Immigration Service Research Articles

Seeking Asylum in the United States: Intersectional Analysis of the Experiences of Transgender Women from the Central American Northern Triangle

The Northern Triangle countries, including El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, are sources of a significant number of asylum seekers in the United States today. This article examines the underlying societal dynamics in these countries and considers the typical profile of transgender immigrant women seeking asylum in the U.S. on the legal grounds of having faced gender-based violence in their countries of origin. It analyzes the relevant international conventions as well as the social determinants of the health and mental health of transgender asylum seekers. It draws from 35 cases of transgender immigrant women subjected to child sexual abuse; sexual assault, including assault by police; and forced sex work; it reviews examples from the academic and gray literature, including a precedent-setting case heard before the Inter-American Court on Human Rights. It discusses the implications for social science professionals, including the role of experts of country conditions. It provides guidance for immigrant service providers and advocates, particularly the importance of gender-affirming policies and healthcare to this population deserving of protection.

(In)credibly queer? Assessments of asylum claims based on sexual orientation

AbstractPurposeQueer asylum‐seekers should be given an opportunity to have their claim evaluated in a fair and unbiased manner. Despite this, research shows they risk having their claims rejected based on stereotypes about sexual minorities. In the present study, we investigated how the Finnish Immigration Service evaluated credibility in asylum claims lodged by sexual minorities.MethodsWe analysed 68 negative asylum decisions to assess the arguments made to reject the asylum claim. To do this, we developed a detailed coding scheme to investigate the specific themes and credibility indicators cited in the asylum decisions.ResultsWe found that the asylum claims were most often rejected because the applicant's account of their sexual orientation was not found to be sufficiently detailed, consistent, or plausible. Officials appeared to hold assumptions around sexual identity development and interpersonal relationships that are partially unsupported by established psychological science.ConclusionsAssessments of SOGI claims would benefit from a greater consideration of the factors affecting queer asylum applicants' ability to describe their claims, including cross‐cultural differences in understandings of sexuality, variability in human behaviour, and practical barriers within the asylum procedure.

Electric Eyes

In 1977, U.S. Border Patrol Pilot George Watson praised the latest addition to the agency’s fleet in a photo-essay for INS Reporter. “A new dimension in enforcement capability began with the Hughes 500 helicopter,” he vowed. To illustrate the fruits of modernization, Watson included aerial shots of an arrest in the San Ysidro desert. “Before,” he explained, “aliens” would “sweep across” the border. Now, “Fox Trot’s light in the sky is bad news. Migrants hit the deck. They cannot escape.” Less than a decade later, the magazine admitted that, for the first time, one million “illegals” had been apprehended in a single year. Despite the slew of surveillance technologies at its disposal—helicopters, infrared scopes, night-vision goggles, low-light television systems, and “electric eye” ground sensors—the Border Patrol was outmatched. This article mines interviews, memoirs, promotional materials, and archival photographs from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) History Office and Library to flesh out the intimate links between visuality, surveillance, border policing, and xenophobic nationalism. Amid hysteria over unauthorized migration in the wake of the Bracero Program (1942–1964), the Border Patrol began to represent sovereignty on the U.S.–Mexico line as a visual project. It resurrected rudimentary tools (e.g. sign cutting) and adopted increasingly sophisticated optical devices. To advertise its vigilance, the agency turned to the camera. Via publicity and commemorative projects, the Border Patrol crafted an institutional iconography that showcased its prescient, scientific oversight even as it displayed the U.S.–Mexico boundary’s persistent insecurity. Throughout, it positioned the undocumented as invasive enemies. Ultimately, the Border Patrol leaned on a visual culture that glorified surveillance to justify the state’s sovereign right to police mobility. Insidiously, it fueled xenophobia by othering Mexican migrants. And it reimagined the U.S.–Mexico border as the site of a forever war: a perpetually vulnerable zone where perfected observation was a required—but never finished—pursuit.

