Search results

To identify the trajectories of occupational mobility among non-EU immigrant workers in Europe and to test empirical data against neoclassical human capital theory that predicts upward occupational mobility and labor market segmentation theories proposing immigrant confinement to secondary segments.

Data from survey and semi-structured interviews (2,859 and 357, respectively) with immigrants from Brazil, Ukraine, and Morocco in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Norway. Multinomial regression analysis to test the likelihood of moving downward, upward, or stability and identify explanatory factors, complemented with qualitative evidence.

We found support for the thesis of segmented labor market theories of limited upward occupational mobility following migration. However, immigrants with longer residence in the destination country have higher chances of upward mobility compared to stability and downward mobility, giving also support for the neoclassical human capital theory. Frail legal status impacts negatively on upward mobility chances and men more often experience upward mobility after migration than women.

Findings reflect the specific situation of immigrants from three origin countries in four destination areas and cannot be taken as representative. In the multinomial regression we cannot distinguish between cohort effects and duration of stay.

Education obtained in the destination country is very important for migrants’ upward occupational mobility, bearing important policy implications with regards to migrants’ integration.

Its focus on trajectories of mobility through migration looking at two important transitions: (1) from last occupation in the origin country to first occupation at destination and (2) from first occupation to current occupation and offers a wide cross-country comparison both in terms of origin and destination countries in Europe.

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the ways that refugee and forced im/migrant (RFI) youth move across time and context in their educational experiences. In particular, the contextual characteristics of determinism, duration, and mobility are explained, and the factors most often associated with RFI youth educational experiences (i.e., trauma, identity, and language) are discussed in reference to the ways that educational infrastructure, capacity, and sustainability are typically established and maintained in educational situations worldwide. This chapter also provides a brief overview of the volume’s chapters and the ways that each chapter addresses one or more of these themes or topics.

The purpose of this paper is to identify a group of Irish graduates who decided to emigrate following the global financial crash of 2008. The paper explores how the economic crisis in Ireland (2008-2014) framed the experience of this group of migrants. Specifically, the paper examines the push/pull factors leading to migration; the experience of the graduate migrants in the host country; and decisions regarding repatriation.

This paper adopts a qualitative approach to study the experiences of graduates. The paper utilises narrative structuring to provide an enhanced understanding of the migration experience of the graduates.

The data collected during depth interviews indicates a mixed experience. There are a wide range of push/pull factors that result in migration. However, the range of push/pull factors that might result in repatriation are blurred by: personal experiences in the host country, changing family circumstances and the performance of the economy in Ireland.

This research highlights complex patterns of graduate mobility which reflect the multifaceted push/pull factors shaping graduate movements. Economic conditions drive migration but they also frame the migrant experience in the host country and repatriation decisions.

A review of the literature indicates that most of the empirical studies on the experience of graduates are quantitative. This paper argues other softer outcomes must also be studied to help fully understand the experiences of graduates.

Since Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, migration from Poland to the UK has increased substantially. These migrants are generally young and highly educated, and are migrating for reasons of economic improvement and self-fulfilment. Many are women migrating independently, an emerging trend in migration in general. Information behaviour research around migration has tended to focus on populations such as refugees; less research has been done on the information behaviour of economic migrants. This paper, therefore, investigates the role of information in the migration experience of young Polish women in the UK.

This study takes an interpretivist, constructionist perspective. An exploratory study was conducted, involving expert and pilot interviews and analysis of secondary data. In the main study, 21 participants were interviewed using a semi-structured technique. Data were analysed thematically.

The paper provides insights into the information behaviour and experience of this migrant group. They were found to be confident and successful information users, partly because their migration was planned, their language skills were high and cultural differences from their host country were not substantial. Weak ties were an important source of information. The paper contextualises these findings against previous research on migration in information science, and presents a model of the underlying factors shaping the relationship between migration and information behaviour.

The paper examines the migration experience of a relatively understudied group, drawing attention to a broader range of experience and demonstrating that a wider conceptualisation of migration is required in information behaviour. It presents a model of key factors shaping information behaviour around migration, which is relevant not only to the information field, but also to a wider range of areas. It also delivers practical recommendations for migrants and those working with them.

In this study, the life experiences of Canadian non-refugee immigrant women were studied to understand their pre-migration lives, the process of decision making about migrating to Canada, and their experiences after resettlement in Canada.

A qualitative methodology involving repeated in-depth person-centred interviewing (n=14) engaged five recent Canadian immigrant women. “Word of mouth” was used to recruit participants. Thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data set.

