Embedded settlement intentions: The case of Ukrainians in Madrid

- PLS Path modelling is proposed for operationalization of embeddedness concept.
- Reduction of connections in Ukraine leads to long-term settlement intentions in Spain.
- Host country adaptation and settlement intentions are interconnected processes.
- Evolution of settlement intentions is not proportional with time of residence.

This paper aims at finding out whether the immigrant's relational environment can explain its settlement intentions in the host country. The article focuses on the operationalization and applicability of Granovetter's (1985) version of the concept of embeddedness. The personal networks data of Ukrainian immigrants residing in Madrid are examined by using the partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results reveal not only the existence of statistically significant relationships between the relational environment of the immigrant and the settlement intentions for various time horizons, but above all provide information on the exact degree of the influence of each different dimension of embeddedness.