Migration integration policies as social determinants of health for highly educated immigrants in the United States

BMC Public Health

Research

Mitra Naseh¹  Yingying Zeng¹  Abha Rai²  Hyunwoo Yoon³  Ian Sutherland⁴ 

[1] Brown School, Washington University in St. Louis, 1 Brookings Dr, 63130, St. Louis, MO, USA;Center for Immigrant and Refugee Accompaniment School of Social Work, Loyola University Chicago, 1 E Pearson St, #532 Maguire Hall, 60611, Chicago, IL, USA;Department of Social Welfare, Kongju National University, 56 Gongjudaehak-ro, Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea;School of Social Work, Portland State University, 1800 SW 6th Ave, 97201, Portland, OR, USA;

关键词: Social determinants of health;    Migration policies;    Highly educated immigrants;    Migration;    Immigrants;    Health;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-023-16254-x

 received in 2023-01-12, accepted in 2023-07-06,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Highly educated immigrants are part of the growing population of immigrants who are impacted by the increasingly hostile migration policies in the U.S. This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach and inductive reasoning to explore the possible impacts of migration integration policies as social determinants of health among this group. Data was collected through 31 semi-structured interviewees with highly educated immigrants who had an intention and interest to stay in the U.S. at the time of the interview. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and four main themes emerged: (1) a life overshadowed by silent worries, (2) living through uncertainties and forced decisions as the result of migration integration policies, (3) complexities and challenges of living on a work visa, and (4) shared recommendations by interviewees. Documented narratives as part of this study suggest high rates of stress and anxiety as well as negative mental and physical health outcomes among the participants. Results also suggest high levels of internalized vulnerabilities. Participants shared that migration policies can be enhanced in the U.S. to support highly educated immigrants’ growth by creating a better and more transparent communication system, replacing random review processes for applications with systematic procedures, creating expedited pathways to citizenship based on merit, and granting access to work as a basic human right.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023