Loneliness became manifest given the loss of social networks and support systems immigrant women enjoyed in their home countries. Second, the presence of young children and absence of job opportunities for these women had them spending most of their time at home. Third, in some cases, the lack of professional employment opportunities forced the husband leaving Canada to find jobs – resulting in a deeper level of loneliness experienced by the immigrant women. Loneliness and isolation, and mental health issues associated with such isolation are potentially substantial, especially during the initial settlement years.

Given the small sample size, the generalizability of the study findings are limited and cannot represent the entirety of experiences of all Canadian immigrant women. The sample diversity in this study was also limited. The participants were highly educated and had professional careers in their home countries. The experience of less educated women can be different. Further research with a large sample size and diverse sample is needed.

The study offers deeper insights to the day-to-day challenges associated with the journey of migration. Understanding these concerns is important for mental health professionals, counsellors, and social service workers to offer effective treatment, counselling, and emotional support for immigrant women.

The findings further the understanding of immigrant women's experiences and the need to address relational aspects of their immigration journeys. Examining the experiences of immigrants in relation to their lives before and after coming to Canada is important to gain insight about the contemporary daily lives of individuals. A holistic understanding of immigration experiences can assist service providers, professionals, and policy makers to recognize the obstacles faced by immigrants. Suggestions for future research are also addressed in this study.

The purpose of this study was to propose a benchmark model for the process of post-migration social adjustment based on the points of view and experiences of young individuals from forced-migration backgrounds.

Twelve young adults (18–24 years) living in Australia with an experience of forced migration and from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed through thematic analysis.

The results showed that post-migration social adjustment requires effective interactions within individual, family and community domains. The participants proposed specific characteristics, enablers and barriers for each domain that can affect the process of social adjustment after the experience of forced migration.

Based on the reported points of view and experiences of participants in this study, the authors proposed an ecological model that can be considered as a preliminary benchmark to inform policymaking, research and services focusing on the social adjustment of young refugees. The practical implications for resettlement programs are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experiences of multiple forced migrations and resettlement among two refugee families in a mid-sized Canadian city.

Case studies are located within the contingencies of the participants’ lives and the meanings they provide to the events. A postcolonial feminist perspective guided the data analysis to explore the micro-level of individual experiences that unfold within a raced, gendered, and classed reality. Open-ended interviews, participant observation, and field notes were used to collect participants’ perspectives. Data were collected until saturation occurred.

An in-depth analysis of these two case studies revealed that lack of choice and lack of access to health and social services affect health through constant revival of traumatic past experiences prior to arrival to Canada. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: first, shared experiences of forced migrations; second, the past and present: construction of new identities; and third, resettlement challenges and opportunities. These themes overlap and intersect to shape the experiences of double forced migration.

This research has limitations related to the sample size but provides data on a topic that deserves more attention in the field of immigrant and health studies. The authors argue that health and social professionals must resist “finalizing” refugees into disempowered identities that undermine human agency.

Research on resettlement experiences after forced migration is a burgeoning field in refugee studies. The originality lies in drawing on Bahktin to develop practical implications to guide health and social practice in this area marked by racialization and fundamentalism.

The purpose of this paper is to explore empathy in the research process by drawing on findings from interviews to investigate the experience of empathy when two migrant researchers interviewed other migrants. Empathy is an emotion that can be experienced at both the cognitive and affective levels, and which can reflect feelings of sharing and identification.

This paper draws on findings from two separate and distinct but similar research projects, that both used semi-structured interviews to investigate a range of themes about the experience of migration.

During interviewing the researchers experienced empathy when respondents drew attention to particular aspects of their migration experience which were: the challenge of language expression when speaking English as an additional language; feelings of loneliness, including for friends or family; and challenges initiating and enacting friendship following migration. The researchers experienced empathy during interviews; however, they felt challenged by how to respond to these feelings.

This experience of empathy was novel because both researchers were migrants, hence, their emotions were triggered in relation to their own migration as well as that of their participants. Both researchers concluded that their own migration biographies together with their professional role influenced the extent and intensity of their empathy, and the ways that this emotion was handled. This work contributes to an understanding of the reflexivity of the migrant researcher undertaking migration research which has been a previously neglected area.

This paper explores personal collection management and use in the context of migration. The paper further investigates how migrants use items in personal collections to reflect their self-identity and learn about their heritage.

Interviews were used to collect data from 14 immigrants in New Zealand.

Findings show how migrants perceive the value of their personal collections, manage their personal collections during migration and use their personal collections as instruments of identity formation, self-awareness, and connections to cultural heritage.

Insights presented in this study increase an understanding of the critical role personal information plays in the migration and integration process.