Immigrants and nurses’ perspectives on the barriers in using health promotion services in Finland

Abstract Background The incidence of chronic diseases and health disparities is high among immigrants. Lack of access to health promotion services targeting the needs of the immigrant population was reported. This study aimed to explore the perspectives of immigrants and nurses on the barriers to using health promotion services in Finland. Methods A qualitative study with 12 focus group interviews was conducted in various cities across Finland. A total of 69 participants, including 46 adult immigrants and 23 registered nurses, were selected through purposive sampling. A semi-structured interview was used. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Results The analysis generated four themes: insufficient individual factors (i.e., knowledge, skills), restraining cultural norms (i.e., unhealthy cultural habits, gender disparities), inadequate health promotion services (i.e., lack of resources, structural limitations), and negative environmental impacts on health behavior (i.e., sweet foods and beverages, cold weather). Conclusions The findings suggest reinforcing health promotion services to prevent chronic diseases among the immigrant community. Providing health education resources that are culturally tailored helps improve immigrants’ knowledge to make healthier decisions in their own lives after migration. Moreover, it is recommended to introduce the health care system of the host country and healthy habits during the integration process, along with language training. Key messages • Improving equity in using health promotion services for immigrants requires reforms. • More strategies are needed to prevent chronic diseases among immigrants in Finland.

Deep Learning and Statistical Process Control Approach to Improve Quality in Immigration Services

Technological advancements have profoundly influenced various sectors, including tourism, by simplifying international travel and increasing the demand for passports. In this context, public feedback on the Surabaya Immigration Office's services, gathered from Google Maps reviews, presents an invaluable dataset for analysis. This study introduces a novel approach to quality management systems in immigration services by applying the Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory (Co-LSTM) for sentiment analysis of public reviews and p-attribute control charts for statistical process control. Focusing on the Surabaya Immigration Office, we analyze public feedback from Google Maps to assess service quality. Our methodology preprocesses and classifies opinion data into sentiment classes, employing Co-LSTM for its superior accuracy over traditional models. The sentiment analysis reveals a predominance of positive over negative reviews, with classification accuracy demonstrating Area Under Curve (AUC) values of 98.61% for training and 85.66% for testing data. Furthermore, the p-attribute control charts are utilized to monitor service defects, identifying areas of uncontrolled variability and suggesting the necessity for service improvement interventions. The study uncovers that the primary public grievance relates to the perceived lack of friendliness and politeness from office staff. By integrating sentiment analysis with statistical process control, this research offers a comprehensive approach for immigration service providers to enhance service quality, respond proactively to public sentiment, and ensure customer satisfaction.

Assessment of the Effect of Users Satisfaction with the e-Passport System on Service Delivery in the Tanzania Immigration Service Department

Assessment of the Effect of Users Satisfaction with the e-Passport System on Service Delivery in the Tanzania Immigration Service Department

A Dedicated Graduate Certificate in Health Equity: A Novel Approach to Increase the Future Physician Capacity to Address Health Inequities.

Pervasive health inequities require new approaches to medical education to equip future physicians to address unjust disparities in health outcomes. Few curricula exist that focus on development of competencies and leadership skills in health equity, and little is known about the content that should be included. Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine developed and implemented the Graduate Certificate in Health Equity (CHE) to address this educational gap. The CHE proposal was approved in summer 2019, enrollment began in October 2019, and the first course was offered in February 2020. The CHE includes 11 objectives, and programming spans medical school years 2 to 4. Students must complete 2 foundational courses, 2 health equity-focused electives, and a health equity immersion experience. Seventy-three students have enrolled since the CHE launched in academic year 2019 to 2020. In year 1, 14 third-year students enrolled in an inaugural condensed version and 16 second-year students enrolled in the full program. In subsequent years, 16 students (year 2), 15 students (year 3), and 12 students (year 4) enrolled. To date, 38 medical students have graduated. The CHE has engaged 16 community partners, including community health centers, immigrant and refugee services, rural health programs, and the LGBTQI+ community, as lecturers and hosts for immersion experiences. Future work will focus on updating objectives and developing a rigorous evaluation scheme. The CHE team members will follow up with graduates to determine how the CHE influenced their care for marginalized and minoritized patients, ability to identify and address systemic and structural barriers, and career development. The CHE is a potential model for other institutions to adapt and implement. Accruing a critical mass of institutions with health equity-focused programming for medical students is necessary to develop future leaders in health equity.

