Negotiating Legitimacy: Binational Couples in the Face of Immigration Bureaucracy in Belgium and Italy

Drawing from ethnographic research conducted with binational heterosexual couples negotiating their legitimacy in the face of immigration bureaucracy Belgium and Italy, I explore interplay between marriage migration governmentality personal subjectivities. In a context increased political scrutiny, illustrate how wield intimacy to become stay legal; experiences bureaucratic encounters impact on both partners’ agency, producing swinging emotions improving legal culture. citizen remains pathway towards securing residence for migrant partner. Hence, countries these formalities, that frame as network bordering practices, are increasingly – but differently policed defining divergent regimes similar shared migratory careers couples. The potency legal-bureaucratic culture fashions couples’ journey through law its street-level implementation. Nevertheless, beyond opportunity structures nationally anchored constraints, analysis demonstrates agency similarly emerges management at large, status biographical resources, interactions intermediaries margin bureaucracy. Such triggered by intimate intentions expectations is contingent relational.