In the UK, an estimated two million migrants are irregular or subject to No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) visa conditions, restricting welfare access and often requiring payment for NHS maternity care. The impact on maternity and perinatal service use remains poorly quantified. Retrospective cross-sectional study. We used linked electronic health records from maternity, neonatal, and mental health services in South London (eLIXIR-BiSL cohort). The sample included 56,690 women with 67,308 pregnancies (Oct 2018-Oct 2023). Migration status was categorised as UK-born, migrants with recourse to public funds, NRPF, or unknown visa status. Adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) were estimated using generalised linear models, controlling for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Compared with UK-born women, migrants, particularly those with NRPF, had lower engagement with services. Women with NRPF were less likely to access early antenatal care (aRR 0.36 [0.33-0.38]), attend maternity triage (0.89 [0.82-0.96]), or birth in midwife-led settings (0.51 [0.36-0.71]). They were more likely to access care late (3.61 [3.33-3.92]), receive inadequate antenatal care (1.41 [1.30-1.53]), transfer providers (1.54 [1.36-1.74]), and experience prolonged postnatal stays (1.38 [1.21-1.57]). Women with NRPF had lower mental health care contact before (0.05 [0.03-0.08]) and during pregnancy (0.51 [0.37-0.69]), and reduced engagement with social care (0.36 [0.17-0.70]) and the criminal justice system (0.30 [0.19-0.44]). Migrants with NRPF or unknown visa status face persistent barriers to maternity and mental health care. Inclusive reforms are needed to address inequity.

PharmD Degree: A Case for STEM Designation.

Migrant wives on spouse visas find themselves in a state of transition. The conditional and temporary nature of their legal status positions these women precariously, with their wait for permanency causing legal limbo. Although research into the insecurity and precarity of women on spouse visas is increasing, we know little about how power imbalances between these women and their sponsor husbands are enacted and sustained through quotidian family practices. Responding to this gap, this article analyses the everyday experiences of 39 wives who, after migrating with a type of spouse visa to Hong Kong ( n = 20) and Melbourne, Australia ( n = 19), faced significant pressure from their husbands to perform ‘good wifeliness’. Although highly diverse and residing in two different social contexts, these women are connected by how these expectations can be traced to their visa status, specifically its purpose (for an intimate partnership), transitional and probationary nature and underlying sponsorship arrangement. Ideas of good wifeliness imposed by the women’s husbands are further underpinned by pressures to demonstrate legal deservingness as migrants seeking to move from a transitional legal status to permanent residency. Remnants of this dynamic continue even after separation, pointing to the long-lasting effects of arriving by spouse visa.

