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A label that reads 'Forging home, the migration issue'
Issue 02
Issue 02

Systemic

to

barriers

to

forging

home

A guide to understanding how systemic biases block our ability to forge home in Australia as migrants, even after we receive a permanent visa. 

BY THE RALLY MAGAZINE TEAM
6 MIN READ
The path to permanent residency in Australia is bureaucratic at best, inhumane at worst. But being granted a permanent visa does not automatically bring you a sense of safety, belonging or home.
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For many migrants, especially those from forcibly displaced and refugee backgrounds, some of the most significant barriers can emerge even after legal status is secured – embedded not in individual circumstances, but in the systems meant to support resettlement.
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In the Federal Budget 2024-25, less than 20% of the Department of Home Affairs’ budget went towards settlement services that work to improve the wellbeing of migrants and refugees settling in Australia. And only 3% went towards Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship to ensure access and equity, and funding to support social cohesion.

With limited investment in how people actually rebuild their lives, migrants – particularly migrants of colour and those from refugee backgrounds – continue to face systemic barriers that make forging home difficult, even when they are legally allowed to stay.

This guide exists to name the systems our contributors and readers are navigating – so their stories don’t have to carry the burden of explanation.

What barriers do migrants face?

Migrants are often homogenised and reduced to broad cultural groups in healthcare settings  (1), leading to gaps in language, cultural safety and quality of care.
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There are a lot of barriers for migrants within the medical system such as language, culture, money and lack of knowledge on existing resources (2).
  • Though interpreters are available within healthcare systems, there are issues regarding confidentiality, accuracy of translation, as well as migrants’ humanity when communicating sensitive information (1).
  • Almost all participants of a 2020 study emphasised poor language and communication skills as barriers to health-seeking practices (3).
  • Healthcare staff lack training on how to interact with racially marginalised patients in culturally sensitive ways (4).
  • Medicare access is dependent on visa status. Many bridging visas do not include Medicare entitlements. Due to visa decisions sometimes taking years, asylum seekers can go years without access to Medicare despite being physically present in Australia (5).
Lack of secure, suitable and affordable housing is a huge barrier to forging a stable sense of home and identity after migration (6).
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Migrants, particularly from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds, face discrimination and insecurity when seeking housing, and are more likely to live in unsuitable conditions due to cost (6), which has significant consequences to wellbeing. 
  • Humanitarian migrants face a number of barriers in securing housing, especially when competing against working couples in the private rental and home ownership markets. These barriers include economic disparity, unemployment, a lack of understanding of tenancy laws, and a lack of rental history and references, in addition to discrimination (7).
  • Poor conditions in housing such as mold, overcrowding and noise cause physical and psychological distress (6).
  • Insecure tenure leads to more frequent moves, tenuous leases and expensive rent, all factors contribute to worsening health outcomes (6).
  • Isolation and living far from social networks exacerbates stress (6).
At a bare minimum, migrants face disruptions in their career progression. But biases due to racism, language barriers and distrust of overseas qualifications lead to further underemployment and overqualification.  
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More than half a million permanent migrants in Australia are working below their skill level, despite concerns that widespread workforce shortages are impeding productivity (8). Barriers facing migrants seeking employment include: 
  • Migrants face disruptions in their career progression that include navigating an unfamiliar job market, racism, and physical and mental health issues from forced displacement (9).
  • Migrants (especially refugees) are often overqualified but forced into low-paying jobs. Bias in hiring and a general distrust of overseas qualifications mean employers tend to go with universities that are familiar to them (10).
  • A 2019 survey of 1,700 skilled migrants in South Australia, for instance, found that 53% had not been able to secure work that adequately used their skills and abilities (11).
  • Blind resume testing showed applicants with non-anglo names were 57% less likely to be considered for leadership positions in Australia, despite identical resumes (8).
Migrants face multiple types of losses at once, while forcibly displaced people additionally experience trauma as part of their movement.  
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Paired with inadequate access to health care, migrants are more likely to experience mental health issues as a result of loss and trauma. 
  • Migratory grief is multi-faceted. Migrants face multiple types of losses at once (geographic separation, lack of social belonging, loss of familiarity and family networks). Grief can also be intangible. A loss of identity, social status and idealisation of ‘What could have been’ if they had stayed in their host country (12).
  • Economic migrants may feel guilt about complaining, especially if their loved ones are experiencing hardship or more dangerous situations back at home (12).
  • After experiencing employment barriers, migrants have an increased risk of anxiety and depression associated with diminished occupational status (13).
  • Migrant and refugee mental health status is not only influenced by individual acts of discrimination and racism but also by negative media, political and legislative discourse (13).
When accents sound unfamiliar or English proficiency is low, we ignore that migrants are still fully capable adults and draw conclusions about their character, capabilities, skills, credibilities and value as a person (14).  
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Due to a mismatch between linguistic proficiency and social demands, Australian society may hold a ‘deficit view’ of adult English language learners (11).
  • Australia-born people may not have experience learning a second language and often lack empathy when migrants take time to learn the language (11).
  • Informal interpreter use is widespread, with many migrants relying on family members, children and friends to provide support. This raises many ethical and communication problems (3).
  • Those who have limited English proficiency have a higher tendency to isolate themselves from society due to difficulties in communication, negatively affecting their ability to seek or access services (3).
  • Migrants with English as a second language experience are disproportionately targeted for misinformation in both the way their identities, cultures and countries of origin are portrayed in media, as well as misinformation distributed during crises, elections and referendums (15).
Migrants are often homogenised and reduced to broad cultural groups in healthcare settings  (1), leading to gaps in language, cultural safety and quality of care.

