costs of marriage migration does not increase their integration through intermarriage; instead, it leads to a larger share of unmarried Muslims.
JEL codes: J12, F22, J15
Keywords: Migration, Integration, Marriage Market, Matching Model