NC INSIGHTS – Immigration’s Impact on Workers’ Mental Health

October 19, 2023

As our world grows increasingly global, more professionals are stepping across borders to pursue exciting career opportunities. Companies often provide significant support during this transition, facilitating everything from visa applications to relocation logistics to legal status, and yet the mental health implications of immigration can be overlooked.

Immigration for professional opportunities can be a significant step in an employee’s career journey. The prospect of expanding one’s horizons, diving into new cultural experiences, and seizing career growth opportunities can be incredibly refreshing and enriching. Still, it’s equally important to acknowledge and address the psychological implications of such a transition.

Read on to discover how immigration can affect mental health, and how employers can further assist their employees during this challenging transition.

Why immigrate for work: the benefits

Before addressing the potential risks to immigrants’ mental health, let’s explore some of the many reasons why—against all challenges—professionals accept and seek out the opportunity to move abroad for a role.

Career growth

Moving to a new country often presents unique professional opportunities unavailable in one’s home country, leading to accelerated career growth and development.

Skill enhancement

Working in a new environment with different norms and practices can help individuals broaden their skill set, including technical skills related to their work and soft skills, such as communication, adaptability, and problem-solving.

Cultural exchange

Living in a different culture can be a fantastic learning opportunity that leads to a deeper understanding of the world, personal growth, and an enhanced worldview.

New relationships

Immigration provides the opportunity to build relationships with people from diverse backgrounds, leading to lasting friendships and a more extensive support network.

Financial stability

Professional immigrants often move to take advantage of higher salaries or more robust economies, leading to increased financial stability.

Foreign language skills

Living in a new country provides an excellent opportunity to learn a new language, an invaluable skill in today’s globalized world.

Quality of life

Depending on the home and host countries, moving can lead to improved quality of life, due to better access to amenities, healthcare, education, and other social services.

Immigrating for work: mental health challenges

While there are countless reasons to consider emigrating for a role, immigrant professionals commonly face unique mental health challenges related to isolation, identity crisis, and acculturation stress. The more risk factors an immigrant experiences, the higher the likelihood of facing mental health difficulties. It can also bring about significant mental health symptoms of stress and anxiety. Let’s explore some of the potential challenges.

Adapting to a new culture

Between adjusting to new norms, customs, and societal expectations, assimilation into a new culture can sometimes be overwhelming. That unfamiliarity can lead to a phenomenon known as culture shock, which can induce disorientation and unease, affecting an individual’s mental well-being.

Learning a new language

Linguistic barriers can make it difficult for immigrants to communicate effectively, leading to frustration, isolation, and anxiety. In a professional context, these language difficulties can also affect job performance and career progression, increasing stress levels.

Building new social networks

Humans are social creatures who thrive on interpersonal connections, and moving to a new country often means leaving behind established social networks and starting afresh. Developing new relationships in a new cultural context can be exhausting and isolating, potentially impacting mental health.

Navigating the complexities of a foreign work environment

Every country has its unique work culture and professional etiquette. For immigrants, understanding and adapting to these nuances can be challenging. These difficulties may lead to feelings of inadequacy or alienation in the workplace, contributing to stress, anxiety, and even burnout.

Cultural identity negotiation

Immigrants often have to navigate differences between their home culture and the host country’s culture, which can sometimes lead to cultural confusion and even identity crises.

Discrimination and stereotyping

Regardless of their professional status, immigrants may face prejudice, discrimination, or bias, which can have severe implications for mental health.

Work-life balance

Professionals moving to a new country may encounter different expectations around work-life balance. This change can be stressful and lead to overwork or burnout.

Weather and climate changes

Climate and weather significantly influence our mood and well-being. Moving to a country with a vastly different climate can contribute to feelings of discomfort or alienation.

Legal and administrative challenges

The paperwork and bureaucratic processes associated with immigration can be daunting and create additional stress.

These challenges underscore the importance of mental health support for immigrants, particularly those moving for work. If not properly managed, these drastic changes can increase anxiety, depression symptoms, and other mental health issues. As significant stakeholders in this process, employers and community organizations are crucial in providing support and health-care services.

Five common mental health challenges

Moving for a job can lead to mental health problems if not properly addressed throughout the process. Let’s explore some scenarios in which professionals in different fields might deal with immigration mental health issues.

1. A Silicon Valley transfer

Amit, a software engineer from Bangalore, India, has worked for a multinational tech company with a Silicon Valley, California, branch. His exceptional work has led to an inter-company transfer on an L1 visa. John is excited about this new opportunity but also feels anxiety about adapting to a new culture, language nuances, and the time difference affecting his communications with his family back in India.

2. Recruitment to a UK hospital

Maria, a nurse from the Philippines, was recruited to work in a hospital in the UK due to the nursing shortage there. She’s issued a Tier 2 visa to relocate to London. She’s worried about facing potential discrimination, dealing with a new healthcare system, and the mental health toll of being on the frontlines during the pandemic, far from her support system back home.

3. An opportunity to educate abroad

Dr. Ahmed, a prominent Egyptian archaeologist, accepts a position at a university in Germany. Granted a Blue Card EU for Germany, he has the exciting opportunity to lead a newly funded research project. However, he’s concerned about fitting in with the local community and his new colleagues, dealing with the paperwork in German, and the psychological effect of being in a new country with different academic norms.