Purpose Currently, there is a lack of evidence of culturally safe approaches for addressing family violence (FV) experienced by ethnic communities in Aotearoa–New Zealand. This paper aims to report findings that may help develop FV strategies specific to African, Middle Eastern and Latin American victim-survivors. The study is significant in light of the recent proposals that community-led and community-mobilising approaches would be most effective for addressing FV within ethnic communities. Findings from this study indicate that community-led approaches can only be safely used if and when the identified critical issues are addressed. Design/methodology/approach Narrative inquiry methodology guided the original study. This methodology effectively creates spaces where participants can narrate their lived experiences and “stories” from their perspectives. First-hand telling and hearing their stories is empowering, considering the many forms of social exclusion these communities face. Through semi-structured interviews, a space was created for the participants in this study to share their experiences of successfully or unsuccessfully accessing the victims of family violence visa policy. The stories shared included factors that made seeking help inside and outside their communities less or more challenging. Findings Findings from this study indicate that community-led approaches can only be safely used if and when the identified critical issues are addressed. The issues identified include the small and dispersed size of the communities, which impacts support networks and conditions created by immigration visa status, a critical factor linked to reporting, help-seeking and support offered to victim-survivors by the community members. Research limitations/implications The study sample focused on Middle Eastern, Latin American and African communities and only a small sample within these communities. Therefore, it cannot present information explaining all factors that could be considered in developing and implementing FV strategies for ethnic communities. FV is complex and often goes under-reported. The participants in this study were self-referred. The victim-survivors in this study had sought help, engaged with relevant support services, and were willing to share their experiences. These findings cannot be extrapolated to ethnic victim-survivors who have not sought institutional help or have access to advocacy services. Therefore, generalisations should be made with caution. Practical implications The evidence provided in this paper suggests that community-based approaches, including community mobilisation and current approaches using state-based legal tools, will not be effective unless the issues identified are addressed. The article suggests ways of addressing these issues to implement community-based strategies safely. Further research is needed with a large sample of ethnic victim-survivors from specific ethnic communities to gain further insight into the factors impacting these strategies’ effectiveness. Social implications As highlighted in the literature review section, some significant New Zealand Government initiatives increasingly call for community-led and culturally responsive FV strategies. Considering the findings from this study, some critical questions should be asked. The first is whether such strategies would be effective at all. The second is, if such strategies are to be implemented, how can this be done safely so as not to cause further harm to the victim-survivors? The findings also question whether current strategies, mainly those using the legal system as the main protection mechanism for ethnic victim-survivors, are enough. Originality/value Recent New Zealand Government-based studies investigating strategies that could effectively address FV experienced by ethnic communities have highlighted and proposed community-led and community-mobilising approaches for addressing FV with ethnic communities. However, a lack of evidence of culturally safe approaches was identified as a significant gap. This paper reports findings that may help develop FV strategies specific to African, Middle Eastern and Latin American victim-survivors. Findings from this study indicate that community-led approaches can only be safely used if and when the identified critical issues are addressed.

It has been well documented that refugees with temporary visa status have poorer physical and mental health than immigrants on permanent visas. This study aimed to investigate the perspective of service providers on temporary visa experiences of refugees and asylum seekers, to examine the pathways between visa-related post-migration difficulties and poor health and implications for health promotion. Working across refugees and asylum seekers with multiple and varying pre-migration experiences and cultural influences, service providers contribute an important perspective of client experiences within the temporary visa system. A mixed-methods design was utilised with a quantitative survey of service providers working with refugees and asylum seekers (n = 36) and in-depth interviews (n = 12). Participants were recruited through service networks and snowball sampling. Survey data were analysed descriptively with R, and interview data were thematically analysed. Temporary visas, particularly short-term bridging visas, were identified as negatively affecting both mental and physical health through uncertainty, inconsistencies, service access transitions and family separation, with impacts via a range of social determinants and psychological states and behaviours. This study highlights the debilitating impacts of temporary visas on both mental and physical health, and the necessity to provide greater certainty to asylum seekers and refugees. SO WHAT?: Although the current Australian government has transferred many humanitarian temporary visa holders to permanent visas, temporary humanitarian visas remain available for use in the future. Moreover, many asylum seekers will remain on short-term bridging visas. The findings from this study stress the imperative of considering the mental and physical health consequences of immigration policy decisions for asylum-seeker and refugee populations. A deeper understanding of the interplay of components within the temporary visa pathway highlights multiple foci for future research and preventative intervention priorities.

Biopower, governmentality and the making of health inequities of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Researchers, activists, community organizations, and other stakeholders have worked across the globe to ensure that the problem of domestic and family violence remains a public issue. Using a contextual global approach, this article examines the framing of domestic and family violence in the United States and Australia, focusing on the critical issue of citizenship status. We draw attention to immigration policies and processes and the types of factors that can compound the violence women experience in their intimate lives to make them vulnerable. We focus specifically on the need to pay attention to the precarity of citizenship or visa status in both contexts over the past two decades and draw on state responses to the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of these processes. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of collaborative and interdisciplinary research for a more comprehensive contextual global understanding of domestic and family violence to enhance policies and practices for immigrant women.

