Communicating Employability: the Role of Communicative Competence for Zimbabwean Highly Skilled Migrants in the UK

Skilled migration is an increasingly important topic for both policy and research internationally. OECD governments in particular are wrestling with tensions between their desire to use skilled migration to be on the winning side in the ‘global war for talent’ and their pandering to and/or attempts to outflank rising xenophobia. One aspect that has received relatively little attention is skilled migration from the African Commonwealth to the UK, a situation in which skilled migrants have relatively high levels of linguistic capital in the language of the host country. We focus here on the case of Zimbabwe. In spite of its popular image as a failed state, Zimbabwe has an exceptionally strong educational tradition and high levels of literacy and fluency in English. Drawing on 20 in-depth interviews of Zimbabwean highly skilled migrants, we explore the specific ways in which the communicative competences of these migrants with high formal levels of English operate in complex ways to shape their employability strategies and outcomes. We offer two main findings: first, that a dichotomy exists between their high level formal linguistic competence and their ability to communicate in less formal interactions, which challenges their employability, at least when they first move to the UK; and second, that they also lack, at least initially, the competence to narrativise their employability in ways that are culturally appropriate in England. Thus, to realise the full potential of their high levels of human capital, they need to learn how to communicate competently in a very different social and occupational milieu. Some have achieved this, but others continue to struggle.     

Transitions to Adulthood Among First Generation Sub-Saharan African Immigrant Adolescents in Canada: Evidence from a Qualitative Study in Montreal

In industrialized societies, a large number of studies have addressed the various patterns of adolescent transitions to adulthood. While most studies on migration have examined aspects of migrants’ integration into host societies, few researches, however, have dealt with the intersection of these two topics—the experiences and problems encountered by immigrant adolescents. This research focuses on the transition to adulthood among sub-Saharan African youth who live in Montreal, Canada. This group is still poorly known in Canada, and the few studies that exist on sub-Saharan Africans in Canada showed that they are among the most discriminated groups socially and economically. Both immigrant youth and their parents/families’ experience a transition to adapt to a new place, and these respective experiences may affect their relationships. Our research objectives are to examine the conditions in which African immigrant adolescents experience their transition to adulthood and to assess whether the gaps between the two perspectives are purely generational or are partly specific to this group. The data are based on qualitative focus group discussions and individual interviews conducted in Montreal in 2005–2007 among first generation immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa and a control group of native Canadians (whose parents were also born in Canada), men and women between age 12 and 18 and young adults aged 18 to 29. Our results show that in all cases the question of becoming responsible, making one’s own decision is central. What varies is the process through which the young people become responsible.     

Explaining the socioeconomic well-being of immigrants and returned migrants: An econometric analysis of the Hong Kong and Canadian censuses of 2001

This article focuses on an explanation of return migration to Hong Kong based not on the economic failure of Hong Kong immigrants, but on their strategic vision to accumulate human capital while abroad, which they then exploit on their return. We found that Hong Kong returnees with degrees earned abroad in 2001 constituted about 20% of the highly educated Hong-Kong resident group, with the largest flow emanating from Canada. An econometric investigation revealed that both the income and the odds of being a manager were significantly higher for returned migrants than for their counterparts who remained in Canada. Our findings suggests that this return migration is motivated by returnees’ ability to exploit their accumulated foreign transnational capital in the context of Hong Kong. Cet article repose sur une explication de la migration de retour vers Hong Kong, motivée non pas par la faillite économique des immigrants de Hong Kong, mais plutôt par leur vision stratégique consistant à accumuler le capital humain pendant leur séjour à l’étranger pour ensuite l’exploiter lors de leur retour. Nous avons constaté qu’à Hong Kong, le groupe de gens très éduqués était constitué, à environ 20%, de rapatriés détenant des diplômes obtenus à l’étranger, et que la plupart d’entre eux revenaient du Canada. Une analyse économiétrique a révélé que, par rapport aux migrants qui étaient restés au Canada, ceux qui étaient retournés à Hong Kong jouissaient d’un revenu plus ?evé et d’une meilleure chance de devenir cadres. Nos résultats permettent de conclure que cette migration de retour est motivée par la capacité des migrants de mettre á profit, dans le contexte de Hong Kong leur capital transnational accumulé à l’étranger.     

