Integration Experiences of Former Afghan Refugees in Australia: What Challenges Still Remain after Becoming Citizens?

Abstract

This paper explores, analyses, and documents the experiences of Afghan-Australians who arrived in Australia as refugees and were granted citizenship after living in Australia for several years. This research adopted a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative approaches and surveyed 102 people, interviewed 13 participants, and conducted two focus-groups within its research design. Analysis of data indicates that former Afghan refugees gradually settled down and integrated within Australian society. They value safety and security, open democracy and orderly society of Australia, as well as accessing to education and healthcare services and opportunity for social mobility. However, since the integration is a long process, they are also facing some challenges in this area. Findings of this study show that Afghan-Australians require more support from Australian governments to overcome some of these challenges particularly securing employment within their area of interests and professional occupations that they have qualifications and experiences from Afghanistan. They are also experiencing broader challenges in the area of socio-cultural issues within Australian society. Since the Afghan community is an emerging community in Western Australia, they require more support from local government to enhance their ethnic cohesion and solidarity.

Cultural Identity as a Determinant of Health among South Sudanese in Sydney, Australia

“…Te fourth and last domain is centred around a person's foundation in a new place in the form of the rights they enjoy and their citizenship status. Ager and Strang's framework is well recognised and referenced on studies about identity, belonging, and integration (see for example, [22,23]. Our study used the Ager and Strang framework to guide the analysis of our study.…”

Factors Associated with Seeking Afghan Refugees Current Situation in Puspa Argo Camp, Sidoarjo, Indonesia

“…International immigration day by day getting more in 1990 was 153 million but in 2020 it was 280 million most of them wants to go to for better and good life like Canada, Australia, United State of America, Great Britain and Germany because they are also thinking about the future all of them have deferent reason to left their country and wants to go another country for resettlement like before the author mention it [4].…”

“…After the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and change of communist government around 3 million Afghan returned to the country In 2001 the war between America and Taliban created massive destruction which triggered the different waves of migration [1]. Afghan people moved to different countries as immigrant such as Europe [2], Iran [1], America [3], Australia [4], India [5], Indonesia [6]. The Mujahidin's war began against the Soviet Union, but then led to the civil war that no Afghan region was safe to live a large number of people during the civil wars, to migrate to those who migrate to neighboring countries, especially to Pakistan and Iran most of them migrate to have a security and good life, Those who Those who leave the country and migrate to all their property and flee to the survival of their lives [7].…”