In God we trust: Religious beliefs and sensemaking of Filipino undocumented migrants in the Netherlands

Religious beliefs play an important role in the sensemaking of the Filipino migration experience – from migration decisions to everyday life and integration, and even plans for return and reintegration. As the accounts above illustrate, however, notions of fate and destiny and convictions about a compassionate and benevolent God do not only serve as coping strategies. Rather, these beliefs also shape individual identities and reinforce narratives of self-sacrifice and risk-taking for a better life. There is no intention to romanticise or idealise irregular migration, but the stories shared here show how formidable religious beliefs, together with a strong family orientation, give Filipino undocumented migrants the aspirations and the capability to rise against the invisibility and the vulnerabilities imposed by their irregular migration status.