The Socio-economic Contribution of African Migrants to their Home and Host Countries: The Case of Ghanaian Residents in Flanders, Belgium

The issue of South?CNorth migration, especially Africa?CEuropean Union (EU) migration, has moved to the center stage of international development debate. Unfortunately, however, interests and arguments by policy-makers, development agencies, and citizens of the EU mainly focus on the consequences of migration on the ??receiving?? societies. The real causes of migration from Africa and migrants?? contribution to the social and economic development of both the ??sending?? and ??receiving?? countries have not been objectively discussed. Provision of labor to EU member countries, remittances, and financial transfers to and investments made by African migrants in their respective home countries are essential elements in the African?CEU migration and development cooperation debate. It is estimated that South?CNorth migrants?? remittances to developing countries increased from US$2 billion in 1970 to US$71 billion in 2001. Moreover, financial flows emanating from African migrants in the developed countries significantly contribute to the development of the continent. In order to concretize and objectify the discussion, a socio-economic survey was conducted on a representative sample of Ghanaian migrants and their families in the Flemish Community in Belgium. Extensive literature review on migration, administration of questionnaires to Ghanaians resident in Flanders, Belgium, and consultations with African and international experts on migration and international development cooperation were the methods used for this investigation. The paper identifies and analyzes the factors that ??push?? and ??pull?? Ghanaians to migrate to Belgium, the EU, and the developed countries in general. The socio-economic situation of Ghanaian migrants in Flanders and their contribution to the sustainable development of Belgium, the EU, and Ghana are rigorously analyzed. Furthermore, the challenges posed by South?CNorth migration are identified and appropriate and effective win-win mitigation strategies proposed for redressing the problematic in a sustainable way.     

People,State and Civic Responses to Immigration,Xenophobia and Racism in the New South Africa

As a result of its political transformation, South Africa has become a victim of its own success, in that the shift in political power brought about a range of new discriminatory practices and victims. South Africa became a magnet for nationals from African countries who came to ‘the rainbow nation’ to share in the fruits of more stable governance and enjoy the benefits of a larger more dynamic economy, instead find themselves faced with xenophobia and racism. The aim of this paper is to analyse the development of immigration policy in post-apartheid South Africa in terms of the vulnerabilities and protections it has afforded migrants, as well as ways in which it has informed the behaviour of state officials from 1994 to 2008. It highlights trends and tensions surrounding immigration reform in the new South Africa and argues that legislation has made significant strides in informing the behaviour of high- and low-ranking officials in government and state departments but still has a long way to go.     

English as a Border-Drawing Matter: Language and the Regulation of Migrant Service Worker Mobility in International Labor Markets

This multi-sited study in Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines examines how appraisals of English language competence transnationally mediate labor market entry for temporary migrant workers. Focusing on “low-skilled,” interactive service sector jobs, we show how border drawing along English language lines contributes to the regulation of access to global labor circuits and the segmentation of workers into occupational niches. Mediated by the migration industry, English linguistic capital acts as a marker of status and occupational desirability, shaping and reinforcing employer preferences and (re)defining the “properly embodied” service sector worker. This has implications for the social (re)organization of labor markets and the mobility options available to migrants and their sending states across sectors and scales.     

Organising Somalian,Congolese and Rwandan Migrants in a Time of Xenophobia in South Africa: Empirical and Methodological Reflections

Xenophobic practices pervade civil society and the state in South Africa. But its victims are not passive. Academic scholarship has not sufficiently recognised the multiple roles of refugees and asylum seekers migrant organisations in a context where refugees are required to “self-settle”. The dominant methodological focus of existing research has been on the migrant as the individual. This paper’s main research objectives are to question this focus and examine evidence of the collective responses to struggles faced by foreign African migrants and refugee groups in Cape Town. Eleven refugee and asylum seeker associations formed by Somalians, Congolese and Rwandan asylum seekers and refugees were investigated, based on extensive interviews with 11 leaders of refugee organisations. These organisations not only strongly defend migrant interests but also project a long-term view of integration into South African society. In addition, the paper concludes by arguing for a shift in the focus of research in order to show that migrant organisations are crucial in an individual’s collective security concerns, in advocacy with government institutions and in initiatives to build relationships with South Africans.     

Twice Migrants in Canada: Who Are They and How Do They Perform Economically?

Immigrants known as “twice migrants” are those who arrive in Canada via an intermediate country, that is, not directly from their country of birth. With a focus on large contemporary immigrant groups in Canada—South Asians, Chinese and Filipinos in particular—this study develops socio-economic profiles of twice migrants and assesses their economic performance in comparison to that of direct migrants. The study uses custom tables of multiple national level datasets as well as qualitative interviews with a selected group of twice-migrant families to arrive at its findings. The results show that relative to direct migrants, twice migrants were older, more likely to speak a Canadian official language, slightly more educated and more skilled. These human capital characteristics did not however fully translate into economic success. Political and economic situations both in the country of birth and the country of last place of residence affect the flow of twice migration. Lack of job opportunities in Canada forced many twice migrant families to split between two countries.     

