German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study (GERPS): Documentation of the Second Wave

International migration originating from highly developed countries is a crucial component
of global migration flows. There are, however, surprisingly little data about the international
mobility of the populations of affluent countries. The German Emigration and Remigration
Panel Study (GERPS) aims to provide a resource that enables the analysis of individual
consequences of international migration as well as the socio-structural consequences for
the country of origin. GERPS is based on an origin-based multistage probability sample
using the German population registers as a sampling frame. The second wave yields a
net sample of roughly 7,000 persons who recently moved abroad from Germany and
persons who returned from Germany after having lived abroad. The study follows a multidestination-
country-design and enables the comparative analysis of migrants and nonmigrants,
who stayed in the country of origin. GERPS is a panel study with at least four
waves during a period of at least 24 months. This documentation presents the methods
and data of the second wave. It provides information for researchers and invites them to
use the new data infrastructure for their own research.