Thread: Immigrants choosing to retire to their native countries

Immigrants choosing to retire to their native countries
BY JUAN CARLOS CHAVEZ • MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS • April 3, 2008

MIAMI -- They came to the United States with the idea of forging a better future, and they did it.



Now, however, growing numbers of Latin American immigrants close to retirement age are choosing to return to their countries of origin, where their Social Security checks, private pensions and savings will stretch further.

One in 10 Hispanics between 40 and 74 is seriously considering returning to his homeland or another region of the Americas that offers better conditions for health care and living, according to a recent study.

The study by the AARP estimates that in the coming decade, three out of 10 Latinos living in the United States will return to their homelands, choosing to retire in Latin America.

Sociologists call it reverse migration, or the salmon phenomenon.

"It's interesting that other nations end up being more attractive for retirees," said Omar Lizardo, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame.

"At the same time, the 'flagship' states that were considered by retirees as a sort of paradise are now losing their luster, such as Florida and southern California, where the cost of living has risen a great deal."

About 5.3 million Hispanics receive Social Security benefits. Of this number, more than 86,000 Hispanics naturalized in the United States cash are cashing their checks abroad through banking direct deposits.

Social Security Administration statistics show the number of retirees cashing their benefits and retirement checks abroad has risen dramatically -- from 188,000 six years ago to more than 280,000 today.

"The theory of a salmon phenomenon is being analyzed with great interest," said Maria Aysa, a Florida International University demographer. "In the case of Latinos, the shift reveals that people never completely cease to belong to their birthplace; that network and social capital favor the return home."

The decision to emigrate is a mix of adventure, anxiety at returning to one's roots and feeling the warmth of familiar surroundings. Some retirees explore the terrain, but return if their projects don't take off as expected.

www.freep.com

If the illegal immgrants and the legal members of their familes plan and use their oney wisely the illegals can and will leave earlier.