The Role of State Security in Immigration Service

This study enhances the understanding of the function of state security in immigration services. The perspective of state security in national development offers a solution to the current reality of implementing public policy in immigration, which requires a transformation through a more suitable and ideal approach for each immigration officer. One aspect of this study involves strengthening an in-depth interpretation to address and understand the evolving policies, aiming to achieve complex policy objectives. This phenomenon is closely related to the fact that current government policies tend to focus on public services that prioritize public satisfaction. While community demands are urgent for the Indonesian government, implementing public services in the field of immigration involves different dimensional aspects compared to other public services. The main reason is that current immigration issues are becoming increasingly complex, necessitating the adaptation of new approaches. It is crucial to manage the complexity and diversity of factors involved in the immigration service policy process, particularly concerning state security in travel document/passport services, immigration documents, and examinations at immigration checkpoints at state borders.

The role of collaborative governance and total quality management on immigration services quality

This research aims to investigate the role of collaborative governance on the quality of immigration services and the role of Total Quality Management on immigration services quality. This research method uses a quantitative method approach, research data was obtained by distributing online questionnaires via the Google Form platform. The questionnaire is designed to contain statement items on a Likert scale of 1 to 7. A 7-point Likert scale can minimize measurement errors and be more precise. The Likert scale used in this research is (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) quite disagree, (4) Neutral, (5) quite agree, (6) agree, (7) Strongly agree. The respondents for this research were 378 senior employees of the immigration department in Indonesia who were determined using a simple random sampling method. Analysis of research data uses the partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) approach with data processing tools using SmartPLS 4.0 software. The variables in this research are the dependent variables, namely collaborative governance, Total Quality Management and the dependent variable is the quality of immigration services. The stages of data analysis are validity testing, reliability testing and significance testing or hypothesis testing. Based on the results of the analysis and discussion that have been presented in this research, this research uses the Partial Least Square (PLS) method for data analysis, it can be concluded as follows, it is concluded that collaborative governance has a positive and significant relationship to the quality of immigration services, Total Quality Management has a positive and significant relationship to the quality of immigration services. Implementing collaborative governance can encourage improvements in the quality of immigration services. Implementing Total Quality Management can encourage improvements in immigration services quality.

Comparing Skin Tones to Shades of Upper Anterior Teeth: An Observational Study among Nigerian Adults.

Skin tones may be predictive of anterior tooth shade. An analysis of the relationship of skin tone to anterior tooth shade within a population may facilitate the prescription of complete dentures with optimal esthetics and realism. This study aimed to assess the relationship between skin tones and shades of upper anterior teeth among a diverse Nigerian adult population. The study was conducted between February and December 2022 among consecutive healthy adults recruited from dental clinics of five teaching hospitals in four cities located across four geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Skin tones were recorded using the National Immigration Service (NIS) Skin Color scale. The Vitapan Classic® shade guide was used to record the tooth shade of the upper central incisors and canines. Bivariate and multivariate tests of associations were performed, and predictive probabilities were developed. A total of 1070 adults with a mean age of 30.8 ± 10 years participated in the study. NIS skin tones 6 (29.8%) and 5 (27.7%) were the most common, while hues A (48.7% in incisors and 48.4 % in canines) and B (41.1% in incisors and 40.1% in canines) were predominant. The values of the incisors and canines were positively related to skin tone (P = 0.001) and age (P = 0.001 for incisors and P = 0.003 for canines). Hue was also significantly associated with skin tone for canines (P = 0.01) and gender (P = 0.001). Regression models showed increasingly darker skin tones were positively related to duller values for incisor teeth (β = 0.173, OR =1.19, P < 0.001). The values for canines were more likely to be >2 (β = 0.118, OR =1.12, P = 0.01), but without significant positive relationship to increasingly darker skin tones (β = -0.99, OR =0.91, P = 0.22). Skin tones were associated with upper anterior tooth shade. There was a positive relationship between skin tones and the shades of upper anterior teeth. Skin tones could guide the clinician in shade selection during complete denture prescriptions.

