Family Relations, vol.72, no.2, pp.478-494, 2023 (SSCI)
© 2023 National Council on Family Relations.Objective: This research aimed to understand legal and bureaucratic intricacies couples from Turkey and the Netherlands had to face in their marriage migration processes during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing the role of a virtual community in developing coping strategies of multiple agents (partners, as well as lawyers and moderators as third parties). Background: The restrictive requirements for family migration in the Netherlands, which reflect a nation-state–centered point of view, had consequences on the marriage migration of Turks. Methods: Legal and policy analysis between the years 2004 and 2021 and a netnography covering March 2021 through April 2022 are used. Dutch and EU case law analysis, participant observation in the Facebook group “Hollanda Aile Birleşimi/Gezinshereniging” (The Netherlands Family Reunification), and semistructured interviews with the members of the group are employed. Results: The interactions in the Facebook group went beyond simple information dissemination and led to the emergence of a virtual community. It served for the development of intimacy and informal expertise and constituted a venue for developing strategies to cope with bureaucratic, legal, and personal hurdles. Conclusion: During COVID-19, the virtual community enabled individuals involved in marriage migration to counter the legal and policy framework.