Migration Experience Research Articles

Founders’ Migration Experience and Ventures’ EO: The Moderating Role of Acculturation Outcomes (WITHDRAWN)

Founders’ Migration Experience and Ventures’ EO: The Moderating Role of Acculturation Outcomes (WITHDRAWN)

The end of Mexico–US migration as we knew it – or back to the future?

Over the last decade, scholars have declared the collapse of the Mexico–US system of undocumented migration. The H2 visa programme, a regime of managed sojourning is replacing the system of unauthorized cross-border mobility. In fiscal year 2023, the US government issued nearly 370,000 H2 temporary work visas to Mexicans. This temporary migrant labour programme is also bringing back circulation, temporary legal stays, and mostly male cross-border mobility – features that are akin to the old Bracero Program (1942–64). We contend that the restoration of these legal and sociodemographic dynamics undermines critical pillars of the system of undocumented labour mobility, limiting and reorienting the role of social networks, and potentially ending the way Mexico–United States has functioned for the past half century. We use ethnographic, interview and survey data to analyse the expansion of this new regime of highly mediated cross-border mobility, the ascent of the brokerage apparatus, and its effect transforming the social infrastructure of migration. We ask, specifically, how does the H2 temporary migrant labour programme constrain and diminish kin and hometown-based social networks, previously seen as ‘the engine of migration’? How does the shift from migrant networks to a brokerage apparatus impact trust, reciprocity and the development of migratory social capital? How is the new regime changing the experience of migration – substituting risk and adventure for certainty and routinized movement? How does the H2 temporary migrant labour programme revert the locus of social reproduction of the labour force back to sending communities, preempting integration at the destination? We frame the answers to these questions in the emerging migration industry and infrastructures paradigm, which examines to the role of migrant and non-migrant actors in the facilitation, control and overall mediation and structuring of cross-border mobility.

The regularisation industry: a qualitative analysis of the legal-administrative intermediation field

The bureaucratic management of the legal and administrative statuses of mi-grants is a pervasive yet scarcely researched aspect of the migratory experi-ence. This article describes the field of intermediation services for migrants, with a particular focus on legal and bureaucratic support. Using the 2020 regu-larization of irregular migrant workers in Italy as a case study, it shows that actors related to this emerging segment of the ‘migration industry' are not only concerned with facilitating migrants' physical border crossings but also that intermediation services increasingly involve the crossing of internal borders, particularly between different (il)legal migration statuses. The article describes the field of legal-administrative status-intermediation, highlighting the different actors involved, who differ widely in their legal competency and the degree to which they marketize their services. The article argues that the com-bination of legal uncertainty and the specific features of the institutional and regulatory framework concerning intermediation services in Italy creates space for the emergence and expansion of for-profit actors. These actors oper-ate on a sliding scale between legal and illegal, formal and informal service-provision, ranging from commercial intermediation to illicit practices and fraud. Additionally, the article shows increasing forms of competition and ten-sion between non-profit and for-profit actors in the field. The analysis is based on 45 interviews with different actors of civil society, employers and migrants involved in the amnesty. The article looks at the migration industry as a field of intermediation in a context marked by the pandemic and on the forms of embeddedness of irregular migrants in local society.

Intercultural mediation and the state’s surveillance of motherhood: contradictions disclosing coloniality of relationships, racialisation, and emotional control

ABSTRACT In recent decades, there has been an increase in the practice of intercultural mediation in Spain. In different fields such as social work, education, and health, institutions involved the figure of the mediator in both public and private organisations as reflecting inclusion programmes. This paper is based on interviews with intercultural mediators interacting with young mothers without a residence permit in Spain. It examines the contradictory and tense position of the mediator and pays attention to a hierarchical and colonial listening displayed during the intercultural mediation, exposing the coloniality of relationships, racialisation and emotional control. Mediators find themselves between mothers and social workers. They can be seen as occupying two ends of the power spectrum. However, the mediator has less recognition amongst professionals in the field of social work. During interventions, the mediators are closer to the mothers since they also intervene as interpreters with a common linguistic background; they have a migrant experience themselves, and they try to build trust with the mothers, despite being seen as institutional figures. Simultaneously, from their less recognised position within the organisations, they negotiate the social workers’ understanding of mothers’ vulnerability, which could bring them into conflict with the institutions.