Application of Wayfinding Principles in the Design of Nigerian Immigration Service Command’s Office Complex in Bauchi State, Nigeria

This paper explores the application of wayfinding principles in the proposed design of the Nigeria Immigration Service Command Office Complex in Durum, Bauchi State. Wayfinding principles aim to enhance navigation and spatial orientation within built environments. It investigates how effective wayfinding systems can enhance user experience, improve navigation efficiency, and support the operational needs of the complex. The research aims to identify specific wayfinding strategies tailored to the unique requirements of the Nigeria Immigration Service, considering cultural, environmental, and functional factors. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, involving a literature review and a case study of the Nigeria Immigration Service Command Office Complex. The findings will provide valuable insights for architects and planners in creating intuitive and accessible public service buildings in Nigeria by incorporating various wayfinding principles, including clear signage, distinct landmarks, and intuitive circulation paths. However, some areas for improvement were identified, such as the need for more prominent signage and enhanced visual differentiation between different sections of the complex. The study concludes that the intentional application of wayfinding principles can significantly enhance the usability and navigability of public buildings like the proposed Nigeria Immigration Service Command Office Complex, Durum, Bauchi.

Understanding the factors related to how East and Southeast Asian immigrant youth and families access mental health and substance use services: A scoping review.

The objective of the review is to identify factors related to how East and Southeast Asian immigrant youth aged 12-24 and their families access mental health and substance use (MHSU) services. To address how East and Southeast Asian youth and their families access mental health and substance use services, a scoping review was conducted to identify studies in these databases: PubMed, MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Sociology Collection. Qualitative content analysis was used to deductively identify themes and was guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the process-person-context-time (PPCT) model, and the five dimensions of care accessibility (approachability, acceptability, availability and accommodation, appropriateness, affordability). Seventy-three studies met the inclusion criteria. The dimensions of healthcare accessibility shaped the following themes: 1) Acceptability; 2) Appropriateness; 3) Approachability; 4) Availability and Accommodation. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory and the PPCT model informed the development of the following themes: 1) Immediate Environment/Proximal Processes (Familial Factors, Relationships with Peers; 2) Context (School-Based Services/Community Resources, Discrimination, Prevention, Virtual Care); 3) Person (Engagement in Services/Treatment/Research, Self-management); 4) Time (Immigration Status). The study suggests that there is a growing body of research (21 studies) focused on identifying acceptability factors, including Asian cultural values and the model minority stereotype impacting how East and Southeast Asian immigrant youth access MHSU services. This review also highlighted familial factors (16 studies), including family conflict, lack of MHSU literacy, reliance on family as support, and family-based interventions, as factors affecting how East and Southeast Asian immigrant youth access MHSU care. However, the study also highlighted a dearth of research examining how East and Southeast Asian youth with diverse identities access MHSU services. This review emphasizes the factors related to the access to MHSU services by East and Southeast Asian immigrant youth and families while providing insights that will improve cultural safety.