There are a lot of barriers for migrants within the medical system such as language, culture, money and lack of knowledge on existing resources (2).
‍
  • Though interpreters are available within healthcare systems, there are issues regarding confidentiality, accuracy of translation, as well as migrants’ humanity when communicating sensitive information (1).
  • Almost all participants of a 2020 study emphasised poor language and communication skills as barriers to health-seeking practices (3).
  • Healthcare staff lack training on how to interact with racially marginalised patients in culturally sensitive ways (4).
  • Medicare access is dependent on visa status. Many bridging visas do not include Medicare entitlements. Due to visa decisions sometimes taking years, asylum seekers can go years without access to Medicare despite being physically present in Australia (5).
Lack of secure, suitable and affordable housing is a huge barrier to forging a stable sense of home and identity after migration (6).

Migrants, particularly from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds, face discrimination and insecurity when seeking housing, and are more likely to live in unsuitable conditions due to cost (6), which has significant consequences to wellbeing. 
‍
  • Humanitarian migrants face a number of barriers in securing housing, especially when competing against working couples in the private rental and home ownership markets. These barriers include economic disparity, unemployment, a lack of understanding of tenancy laws, and a lack of rental history and references, in addition to discrimination (7).
  • Poor conditions in housing such as mold, overcrowding and noise cause physical and psychological distress (6).
  • Insecure tenure leads to more frequent moves, tenuous leases and expensive rent, all factors contribute to worsening health outcomes (6).
  • Isolation and living far from social networks exacerbates stress (6).
At a bare minimum, migrants face disruptions in their career progression. But biases due to racism, language barriers and distrust of overseas qualifications lead to further underemployment and overqualification.  

More than half a million permanent migrants in Australia are working below their skill level, despite concerns that widespread workforce shortages are impeding productivity (8). Barriers facing migrants seeking employment include: 
‍
  • Migrants face disruptions in their career progression that include navigating an unfamiliar job market, racism, and physical and mental health issues from forced displacement (9).
  • Migrants (especially refugees) are often overqualified but forced into low-paying jobs. Bias in hiring and a general distrust of overseas qualifications mean employers tend to go with universities that are familiar to them (10).
  • A 2019 survey of 1,700 skilled migrants in South Australia, for instance, found that 53% had not been able to secure work that adequately used their skills and abilities (11).
  • Blind resume testing showed applicants with non-anglo names were 57% less likely to be considered for leadership positions in Australia, despite identical resumes (8).
Migrants face multiple types of losses at once, while forcibly displaced people additionally experience trauma as part of their movement.  

Paired with inadequate access to health care, migrants are more likely to experience mental health issues as a result of loss and trauma. 
‍
  • Migratory grief is multi-faceted. Migrants face multiple types of losses at once (geographic separation, lack of social belonging, loss of familiarity and family networks). Grief can also be intangible. A loss of identity, social status and idealisation of ‘What could have been’ if they had stayed in their host country (12).
  • Economic migrants may feel guilt about complaining, especially if their loved ones are experiencing hardship or more dangerous situations back at home (12).
  • After experiencing employment barriers, migrants have an increased risk of anxiety and depression associated with diminished occupational status (13).
  • Migrant and refugee mental health status is not only influenced by individual acts of discrimination and racism but also by negative media, political and legislative discourse (13).
When accents sound unfamiliar or English proficiency is low, we ignore that migrants are still fully capable adults and draw conclusions about their character, capabilities, skills, credibilities and value as a person (14).  

