Abstract
This chapter focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's disproportionate impact on immigrants' careers and employment opportunities, and the dire need to address inequitable career development opportunities. COVID-19 has also highlighted the anti-immigrant sentiment and structural barriers that impact immigrant career experiences and outcomes. A second interrelated obstacle to immigrant career development paths are recent executive orders signed by Donald Trump in the United States against immigrants and refugees as well as global anti-immigrant and refugee policies such as Brexit and the Citizenship Amendment Act. Immigrant workers require advocacy, protection, and avenues to receive continued support during and post-pandemic. Resources for immigrant employers and employees including international resources, avenues for advocacy, and recommendations to service providers are discussed.
TopConceptual Framework
The guiding framework for this chapter is the collection of work that comprises perspectives on migration and access to resources in the adjustment experience of immigrants. This collection will be delineated into three frameworks: 1) social constructivism from an international psychology perspective (Chirkov, 2009), 2) integrative framework (Ager & Strang, 2008), and 3) integration frameworks (Ndofor-Tah et al. 2019). These frameworks provide a comprehensive overview of the adjustment experience of immigrants.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Acculturation: Refers to the cultural and psychological processes and outcomes because an individual or group comes into contact with another culture or group and demonstrates changes as a result of cultural contact (Berry, 1997). Rudmin (2010) defined acculturation as “the cultural learning and adjustment in the context of continuous cross-cultural experience” (p. 299).
Integration: Berry (2013) indicated this is an acculturation strategy where the individual participates actively in the host cultural group while also maintaining the cultural connection to their own culture. Berry and Sam (1997) suggested integration is also a bicultural acculturation strategy where individuals are experiencing two cultures in contact, and it is a predictor of more positive outcomes.
Immigrant: DHS (2017) defined an “immigrant as any ‘alien’ in the United States, except one legally admitted under specific nonimmigrant categories” or an individual who has entered the United States without legal status or documentation. Undocumented immigrants are individuals who are foreign nationals who do not have legal authority to be in the United States (Office of Immigration Statistics, 2014).
Transnational Migration: Rodriguez (1999) explained this as a movement between the migrant’s community of origin and the migrant’s host community space in the United States. Transnationalism is facilitated by geographical proximity and telecommunication services linking people and institutions across borders; for instance, through money remittances, contact with relatives, and networks with religious organizations (Sam & Berry, 2006).
Refugee: An individual who has credible fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political stance; who are outside their country of origin; and who are unable to protect themselves in that country (UNHCR, 2017b). In the United States, refugees are eligible for lawful permanent resident status after living in the country for one year continuously (DHS, 2017).
Migrant: An individual who seeks residence in another country by leaving their country of origin (DHS, 2017). Immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, can all be considered migrants, though they have different legal implications based on their legal status (Schwartz et al., 2010). The term implies transnational connections when individuals move from one country to another (Segura & Zavella, 2007).