Effect of Gender, Migration, and Family Support on Socio-Economic Well-Being of Nepalese Youth

This study explored the interplay between gender dynamics, migration experiences, and family support and their impact on the socio-economic well-being of Nepali youth. A structured questionnaire was administered to 384 Nepali youth aged 18-34 years using a convenience sampling design. With the diversified participant profile, the descriptive analysis found that there is negative impact of traditional gender norms on welfare, while migration experiences and strong family support had positive socio-economic effects. Empirical correlations supported the hypotheses, emphasizing the need for gender-specific interventions and policies. The study advocates for approaches that consider migration experiences, family support, and the reconfiguration of traditional gender roles. It provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners, emphasizing the importance of addressing gender inequalities, formulating migration policies, and strengthening family support systems. Specific strategies, including counseling programs and services, are necessary to alleviate the socio-economic challenges faced by Nepali youth. The study offers a framework for designing effective programs and interventions that consider the complex relationship between gender development, migration experiences, family support, and the socio-economic well-being of Nepali youth.

Assistance Programs to Medical Licensure for IMGs Living in the US

Background: International Medical Graduates who are not US citizens (non-USIMGs) have the potential to provide culturally and linguistically competent care for diverse patient populations in underserved areas, relieving US physician shortages. However, the migration experiences of physicians who start the process of US medical licensure after arriving make it less likely they will practice medicine in the US. The objective of this research was to identify and assess the number of programs and the range and type of support currently available to this population. Methods: A scoping review was conducted of non-profit physician career assistance programs for non-USIMGs already in the US when they begin the US medical licensure process. For-profit companies are excluded because they are generally prohibitively expensive for non-USIMGs. The keywords “physician reentry” were entered into Google, identifying individual programs as well as databases, which were searched using the same keywords. Program websites and email outreach were used to review services provided by identified programs. Inclusion criteria were that programs provide physician career assistance, provide services to physicians who have never been licensed to practice medicine in the US, and have a nonprofit model. Results: Seventeen non-profit programs were identified that provide a combination of educational guidance, courses, and clinical experience to non-USIMGs seeking US medical licensure. They have supported at least 276 non-USIMGs to match to residency programs. Discussion: Career assistance non-profit programs like these have the potential to help remediate the physician shortage while increasing diversity in the medical profession and addressing issues of equity.

‘Migration Under the Glow of Privilege’—Unpacking Privilege and Its Effect on the Migration Experience

Economic migration is a significant and growing development around the world but has produced unequal outcomes and experiences for marginalized groups. To theoretically explain such inequalities, we argue that integration experiences of immigrants in the host country differ based on the privilege that their demographic category bestows on them (or not). We elucidate our arguments by unpacking the concept of ‘privilege’ to theorize two key sources of privilege—locational and historical—and explain them using the global economic divide (Global North vs. Global South) and local social divides (race and caste). We propose that locational and historical privilege manifest as various types of capital that immigrants carry into their host countries. We juxtapose these two sources of privilege and its levels (low vs. high) to develop a typology of immigrants—Marginalized, Peripheral, Assimilated, and Wanted—that captures differences in migrants’ integration experiences. By shining a light on the systematic differences between immigrants based on privilege, our research brings additional nuance to the scholarship on immigrant workers and inclusive organizations; and broadens avenues to make human resource practices more ethical by taking these differences into account.

Discovering neighbors: the regional migration experience as a source of intergroup contact

ABSTRACT Contact Theory suggests that interaction across ethnic lines can erode prejudices and lessen interethnic conflict. Hypotheses drawn from the theory have a mixed empirical record, however, with negative results commonly attributed to the presence or absence of conditions that mediate contact’s effects. Analyzing survey data collected in the Balkans, we test Contact Theory’s observable implications using a case that offers unique theoretical leverage: Albanian attitudes toward Greeks. It is an especially appropriate case due to the historical isolation of Albanians from their Greek neighbors, as well as the elite-level cultivation of anti-Greek prejudice that took place during that period. And it is an especially tough test for Contact Theory due to the presence of multiple circumstances thought to weaken (if not reverse) the estimated benefits from contact. Nevertheless, our results largely support Contact Theory. Albanian respondents who’ve personally met at least one Greek feel more warmly toward the group than those who have not, and that warmth tends to be greatest among Albanians who spent time living in Greece. The benefits of contact do not appear, however, among those who consider Greeks to be a national-security threat, supporting the belief that ideological or instrumental motives can neutralize contact’s ameliorative effects.

Migration and Mental Health in Two Contemporary Memoirs.

