Much cross-cultural social work practice relates to people who are part of established groups in the country. Understanding the additional issues experienced refugees and new immigrants is also important to the social worker, since migration is a growing worldwide phenomenom. Migration- that is, leaving one’s country to work or take up residency in another country—may occur for economic or political reasons, or it may be motivated by a desire to join family members who have previously migrated. Under any circumstances, migration is severely taxing on individuals and families. It involves the disintegration of a family and support systems and the need to establish new social networks in an unfamiliar culture. Migration requires a complex adjustment that varies considerably among groups and even among individuals within the same group.
Social Workers might be involved in assisting people as they plan for migration, as they make the transition from one country to another, and as they adjust to a new culture when they arrive at their new location. Drachman (1992) identifies several critical variables and social workers should address at each stage of the process:
- Premigration. Social Workers should help clients anticipate the social and economic impact on the family members who leave—as well as on those who stay behind. Issues of leaving a secure and familiar environment, separation and loneliness, and disruption in earnings should all be addressed.
- Departure and transit. Social Workers should help clients carefully explore the journey to be made. Will it be safe to make this trip? Might it require detainment in a refugee camp? Does the migration require waiting for an official decision by the foreign government? Does the migration require waiting for an official decision by the foreign government? If so, how long will the wait be, and what resources will be needed during the wait? What if the person if refused entry?
- Resettlement. Finding ways to adjust to the new environment and learn how to secure employment, housing, health care, social relationships, and so on. In addition, should help clients examine such issues as their Acculturation (i.e., changes in beliefs toward those of the host society), Assimilation (i.e., the adoption of values, norms, and behavior that dominate the society), and Adaption (i.e., the ability to adjust one’s way of life to fit into the new country.) More specifically, fellowshipping should help examine the person and consider any possible discrepancies between their expectations and reality, the degree of stress encountered throughout the migration experience, and the effects on friends and loved ones left behind. Some other factors that social workers should help clients consider as possible impediments to or supports for successful adjustments to the new culture include the following:
- Language and the individual’s degree of bilingualism
- Differences in expected housing and living arrangements between cultures
- Variations in work patterns and expectations in employers
- The degree of commonality between values and social norms of the old and new cultures and societies
- The availability of cultural mediators or teachers of new arrivals
- Corrective feedback (positive and negative) needed to assist adaptations
- Tension between adapting to a new environment while holding on to important elements of the original culture
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