‘We Are Stuck in Our Own Heads’: Immigrant Women and Institutional Practices in Iceland

ABSTRACT Immigrant women in Iceland have reported experiencing discrimination and marginalization in society and when interacting with institutions. However, this topic remains under-researched in the Icelandic context. The present article explores how institutional representatives construct immigrant women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV), their needs and their barriers to support-seeking through ideas of Icelandic exceptionalism and Whiteness. The analysis is based on two data sets: 16 interviews with institutional representatives who provide services for immigrants and/or women who experience IPV and 16 #metoo stories published by immigrant women in 2018. The analysis reveals that institutional representatives focus on immigrant women lacking trust in institutions and knowledge about their rights and procedures because of misconceptions in the immigrant community and lies told by violent partners. This individualistic perspective leads them to emphasize their responsibility in teaching immigrant women about their rights and to trust institutions. The institutional representatives fail to acknowledge structural marginalization and institutional discrimination intersecting with immigrant women’s experiences of IPV and support-seeking. As the institutional culture is rooted in the believe that equality is the basis of the welfare state and that Icelandic culture is free from discriminatory practices, institutional representatives rarely incorporate intersectional perspectives into institutional practices.

An Analysis of Research Trends on Medical Services for Immigrants in Korea

An Analysis of Research Trends on Medical Services for Immigrants in Korea

Crisis of Human Rights of Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Japan

The year 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the start of Japan’s refugee recognition system. Despite being a prosperous democracy and a staunch supporter of the international system, Japan has consistently admitted only a small number of refugees. According to the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, the number of people recognised as refugees in 2022 reached a record high of 202, while those not recognised exceeded 10,000. Furthermore, the legislative bill to revise the Immigration Control Law, passed by the House of Councillors Judicial Committee on June 8, 2023, limits applications for refugee recognition to twice in principle. From the third application onwards, there is a possibility for forced deportation to the applicants’ home countries. This legislative bill can be seen as violating the human rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, contravening international human rights law, and the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. Therefore, this article specifically explores Japan’s stronger stance on control over protection, whether its low recognition rate indicates non-compliance with international refugee protection criteria, and the reasons behind this. These aspects will be methodically examined, employing rationalist, normative, and domestic institutional theories of international conformity. Finally, the article will suggest measures to improve Japan’s refugee recognition rate and enhance the protection of the human rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

Civic knowledge and self-reported political astuteness of academic nurse educators in the United States

BackgroundA nurse's perspective is unique and invaluable to health policy. Although political astuteness is essential for nurses and nurse educators to be effective participants in health policy, there is a gap in the nursing literature on civic knowledge and its potential relationship to political astuteness. PurposeThis research aimed to assess the civic knowledge and self-reported political astuteness of academic nurse educators, their associated factors, and the relationship between these two concepts. MethodsThis cross-sectional study used a national sample of academic nurse educators who answered 10 questions taken from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization test and completed the Political Astuteness Inventory (PAI). ResultsOver 51 % of the sample (n = 122) did not provide enough correct answers to pass the Naturalization test and over 35 % were determined to be either completely or slightly unaware politically. There was a medium positive correlation (r = 0.313, p < .001) between civic knowledge and self-reported political astuteness. ConclusionAlthough nurse educators could be well-positioned to impact health policy, they may not have the knowledge or skills to fulfill this potential. Strategies for improving political astuteness include increasing civic knowledge and encouraging professional collaboration to promote nursing solidarity, influence, and power.

Evaluation of post-pandemic immigration services at Immigration Office Class I Non-checkpoint Pati

Immigration services are one of the services affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as the handling got better, the vaccination program became more widespread and the spread became lower, the Government began to provide some leeway including the opening of borders. People who want to travel between countries begin to prepare themselves by applying for a passport. Immigration Office Class I Non-Checkpoint Pati as an Immigration Technical Implementation Unit faces fluctuations in applications for passport issuance during this pandemic. This is descriptive qualitative research using literature review method, where data were gained from several sources such as related articles, journals, news and data which is released by government. The data were collected during period of time December 2021 until May 2022. From the analysis, it is obtained that issues and information, as well as announcements from the government, influence people to apply for passports. Improving passport services must also consider service quality. It can be described from Internal surveys and also Google Review. There was dynamic condition from the period of time of the analysis which showed dominant positive responses for the services to Immigration Office Pati from immigration service user community.