Individualism and sociocultural adaptation: Discrimination and social capital as moderators among rural‐to‐urban migrants in China

This study examined the associations of sociocultural adaptation with individualism and collectivism and the moderating roles of discrimination and social capital in the associations among rural‐to‐urban migrants (N = 641) in Beijing, China. Results indicated that individualism was associated with poorer adaptation for migrants reporting low perceived discrimination or low social capital. However, migrants reporting high perceived discrimination showed poorer adaptation, regardless of individualism; and migrants reporting high social capital showed better adaptation, regardless of individualism. Collectivism was not related to adaptation. Findings suggest that individualism may be detrimental to migrants’ adjustment to a collectivistic society.     

First 4 Years in Canada: Post-secondary Education Pathways of Highly Educated Immigrants

This paper addresses issues relevant to the socioeconomic integration of highly educated immigrants in Canada by undertaking a secondary analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada. It illustrates the promptness of immigrants’ participation in further post-secondary education (PSE) in Canada within the first 4 years of arrival and proposes a typology of PSE pathways to examine individual, situational, dispositional and immigrant-specific factors that determine adult immigrants’ choices. The Canadian immigrant experience involves the interplay between structural constraints and agency to shape individualized pathways along which newcomers use existing human capital to create new forms of human capital (Canadian credentials) as a strategy to improve their employment opportunities.     

Linguistic Assimilation of First-Generation Jewish South African Immigrants in Israel

We contribute to scholarship on the linguistic assimilation of migrants by focusing on the special case of Jewish South African migrants in Israel. English as an international language is widely used in the Israeli society, so immigrants whose mother tongue is English are a very interesting case because they might experience much less social pressure to improve their Hebrew skills than other immigrant groups who speak other languages. The study reveals that, although most first-generation immigrants participated in state-sponsored Hebrew classes and reported relatively moderate levels of language proficiency, it has not become their primary language. Hebrew proficiency proved conditional on age at arrival and rise sharply with tenure in the country and exposure to Hebrew (at origin or at destination). Hebrew proficiency is higher for migrants with more extensive contacts with Israelis and with higher education. Positive synergism emerged between language acquisition and reasons for migrating and attachment to the country.     

Circulating Capitals Between Poland and Scotland: a Transnational Perspective on European Labour Mobility

The paper discusses the explanatory use of the concept of transnationalism in relation to contemporary patterns of intra-European mobility, drawing on evidence from two qualitative studies of new labour migration from Poland to Scotland. It suggests that the transnational way of life of migrants is leading to the creation of a European space conceived in terms of a new kind of socio-cultural configuration. The paper draws on the concept of capitals (economic, social and cultural) derived from the work of Pierre Bourdieu. In particular, it uses these concepts to reflect on the gains and losses in capital of Polish migrants in Scotland and in their home country. It questions the classical brain drain approach to labour migration by giving more nuance picture of the migrants’ lives characterised by circulation of capitals and simultaneous commitment to more than one country.     

Admission and Employment Criteria Discrepancies: Experiences of Skilled Immigrants in Toronto

This research contributes to our understandings of the employment experiences of skilled immigrants in Canada by complementing and expanding upon statistical findings from previously published studies. Through in-depth interviews with 35 skilled immigrants from Bangalore, India living in Toronto, Canada, findings indicate that migrants experience employment frustrations stemming directly from the discrepancy between admission criteria (foreign education and work experience) and employment criteria (Canadian education and work experience). After summarizing the statistical data on the non-recognition of foreign credentials, we conclude that among our sample of immigrants, frustrations stem not from credential discounting in and of itself, but from Canada’s point system for entry, which misleads these migrants about its existence and prevalence.     

Pathways to Help-Seeking and Mental Health Service Provision for African Female Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexualized Gender-Based Violence

ABSTRACT

African migration to Canada is a relatively new development. There is a dearth of literature on the mental health of this newer immigrant population, especially those from the conflict zones of Sub-Saharan Africa. Our exploratory study examined the experiences of African female survivors of conflict-related sexualized violence based on the insights of six community mental health professionals. Guided by interpretive inquiry, semi-structured interviews were analyzed thematically and interpreted in light of multicultural feminist and transnational perspectives. Findings highlight refugee women’s resilience in the face of threats of social isolation and stigma. Their prioritization of assistance with practical needs, parenting, community/social supports, and education attainment in the context of counseling raises questions about agency and identity in understanding the relationships between female survivors, what they identify as important to their recovery, and their pathways to accessing mental health services.     

Ethnoracial Origins, Social Capital, and Earnings

The purpose of this article is to analyse ethnoracial differences in income attainment, as well as differences in earnings that can be attributed to social capital. The data set is the Ethnic Diversity Survey, a large survey of Canadians conducted by Statistics Canada in 2002. Bivariate and multivariate analyses show that ethnoracial minorities are disadvantaged when compared with the British or whites in general. This disparity remains even after controlling for a host of theoretically relevant variables. The brunt of this disadvantage is experienced by male visible-minority immigrants. Although social capital is shown to exert an independent effect on earnings, its benefit varies by social origins, types of social capital, birth, and gender. Trust is important for females’ earnings but not for males’. Family contact and religious participation benefits British males’ earnings more than those of visible-minority males. Religious participation also benefits those born in Canada more than those who immigrated to Canada. In contrast, female immigrants benefit from their associational participation more than females born in Canada.     