Due to a mismatch between linguistic proficiency and social demands, Australian society may hold a ‘deficit view’ of adult English language learners (11).
‍
  • Australia-born people may not have experience learning a second language and often lack empathy when migrants take time to learn the language (11).
  • Informal interpreter use is widespread, with many migrants relying on family members, children and friends to provide support. This raises many ethical and communication problems (3).
  • Those who have limited English proficiency have a higher tendency to isolate themselves from society due to difficulties in communication, negatively affecting their ability to seek or access services (3).
  • Migrants with English as a second language experience are disproportionately targeted for misinformation in both the way their identities, cultures and countries of origin are portrayed in media, as well as misinformation distributed during crises, elections and referendums (15).

What can we do about it?

These barriers don’t exist in isolation – they compound and reinforce one another. We all have a responsibility to challenge the biases we hold for migrants, and in particular migrants of colour where English is not their first language. But personal attitudes alone won’t dismantle systemic barriers.
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Understanding these systems is a starting point. So is listening to lived experience – not as evidence or justification, but as expertise.
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In this issue, you’ll hear from people navigating these barriers in real time. Learn about how Iga Morzynska avoided pursuing a medical diagnosis in fear of jeopardising her chance at a permanent visa. Read about how having physical safety didn’t mean all other safeties fell into place for Ellysa. Listen to our Virtual Roundtable participants discuss the one change they hope to see for migrants living in Australia.  
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As you move through these stories, we invite you to sit with a different question:
What can you do – with the access, skills and resources you have – to help break down these barriers that make forging a home so difficult for others?
References
  1. A critical interpretive synthesis of migrants’ experiences of the Australian health system – Kimberly Lakin & Sumit Kane (Int J Equity Health 22, 7; 2023)
  2. More than 70 per cent of migrant women in Australia say they can't afford to see a doctor – SBS News (15 September 2022)
  3. Health service access and utilisation amongst culturally and linguistically diverse populations in regional South Australia: a qualitative study – Javanparast, S., Naqvi, S.K.A., Mwanri, L. (Rural and Remote Health 2020; 20: 5694)
  4. Access to health services among culturally and linguistically diverse populations in the Australian universal health care system: issues and challenges – Khatri, R.B., Assefa, Y. (BMC Public Health 22, 880; 2022)
  5. ‍An asylum seeker’s access to Medicare and associated health services while awaiting determination of a Protection Visa application in Australia – Danielle Munro and Niamh Joyce (UNSW Law Society Court of Conscience, 8; 2019)
  6. Housing and health for people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds: findings from an Australian qualitative longitudinal study – Ziersch, A., Walsh, M. & Due, C. (BMC Public Health 24, 1138; 2024)
  7. Housing outcomes for recently arrived humanitarian migrants – John De Maio, Liliya Gatina-Bhote, Cuc Hoang, Pilar Rioseco (Building a New Life in Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 13 December 2017)
  8. The employee skills 'mismatch' leaving Australia $9 billion poorer each year – Cameron Carr (SBS News, 20 August 2025)
  9. Submission: Workforce Australia Employment Services Inquiry (Refugee Council of Australia, March 2023)
  10. Census reveals migrants tend to be more highly educated. So why do they find it harder to land jobs? – Tracey Shelton (ABC News, 24 October 2022)
  11. Life in a New Language: how migrants face the challenge – Susan Skelly (Macquarie University Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, 11 July 2024)
  12. What is migratory grief? Can migrants ever overcome their sense of loss and displacement? – Claudianna Blanco (SBS Australia Explained, 30 March 2023)
  13. Migrant and refugee women’s mental health in Australia: a literature review – Claire Sullivan, Associate Professor Cathy Vaughan and Judith Wright (School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, October 2020)
  14. English language skills of humanitarian migrants in Australia – Salma Ahmed, John van Kooy, Catherine Andersson (Building a New Life in Australia, Australian Institute of Family Studies, 14 October 2025)
  15. Elections mean more misinformation. Here’s what we know about how it spreads in migrant communities – Fan Yang and Sukhmani Khorana (UNSW News Room, 6 February 2025)
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