The issue of safety and security of Floating Nuclear Power Plant operations is an essential aspect of safety and security requirements. In floating nuclear power plants, accident conditions occur in unstable reactor core positions. The safety of floating nuclear power plants is a significant concern that must be addressed, as it could lead to unauthorized operations and terrorist acts. The permit holder must appoint a Floating Nuclear Power Plant Installation Officer who is qualified in terms of operational safety and security, as well as safety and security standards, guidelines, and regulations. This study is necessary as part of the considerations for improving and completing BAPETEN Regulation No. 7 of 2019 concerning Work Permits for Nuclear Installation and Material Officers. This study develops a qualification scheme and identifies the basic competencies required of Floating Nuclear Power Plant Officers using a gap analysis method, which involves comparing actual conditions with expected conditions, as well as identifying gaps and planning corrective actions. The results of the Floating Nuclear Power Plant Safety Gap Analysis include the standard of competency for operating nuclear power plants on ships and security competencies in shipping activities. From the results of the gap analysis, BAPETEN needs to add to the draft regulation regarding the qualification scheme and competency standards for Floating Nuclear Power Plant Officers. The proposed work permit scheme includes validation of the testing certificate from the country of origin and assistance with practical testing in the supplier country. BAPETEN needs to establish a memorandum of understanding with the country of origin of the Floating Nuclear Power Plant and validate the competency standards of the Nuclear Power Plant officers, so that the visa status of Workers from abroad is not problematic. Identification of testing materials and theories for all qualifications can be submitted by BAPETEN Regulation Number 7 of 2019. The practical testing materials can be referred to in the vendor's country syllabus. Keywords: Floating Nuclear Power Plant, Floating Nuclear Power Plant Officer. Basic competencies, worker permit regulation

9016 Background: Almost two-thirds of physicians report delaying childbearing due to medical training. Amongst hematologists-oncologists (HOs), up to 75% report burnout related to parenting. International Medical Graduates (IMGs) account for a third of all practicing HOs; yet little is known about the unique challenges they face in navigating parenthood. This cohort study aimed to explore parenting challenges of IMG HOs in the U.S. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed electronically via social media and the ASCO community of practice between December 2024 and January 2025. Descriptive statistics were employed to compute frequencies and percentages of survey responses. Chi-square tests for independence were performed to evaluate associations between key survey variables. Results: Among 73 respondents, majority were aged 30–39 (50%) and were women (75%). At the start of their first U.S. post-graduate training, 51% of respondents were on J1/ H1B visa. The majority (77%) delayed parenthood due to medical careers with higher rates of delay in non-citizen/non-permanent resident (NCNPR) IMGs compared to those with permanent residence/citizenship (81% versus 71%). A Chi-square test indicated an association between immigration status and the likelihood of delayed parenthood (p=0.03). Parenthood delay correlated with work hours, financial strain, and lack of social support (Table 1). Key factors affecting career trajectory included decreased academic productivity (66%), reduced conference participation (64%), and declined advancement opportunities (53%). After having children, the most common challenges were achieving work-life balance (95%), lack of social support (93%), and increased burnout (92%). Visa status contributed to parenthood challenges for 38% of NCNPR IMGs. Respondents cited the need for childcare resources, enhanced leave policies, workplace accommodations, visa assistance, stronger support and mentorship. Conclusions: IMG HOs face significant challenges balancing parenthood and career, including higher burnout rates than previously reported amongst physicians. Within the cohort of IMG HOs, there is a significant association of immigration status with likelihood of delaying parenthood. Findings highlight the need for systemic support through improved childcare resources, workplace accommodations, mentorship, and visa assistance. Correlation between parenthood delay and determinants of parenthood timing. Factor Chi-Square p-value Duty hours 44.41 <0.0001 Financial strain 22.91 0.0285 Unsupportive work environment 34.5 0.0006 Lack of accommodations during pregnancy 29.79 0.003 Lack of/unclear parental leave policy 30.1 0.0027 Lack of accommodations post parental leave 26.28 0.0098 Lack of social support 39.96 0.0001 Impact on career trajectory 31.99 0.0014 Delay in training completion 30.06 0.0027