From Fear and Distrust to Trust and Collaboration: Exploring Transitions in the Quality of Relationships in the Encounters Between Immigrant Parents and Child Welfare Services

This article examines the characteristics of transitions in the quality of relationships from fear and distrust to trust and collaboration in the encounters between immigrant parents and child welfare services and explores what these changes demonstrate about trust and collaboration within such contexts. The study draws on empirical data from interviews with ten immigrant parents who have experience with the Norwegian Child Welfare Services due to allegations of child abuse and/or neglect. The findings show that the transition from fear and distrust to trust and collaborative relations does not evolve in clearly defined phases but rather unfolds as a complex cyclical process. This process appears to involve fear, distrust, and uncooperative behavior as a point of departure but can, in some cases, develop into trusting and collaborative relations with disruption and restoration during the process. The characteristics of the transitions seem to demonstrate that parents can engage in trusting and collaborative relations amid institutional distrust, fear, and vulnerability, if they experience the encounter as meaningful. The turning points in this regard include the following: (1) parents’ experience of positive interactions and relational trust with child welfare professionals and (2) defining moments in the subsequent intervention process, including parents’ awareness that the intervention will not lead to child removal and/or the positive impacts of therapeutic intervention measures like parental training courses, counseling, and financial support.

Dancing around gender expression and sex talk: LGBTQ+ asylum policy in the United States

In this article, I argue that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services’ current guidelines for LGBTQ+ asylum adjudication are both underinclusive and improperly restrictive. They are underinclusive because they are insufficiently attentive to LGBTQ+ applicants’ right to protection from persecution on the basis of gender expression. They also flatten the concept of gender identity by conflating it with transgender identity, thus reconsolidating a transgender/cisgender binary that impedes asylum officers’ ability to find cognizable those gender identities that exceed these two terms. The guidelines are also improperly restrictive because they forbid specific discussions of sex acts during the asylum interview. To be sure, this proscription is a response to widespread recent reports of abuse of applicants around the world. Nevertheless, it overcorrects for the problem and, in turn, hinders asylum officers’ ability to elicit detailed testimonies as well as impedes, in all likelihood, the ability of some applicants to furnish credible testimonials.

From struggle to strength in African and Middle Eastern newcomers' integration stories to Canada: A participatory health equity research study.

Newcomers (immigrants, refugees, and international students) face many personal, gender, cultural, environmental and health system barriers when integrating into a new society. These struggles can affect their health and social care, reducing access to mental health care. This study explores the lived experiences of African and Middle Eastern newcomers to Ontario, Canada. An understanding of newcomer integration challenges, successes and social justice issues is needed to improve health equity and social services. In this qualitative study, we used a participatory research approach to collect stories reflecting participants' integration perspectives and experiences. Beginning with our immigrant community network, we used snowball sampling to recruit newcomers, ages 18 to 30, originating from Africa or the Middle East. We used qualitative narrative analysis to interpret stories, identifying context themes, integrating related barriers and facilitators, and resolutions and learnings. We shared our findings and sought final feedback from our participants. A total of 18 newcomers, 78% female and approximately half post-secondary students, participated in the study. Participants described an unknown and intimidating migration context, with periods of loneliness and isolation aggravated by cold winter conditions and unfamiliar language and culture. Amidst the struggles, the support of friends and family, along with engaging in schoolwork, exploring new learning opportunities, and participating in community services, all facilitated integration and forged new resilience. Community building, friendships, and local services emerged as key elements for future immigrant service research. Utilizing a participatory health research approach allowed us to respond to the call for social justice-oriented research that helps to generate scientific knowledge for promoting culturally adaptive health care and access for marginalized populations.