This article examines two autobiographical texts that address the relationship between migration and struggles with mental health: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio's The Undocumented Americans (2021) and Dina Nayeri's The Ungrateful Refugee: What Immigrants Never Tell You (2020). Both memoirs help bring mental health issues to light in situations of precarity, and the texts indicate that it is not just the experience of physical dislocation that may cause or exacerbate struggles with mental health, but the disconnect from other people, from citizenship, and the nation itself. Nayeri and Cornejo Villavicencio do not focus on narratives of recovery or healing but provide space for the experiences of other undocumented migrants trying to navigate the European asylum system or difficulties in obtaining American citizenship. The article argues that the two authors use their experiences of migration and mental illness for greater advocacy purposes with regard to human rights. The struggles with mental health present in the two memoirs intertwine with the treatment of undocumented migrants as described by the two authors, going beyond the personal experience of mental health, or illness, connecting it with migration practices and policies in the United States and Europe.

Oral Collage: A Study of the Storyteller-Migrant in Ali Smith's <em>Seasonal Quartet</em>

In this article, I will explore how Ali Smith’s Seasonal Quartet takes the form of an oral collage, a malleable, shape-shifting structure, to narrate the multi-layered affiliations of migratory experience. I will analyse Smith’s creation of oral collage using an interdisciplinary network spanning the disciplines of the visual arts, literary criticism, and migration studies. My examination of the relationship between Smith’s oral collage and the role of the storyteller-migrant will be informed by Yuval Etgar’s concept of collage as a mobile form which shifts attention to the margins or edges, creating ‘sites of disruption’ where ‘the unexpected, unscripted, or that was not meant to be included appear’. I will discuss how Smith’s representation of the migrant’s ‘simultaneity of connection,’ a criss-crossing of bloodline, geography, time, and memory, forms the foundation of her oral collage (Levitt and Glick Schiller). Further, I will examine how Smith’s oral collage contributes to the creation of a ’dissident counterpublic’ sphere through its foregrounding of the figure of the storyteller-migrant (Schrag). Finally, I will discuss the significance of Smith’s quartet for writing about migration, identity and belonging in the 21st century.

The Dynamics of Narrative Structure in Depicting the Repercussion of Migration Movements in Razan Naiem Almoghrabi’s Women of Wind

Writers of narrative fiction employ certain techniques in the structure of their literary works that reinforce the theme of the story. These techniques and narrative tools can be used in the various stages of the building block of the narration and enable the writers to manipulate such techniques in favor of producing certain images and ideas. Narrative voice, focalization, and interconnectedness of spatial and temporal presentations are among the most important tools available in the narrative structure of novels. Razan Naiem Almoghrabi in Women of Wind (2010) utilizes these techniques and tools available in narrative structure to depict the experiences of migrants from different nationalities who set out their migration from the shores of Libyan cities with the facilitation of human smugglers. The focus of this paper is on the effect of the narrative structure in portraying the mental and physical conditions of migrants. The major research question is how the narrative structure and techniques implemented in Women of Wind capture specific repercussion of migration movements. To depict a vivid portrayal of the suffering of migrants and the risks they encounter during their migration journey, Almoghrabi employs different narrators that allow the perception from different angles. The deployment of internal focalization through the eyes of one of characters, augmented the narration of subjective human experience. The intermingling of different voices and the nonlinear narration that shifts from one tempo-spatial presentation to another recreates in words the turbulent worlds of the characters in this novel.

Navigating vaccination choices: The intersecting dynamics of institutional trust, belonging and message perception among Congolese migrants in London, UK (a reflexive thematic analysis).

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted intersectionally marginalised migrants, revealing systemic disparities in health outcomes and vaccine uptake. Understanding the underlying social and structural factors influencing health behaviours is necessary to develop tailored interventions for migrants, but these factors have been seldom explored. This qualitative study aimed to explore contextual factors shaping COVID-19 vaccination decision-making among Congolese migrants in the UK.A community-based participatory research study was designed and led by a community-academic partnership in London, UK (2021-2022). Peer-led, semi-structured interviews were conducted in Lingala with 32 adult Congolese migrants and explored beliefs, perceptions and lived experiences of migration, healthcare, vaccination and the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflexive thematic analysis generated two themes and a model conceptualising the vaccination decision-making process. Participants and community partners were financially compensated; ethics was granted by the University of London ethics committee (REC: 2021.0128).Participants highlighted the incompatibility of lockdown restrictions with their communal culture, which intensified feelings of exclusion and alienation. Concerns about COVID-19 vaccination were attributed to safety and effectiveness, partly informed by experiences and legacies of racial discrimination and exploitation. Inequality in the pandemic response and COVID-19 outcomes heightened participants' sense that their views and needs were being overlooked, and government sources and information were perceived as coercive. Our model depicts the interplay between institutional trust, belonging, and message perception, which shaped participants' vaccination decisions and led to (non-)engagement with COVID-19 vaccination. This research enhances understanding of how social and contextual factors may influence migrants' engagement with health interventions. It underscores the importance of partnering with migrant communities to understand their needs in context and co-design tailored interventions and inclusive messaging strategies that promote trust and belonging. Implementing systemic changes to address structural inequalities will be crucial to create an environment that supports engagement with health-protective behaviours and enhances health outcomes among migrant communities.