Human nature,corruption, and the African social order

Transparency International has consistently maintained two prominent assertions: that corruption remains a global threat because no human society in the world has a clean record, and that Africa is the most corrupt region in the world. These assertions raise some fundamental philosophical concerns. The former assertion re-opens the need to ascertain whether corruption is an essence of humans, or an acquired disposition. Howsoever this is resolved forms the fulcrum of concerns on the second assertion. This paper engages these philosophical concerns. The paper takes two paths to achieve this goal. The first draws from Aristotle’s essentialism and Thomas Hobbes’ accounts on human nature to engage the debate on the relationship between human nature and corruption. The second derives and discusses the plausibility and fundamental implications of the claim that Africa is the most corrupt region in the world. It was found that neither on the basis of Aristotle’s nor Thomas Hobbes’, nor even a possible African cosmology as discussed, can it be said that official corruption is essential to humans. The paper concludes that what is at issue concerning corruption as measured by Transparency International pertains to different African expectations of recompense in a protective communalism from which relatives in public offices must have drawn care, now termed “corruption” by Transparency International, which is not so regarded in the African social order.     

New Migrants in Residential Aged Care: Managing Diversity in Not-for-Profit Organisations

This paper draws on qualitative interviews with migrant Indo-Asian and African personal care workers and registered and enrolled nurses employed by two not-for-profit residential aged care organisations in Australia: AnglicareSA and Resthaven Inc. The paper examines the way these culturally and linguistically diverse staff talk about the safe organisational environment provided by their employers, while in the wider Australian environment, low levels of hostility towards migrants and refugees are a constant cultural force. We demonstrate the impact of these organisations’ foundational ethics and values that influence how human resource diversity management strategies impact on the quality care provided to residents. We argue that this ethic and these human resource strategies act as conduits for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) staff to integrate into the workforce and as a mechanism in assisting new migrants to transition into the wider Australian society, while at the same time enriching the care of the older persons.     

Counselling psychology in South Africa

The origin and development of counselling psychology in South Africa has been profoundly influenced by the country’s sociopolitical history and the impact of apartheid. As a result of this, counselling psychologists in the country face a number of challenges and opportunities for the future. In this paper we provide a portrait of counselling psychology in South Africa by describing the current character of the specialty and the context in which South African psychologists work. We critically discuss the challenges that the specialty faces to meet the country’s mental health care needs, contest the current Scope of Practice; affirm multiculturalism without essentialising or reifying race and ethnicity, and build an evidence base for community interventions in the country. We also consider how, in the future, counselling psychologists in South Africa may make a more meaningful contribution within public health and the country’s health care and education systems.     

Korean Migrants’ Use of the Internet in Canada

Drawing on qualitative interviews with South Korean migrants in Canada, this study examines how full-time working migrants appropriate the Internet to maintain sociocultural connections with their homeland, their diasporic community, and the host society. The present study raises the question of how the rapid diffusion of the Internet may redefine the meanings of the Korean diaspora, and it explores how migrants engage in, or negotiate, the digital mediascape of the host society. While Korean migrants in the present study encountered no difficulty with accessing and using the Internet, it was largely appropriated in Korean language and in relation to Korean community rather than serving as a platform through which they could actively engage in the host society’s mediascape. Thus, it is questionable how the ethnic use of the Internet may contribute to the co-construction between migrant and host media users.     

Where New Age and African Religion Meet in South Africa: the case of Credo Mutwa

A recent development among New Agers in South Africa and abroad is an interest in African traditional religion. In South Africa these two divergent groupings meet in the work of the traditional healer, Credo Mutwa. This article explores the life and teachings of Mutwa who is renowned as ‘High Sanusi of the Zulu people’ as well as keeper of ancient wisdom, writer, poet, sculptor, painter, and authority in the fields of, among others, Zulu folklore, nature conservation, astrology and extraterrestrial life. Points of convergence and divergence among New Age thought and spirituality, African Traditional Religion and the unique interpretations of Credo Mutwa are examined. It is suggested that New Agers who focus on the glamour of the ecstatic experience of the ‘sangoma’ (isangoma, traditional healer/diviner) in exploring African traditional religion are depriving themselves of much of what African traditional religion and culture have to offer in terms of spiritual development. In this regard, some concluding remarks are offered on the fruitfulness of the concept of ubuntu (‘humanness’).