The COVID-19 pandemic may have disproportionately affected forcibly displaced people due to parallel uncertainties such as visa insecurity and family separation. This study explicitly examined whether different sources of uncertainty contributed in specific ways to increased psychological symptoms for refugees during the pandemic. A large cohort of 733 refugees and asylum seekers settled in Australia completed a mental health survey in June 2020 (T1) and 12 months later in June 2021 (T2). Using cross-lagged panel modelling, we tested changes in post-traumatic stress (PTS), depression and anxiety symptoms, visa status, family separation and COVID-19 uncertainty stress, and the contribution of intolerance of uncertainty (trait prospective and inhibitory), controlling for age, sex, trauma exposure, language, and time in Australia. Visa status and family separation stress at T1 predicted increased depression (bidirectional pathways) and PTS symptoms at T2 (unidirectional pathways), respectively. Visa status uncertainty at T1 was also associated with increases in COVID-19 and family separation stress at T2. Intolerance of uncertainty showed limited associations with symptoms and stressors. Findings demonstrate that different forms of refugee uncertainty had specific impacts on psychopathology during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Refugees facing diverse kinds of stress may benefit from individual, community, and policy level support targeted to their specific circumstances and mental health needs during future crises.

IntroductionMany Rohingya people from Myanmar have sought refuge and resettled in Australia due to persecution and genocide. Like many people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds who resettle in Australia, the Rohingya community face significant mental, physical and psychosocial challenges. Physical activity and nutrition are interrelated, modifiable risk factors associated with a range of health and psychosocial outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to physical activity and food security among the Rohingya community who have resettled in Sydney, Australia to inform intervention development.MethodsIn-depth interviews and focus groups with Rohingya community leaders and members were conducted. Community leaders were identified as individuals from the same community who have lived experience of displacement and advocate for the community’s needs. Reflexive thematic analysis and framework analysis were used to identify and then allocate themes to theoretically-driven domains according to the socio-ecological model.ResultsIn total, sixteen participants were interviewed, including n=7 via one-one-one interviews and n=9 via a focus group. Of the 16 participants, five were community leaders. Ten themes for physical activity and twelve themes for food security were identified and mapped onto the socio-ecological model. The impact of insecure visa status was identified as a significant macro-level barrier affecting both physical activity and food security. Lack of culturally responsive services and increased barriers to physical activity for women due to cultural expectations and gender roles were also identified. However, increased opportunities to engage in healthy lifestyles in Australia compared to Myanmar, social support and physical and mental health benefits as motivating factors were discussed as key facilitators.ConclusionHealth promotion efforts targeting physical activity and food security require a multifactorial approach which prioritises cultural sensitivity, acknowledges gender roles and expectations, and considers past experiences including the impacts of migration.

Sociology of migration scholarship has recently criticised the unreflective use of categorisation in migration research and practice. This article extends this critique by reflecting on ‘visa determinism’ – a heuristic that uses the visa status as a proxy for inferring people's identities, intentions and experiences. Drawing on the case of Brazilians who hold student visas in Australia, we explore and problematise visa determinism in two main ways. First, we demonstrate how migrants engage in othering to contest and repurpose the visa-determined ‘international student’ category. Second, we illustrate how intentions and migratory identities are multifaceted, and how contradictions between visa status and de facto experiences are a product of restrictive migration policies. Ultimately, this article aims to raise awareness of visa determinism as a heuristic that permeates different domains of migration. It argues that its uncontested use can legitimise the policing of migrants’ intentions and the production of migrant illegality.

