Abstract
This paper contributes to the literature on multiple migrations by using qualitative data to address two questions. First, why do some migrants engage in multiple moves that may include returns or re‐migrations? Second, how do migrants frame these multiple migrations? The paper focuses on the paths of Colombians and Ecuadorians in Spain as they reacted to the 2008 economic crisis, which severely affected their employment options. The crisis started a new migratory cycle in Spain, with significant numbers of migrants who returned to countries of origin or migrated onward. This paper argues that precarious incorporations leave migrants susceptible to economic shocks and push many to move again. New migrations are often a constant search for stability that is marked by precarity and mediated by economic resources, gendered expectations and generational attachments.