4. A female executive in a new world

Anna, a petroleum engineer from Calgary, Canada, gets promoted to manager in her company’s office in Saudi Arabia. The company secures a work visa for her. Still, as she prepares for the move, she feels anxious about the different social norms, adapting to a drastically different climate, and being a woman in a leadership role in a predominantly male industry.

5. A consultancy role

Hiroshi, a Japanese business consultant, is sent by his company to its New York office to lead a two-year project. While he’s proficient in English and has visited the city before, the prospect of living there, dealing with work pressure in a highly competitive environment, and managing a team in a different cultural context can pose mental health challenges.

In all these cases, professionals are changing jobs and adapting to a life in a new country, and their employers’ support can significantly improve their mental health status and overall experience. Those social supports may include pre-departure and post-arrival orientation programs, language courses, mental health support, medical services, and initiatives to promote social inclusion.

Language skills and immigrants’ mental health

Language proficiency plays a crucial role in an immigrant’s adaptation to a host country. Limited language skills can lead to feelings of social isolation, hinder professional growth, and contribute to anxiety or depression; therefore language support is critical to any comprehensive employee immigration support program for lowering mental health risks.

According to research published in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations, proficiency in the host country’s language can influence mental health, with better mental health outcomes among immigrants. Language proficiency also reduces stress and improves social integration, ultimately leading to a better mindset.

Six ways for employers to support immigrant employees

While it’s essential to recognize the mental health challenges that immigrant employees may face, exploring ways employers can support their transitioning workforce is equally critical.

Research from Human Resource Management Journal indicates that employer support, including cultural-sensitivity training, community mental health resources, and language courses, can significantly reduce the risk of mental health conditions among immigrant professionals.

Here are five ways to support employees that are at risk for mental health concerns when moving countries for a new job.

1. Promote cultural inclusivity

Foster a welcoming environment that celebrates diversity and encourages inclusivity. Cultivating a sense of community is enormously beneficial when combating mental health conditions and building good mental health—it can help ground immigrant children’s ethnic identity and cultural background with their adopted home.

Significant differences exist in the level of emotional distress and psychological distress among families who integrate into their local community and those who tend to isolate. Social determinants might be the walkability of neighborhoods, safe meeting places such as parks or shopping zones, and a faith-based practice.

2. Offer mental health services

Offer access to counseling or mental-health services in-house or through partnerships with local mental health organizations. Immigration can provoke issues in other areas of life, such as family conflict, tension between family members, and substance use disorders among immigrant youth.

3. Encourage language proficiency

As noted above, language is one of the fundamental pillars of effective communication and social integration. Employers can provide language classes or learning resources to help immigrant employees build confidence and competence in the local language. This support can range from in-house language tutors to subsidizing language learning apps or courses.

Beyond this, it’s crucial to create an environment where employees can practice their new language skills without fear of judgment. Language proficiency helps employees navigate their personal life in a new country and enhances their professional performance.

4. Keep communication channels open

Regular and open communication is required to understand each immigrant employee’s unique challenges. Employers can maintain dialogue through weekly check-ins or regular meetings dedicated to discussing any issues or challenges that have arisen. They should also promote a culture in which immigrant employees feel comfortable voicing their concerns or struggles. Anonymous feedback channels might be beneficial for more sensitive issues.

5. Provide comprehensive training programs

Employers can offer cross-cultural training programs to existing staff, equipping them with the understanding and empathy needed to support their new colleagues. These programs could address cultural sensitivity, unconscious bias, and inclusive communication. By fostering a supportive work environment, companies can enhance team cohesion and mitigate the feeling of “otherness” immigrant employees might experience.

6. Promote physical fitness

Physical and mental health go hand in hand, with regular physical activity known to reduce the risk factor of various mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Employers can encourage this vital aspect of well-being by providing a fitness stipend or sponsoring gym memberships. On-site fitness facilities or organized sporting events also offer opportunities for social interaction, helping immigrant employees build new social networks.

Be specific for positive mental health outcomes

By acknowledging the unique mental-health challenges of immigration and adopting supportive measures, employers can ensure the well-being of their immigrant employees and foster a more productive, engaged, and resilient workforce. In implementing these measures, employers must consider their immigrant employees’ specific needs and preferences, as one-size-fits-all solutions are rarely effective in such complex and personal matters.

Remember, as an employer you’re not alone in this migration process. Services like Newland Chase assist companies in managing the complexities of global mobility and immigration, helping your employees and, in turn, your business thrive in the global market.

Navigate immigrant mental health care with Newland Chase

Employers are crucial in ensuring immigrant employees’ successful integration and well-being in a globally connected world. By understanding the potential mental-health implications of immigration and providing targeted support, companies can foster an environment conducive to the mental health and overall success of immigrant women and children of immigrants in their workforce.

Navigating the complexities of immigration and providing the necessary support to employees can be challenging, however, which is where expert services like Newland Chase come into play. With its comprehensive range of corporate immigration services and a team of experienced immigration professionals, Newland Chase helps companies ensure a smooth transition for all immigrant employees.

With Newland Chase, leaders are not outsourcing immigration processes; they’re gaining an invaluable partner who understands the intricate balance between successful global mobility and employee well-being. Let Newland Chase guide you and your employees through the immigration journey, allowing you to focus on what matters most: building a productive and thriving global team.

Take the first step in creating a supportive environment for your immigrant employees and enriching your global workforce. Contact Newland Chase Corporate Immigration Services today to find out how we can support your business in managing the complexities of global mobility and immigration.