Asylum-seekers in Australia are subjected to restrictive access, such as to education, work, and family reunion, which can affect mental and physical health. We examined the relationship between these restrictive measures and mental health symptoms and physical activity in a sample of Iranian and Afghan asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants in Sydney. 276 Iranian and Afghan asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants were recruited using a probability proportional to size representative, time by location sampling frame across randomly selected Iranian and Afghan grocery shops in Sydney. The interview recorded physical activity levels (Simple Physical Activity Questionnaire); posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and trauma events (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire); depression symptoms (Hopkins Symptom Checklist) and demographics (Visa, gender, age). Cross-sectional hierarchical logistic regression examined the relationship between visa status and achieving World Health Organisation physical activity guidelines. Hierarchical linear regression examined visa status and sedentary time. Path Analysis tested whether these relationships were mediated by PTSD or depression symptoms. Forty-six percent of Iranian and Afghan respondents who had secure residency in Australia engaged in levels of moderate to vigorous activity that met the WHO recommended rates. After controlling for variables, asylum seekers (with insecure visas) were three times less likely to meet guidelines and reported an average of 30 min per day more sedentary time. Mediation analysis indicated that depression symptoms and PTSD symptoms mediated the visa status and physical activity relationship. Likewise, depression and PTSD mediated the relationship between visa status and sedentary behaviour. Insecure visa status is associated with physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour, which are influenced by psychiatric symptoms. This could have long-term physical and mental health consequences for asylum seekers. SO, WHAT?: Visa restrictions placed on people seeking asylum when they arrive in Australia could have long-term physical and mental health consequences. This could affect the quality of life for those affected, as well as placing a greater burden on the health system in the future.

This article reports on findings regarding the experience of prolonged temporariness of migrant women on partner visas that separated after experiencing domestic or family violence (sponsored women). Four participants’ narratives were selected from a longitudinal study to understand how women rebuild their lives after violence while in an uncertain visa status. The analysis reported in this article reveals two strong experiences: Investigation and waiting times and productive waiting. The conclusion is that like with protection visa applicants and students, waiting and prolonged temporariness is experienced as harmful and delaying progression and healing even when the sponsored women engaged in productive waiting. Further, time and waiting also shape women’s experiences of migration and in the case of this cohort, their relationship with the host country and their experience of safety and well-being.

ABSTRACT Research on migration and mothering has primarily focused on how migration reframes motherhood. Mothers are expected to be the primary caregivers and prioritise their children’s wellbeing over their own. However, transnational mothers face tensions between this conventional ideal and migration realities. Most research has concentrated on the strategies of migrating mothers in resolving these tensions. This study, however, reveals that not all migrant mothers could renegotiate ‘good mothering’ to counter traditional ideals. The authors conducted individual in-depth interviews with 26 low-income cross-border Chinese mothers coming from Mainland China to Hong Kong. The study found that they reinforced and intensified traditional mothering ideals and struggled to meet such moral expectations because their visa status did not allow employment and access to Hong Kong’s social security system. Mothers subordinated their own needs and wellbeing to prioritise their children’s. They blamed themselves for not being able to care for their family in Mainland China. They also needed to rebuild social networks in Hong Kong centred around their children’s needs. The findings suggest that migrant mothers’ agency to redefine motherhood in a transnational context is limited by the intersection of their social class and citizenship status.

ABSTRACT This paper explores the interactions between three government systems of ‘care and control’ – child protection, criminal justice and border protection. Strikingly, these systems target racialised populations for interventions that are experienced as (mostly) punitive. Through qualitative case studies drawn from a sample of mandatory visa cancellation cases in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, I explore how non-citizens with experience of Out-of-Home Care (OOHC) withstand the convergence of criminal and immigration law, known as ‘crimmigration’. I argue that care experience contours crimmigration for those entangled within these systems in three significant ways. First, the ‘flow on’ effects of the criminalisation of those with care experience has unique consequences for non-citizens, bringing them into the purview of s501 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), and the possibility of discretionary or mandatory visa cancellation. Second, non-citizens in child protection who face insecure visa status are prevented from accessing certain health supports ordinarily available to citizens, which enhances their vulnerability. Third, government failures to act as a ‘parent’ to secure the visa status of non-citizens in child protection denies them protection from deportation. This article shows how non-citizens with care experience face heightened exposure to crimmigration and deportation.