The determinants of mental health inequalities between Chinese migrants and non-migrants during the Shanghai 2022 lockdown: a Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition

BackgroundThe mental health inequality between migrants and non-migrants was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying key determinants of this inequality is essential in promoting health equity.MethodsThis cross-sectional study recruited Shanghai residents by purposive sampling during the city-wide lockdown (from April 29 to June 1, 2022) using an online questionnaire. Migration statuses (non-migrants, permanent migrants, and temporary migrants) were identified by migration experience and by household registration in Shanghai. Mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, loneliness, and problematic anger) were assessed by self-report scales. The nonlinear Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition was used to quantify mental health inequality (i.e., differences in predicted probabilities between migration groups) and the contribution of expected correlates (i.e., change in predicted probability associated with variation in the correlate divided by the group difference).ResultsThe study included 2738 participants (771 [28.2%] non-migrants; 389 [14.2%] permanent migrants; 1578 [57.6%] temporary migrants). We found inequalities in depression (7.1%) and problematic anger (7.8%) between permanent migrants and non-migrants, and inequalities in anxiety (7.3%) and loneliness (11.3%) between temporary migrants and non-migrants. When comparing permanent migrants and non-migrants, age and social capital explained 12.7% and 17.1% of the inequality in depression, and 13.3% and 21.4% of the inequality in problematic anger. Between temporary migrants and non-migrants, age and social capital also significantly contributed to anxiety inequality (23.0% and 18.2%) and loneliness inequality (26.5% and 16.3%), while monthly household income (20.4%) and loss of monthly household income (34.0%) contributed the most to anxiety inequality.ConclusionsSignificant inequalities in depression and problematic anger among permanent migrants and inequalities in anxiety and loneliness among temporary migrants were observed. Strengthening social capital and economic security can aid in public health emergency preparedness and promote mental health equity among migrant populations.

The Effect of Urban Experience on the Settlement Intention of Rural Migrants: Evidence from China

Urban experience can increase the ability of rural migrants to integrate into cities, thereby enhancing their settlement intentions. This paper empirically supports these findings using data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey (CMDS). The mechanism analysis finds that urban experience promotes economic survival skills and adaptive capacity among rural migrants and enhances their willingness to settle in cities. It has significantly increased the labor market income, social activity, and interpersonal interaction of rural migrants. Compared with other cities, the urban experience of rural migrants who move to first-tier cities in their first migration significantly impacts their willingness to settle in cities. Finally, further discussion finds that the impact of urban experience on rural migrants’ settlement intention is nonlinear, with an inverted U-shaped curve. These findings can help local governments in China improve the integration ability and willingness of rural migrants to settle in cities through measures such as optimizing household registration and improving the social security system. They can also provide lessons for urbanization development in other countries.

Sociopolitically and Trauma-Informed Public Health Practice With Latinx Families: Conceptual Framework and Best Practices.

Public health practitioners working with Latinx families in the United States must consider the historical contexts of colonization and slavery that have created conditions of violence, displacement, and social and economic marginalization throughout Latin America. Although shared experiences of colonization, dispossession, and migration affect all Latinxs, diverse national histories and sociopolitical contexts, migration patterns, and intersecting identities (e.g., gender, social class, race) complicate efforts to develop a uniform approach to this heterogeneous population. We provide a critical analysis of (1) how past experiences contribute to collective trauma and motivate migration, and (2) how these experiences are replicated in the United States through immigration-related adversities that deprive and threaten children and families through marginalization, fear of detention and deportation, and family separation brought on by a parent's deportation. This knowledge is imperative to advance research, practice, and policymaking with US Latinx populations. We provide best practice recommendations for a sociopolitically and trauma- informed public health workforce interfacing with Latinxs in the United States. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S6):S485-S494. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307589) [Formula: see text].