ABSTRACTStudies on the impact of COVID‐19 on ethnic minorities are often centred around racism and socio‐economic inequality. Accordingly, people with Asian heritage are frequently portrayed as victims, rather than as people with agency. Drawing from interviews with middle‐class Asian migrant women, we examine the various im/mobilities Asian migrant women experienced during the pandemic: in the public/private sphere, from urban to regional cities, in intimacies and as international students. Our research demonstrated how Asian female migrants empowered themselves during the pandemic by becoming mobile in multiple ways. Certainly, the study's participants did encounter immobility. However, their circumstances benefitted significantly from their middle‐class status, relatively young age and independent visa status. The study's attention to participants' lives before and during the pandemic also enabled insight into the relationality of im/mobility: how even as the pandemic immobilised many people, it could mobilise middle‐class Asian migrant women to reconfigure the pandemic as opportunity.

The global displacement crisis has grown significantly, with the number of forcibly displaced people rising from 45.2 million in 2012 to 70.8 million in 2018, positioning Australia as a key destination for asylum seekers, including unaccompanied minors from conflict-affected regions such as Afghanistan (UNHCR, 2016, 2017, 2018). This qualitative case study examines the settlement experiences of Hazara unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors (UAMs) and former UAMs (fUAMs) in Melbourne, Australia. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory and Social Networks theory, the study explores how structural, social, and cultural dynamics interact to shape the settlement trajectories of male Afghan Hazara youth. Data from 12 semi-structured interviews with caseworkers and English language teachers reveal a sharp discontinuity in support based on age. While UAMs under 18 benefit from comprehensive, government-funded services supporting language acquisition, education, and social engagement, these services are abruptly withdrawn at age 18. As a result, fUAMs face heightened risks of housing instability, unemployment, low health and financial literacy, and social isolation. These vulnerabilities are compounded by intersecting challenges related to ethnicity, religion, visa status, trauma, and disrupted education. Despite these barriers, Hazara youth often demonstrate resilience through community networks, cultural coping strategies, and civic engagement. However, the study finds that internal strengths alone are insufficient without ongoing, structured support. It calls for the implementation of a Post-18 Continuum Model and highlights international best practices from Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK as models for trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate care. The findings underscore the urgent need for culturally responsive, rights-based settlement policies that address both the immediate and long-term needs of refugee-background youth in Australia.

To reduce health disparities among migrant populations, it is critical to fully understand the barriers they face when accessing and utilizing healthcare services. This study uses data from a survey of 1,060 immigrants from various backgrounds to investigate the causes of unmet healthcare needs. The findings show that 298 respondents reported having unmet healthcare needs. Significant contributors to these unmet healthcare needs include country of origin, visa status, occupation, experiences of discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic, self-assessed health status, anxiety, depression, and disability. Immigrant health disparities must be effectively addressed through policy reforms and increased budgetary allocations for migrant healthcare. Furthermore, developing educational programs and informational pamphlets to raise immigrants’ awareness of their healthcare rights is critical for empowering them to protect these rights. Furthermore, initiatives that promote integration and facilitate the exchange of information and mutual assistance between immigrants and native populations are critical for promoting social cohesion and addressing healthcare disparities.

Safe and ethnic‐specific strategies for addressing family violence (FV) remain an underdeveloped area in FV studies about ethnic communities in Aotearoa–New Zealand (ANZ). The limited existing research shows a tension between two perspectives. The first is the culturalization approaches, which tend to overemphasise cultural worldviews as the root of the problem, often concentrating efforts on correcting what they perceive as ‘oppressive’ aspects of victim‐survivors’ cultures. The second is an emerging body of scholarship on mobilising rather than erasing culture within strategies for addressing FV. Resolving this tension is beyond the scope of this paper. However, it provides evidence that several challenges intricately linked to their experiences of being ‘migrants’ exist within and outside these communities, affecting how they respond to FV. These issues must be addressed before cultural mobilisation, and ‘culturalization’ approaches can be safely used. The data used were drawn from a narrative inquiry‐based study with 10 ethnic women victim‐survivors and 10 supporting nonmedical practitioners examining their engagement with the Victims of Family Violence (VFV) Visa policy in ANZ. The issues identified include the small and dispersed size of the communities, which impacts support networks and conditions created by immigration visa status, a critical factor linked to reporting, help‐seeking, and support offered to victim‐survivors by the community members.