Uczniowie z doświadczeniem migracji na lekcjach języka niemieckiego w polskiej szkole podstawowej – perspektywa nauczycieli

In February 2022, the invasion of Ukrainian territories by Russian forces took place, leading to a mass exodus of the Ukrainian population from the war-affected areas. Many individuals who left Ukraine due to the war sought refuge in Poland, and their children began attending Polish schools. Some of these children appeared in Polish classes only temporarily, but as reported by the Ministry of Education and Science in September 2023, 180,000 students from Ukraine began their education in Polish schools. The influx of Ukrainian children into Polish schools posed various challenges, especially for foreign language teachers, as their classes became linguistically and culturally heterogeneous. The aim of the conducted study was to answer the following questions: (1) What kind of challenges do German language teachers face in classes where students from Ukraine are learning? (2) Which teaching techniques do German language teachers consider most effective in linguistically and culturally heterogeneous classes? The article presents the results of the study conducted through interviews using an unstructured dialogical method with four German language teachers teaching elementary school students with migration experience. The research framework was based on the concept of Universal Design for Learning, taking into account the principles of inclusive teaching.

Social Trauma vs Adverse Childhood Experiences of Ukrainian Children of Forced Migrants

The purpose of the article is to study the key problems that Ukrainian children of forced migrants face and experience events of this nature, which are classified as social trauma. The authors reflect on studies focused on migrant children and emphasize taking into account the conditions under which this migration took place, namely: forced spontaneous migration as a result of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. Considering the scale of forced migration of Ukrainians both in terms of number and prevalence, the increase in the number of social problems caused by migration is an important factor in social transformations in Ukraine and EU countries. The authors emphasize the fact that migrant children go through a unique experience that affects their childhood, provoking the emergence of the “social cryptomnesia” phenomenon and requiring the mobilization of adaptive resources. Aspects of children's application of old social practices in new (sometimes existential) socio-cultural conditions are highlighted separately, which complicates the process of adaptation, integration and acculturation. The authors analyse the traumatic impact on socialization of such negative phenomena as stigmatization, cultural shock, and ethnic dissociation. The research results presented in the article confirm the high level of traumatic experiences of children of forced migrants who survived shelling, life in shelters, occupation, filtration camps, poverty, hunger, etc. It is important to study adaptation resources that help children adapt to new living conditions.

Civil Society Experiences of Migrants Under International Protection and Temporary Protection: The Case of Türkiye

Civil Society Experiences of Migrants Under International Protection and Temporary Protection: The Case of Türkiye

Migration: A Process of Search - London A Case Study

TV news, social media, and newspapers continue presenting migrants as a threat to the rich economies. However, the richness of cosmopolitan cities is the migration. London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is a case in point. In this context, the present article is guided by the following research question: what are the main causes of migration to London? This text has as objective to explore the drivers behind of migration to London. The hypothesis is based on the assumption that people who migrate to London have different motivations and not necessarily economic reasons. This work uses qualitative and quantitative materials, such as face to face interviews, data reports and statistics on migration and direct observations. This article is divided in four sections. The first one exposes some outstanding theories on migration. The second one describes the methodology applied. The third one offers some personal experiences of migrants living in London. The fourth one presents some results about the main drivers of migrants to London, and finally some conclusions are offered, which consider that there are subtle causes of emigration which are usually underestimated, such as learning English as a personal achievement, acceptance of different sexual orientation, cultural diversity, and relative political stability are among the most representative.

Burlyuk, O., & Rahbari, L. (Eds.). (2023). Migrant Academics’ Narratives of Precarity and Resilience in Europe. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers. Review by Zuzanna Ściborska and Luisa Voss <!--EndFragment--> <!--EndFragment-->

Migrant Academics’ Narratives of Precarity and Resilience in Europe dives into six main themes that correspond to different aspects of the migrant academic experience. Under each theme, the editors collected autoethnographic accounts of different scholars working in various Western academic institutions. The first theme, ‘(Non)Belonging,’ centers around the issues of othering, the post-colonial predicament of precarity and enforced mobility, and the process of (de)constructing and (un)learning who and what an academic should be. The second one, ‘(In)visible Inclusion and Exclusion,’ discusses the painful experience of what Dragana Stojmenovska describes as “knowing your place” (2023, p. 51) and navigating the manifestation of precarity and exclusion within oneself.