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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare the rates of receipt of welfare for immigrants and natives in Ireland, to see if the outcome is consistent with the operation of a policy which was designed to limit immigrant access to welfare. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use micro-data from the Irish component European Union Survey on Income and Living Conditions for 2008, also published data on the numbers of people claiming unemployment related payments in Ireland. Descriptive statistics and results from probit regressions are presented. Findings – The analysis generally shows that in the years preceding the recession, immigrants were less likely to be in receipt of welfare payments, whether one looks at adjusted or unadjusted data. The recession, and the consequent job losses among immigrants, gave rise to a possible surge in the numbers of immigrants receiving welfare benefits. While this seemed to happen at the outset of the recession, the more recent trends in the numbers receiving payments would suggest that the numbers of non-nationals stabilised, even as the number of nationals claiming payments continued to rise. Research limitations/implications – As the data used do not give an indication of the length of time an immigrant has been in Ireland, the authors are unable to assess whether the observed patterns change with length of stay. Social implications – The results suggest that Ireland's policy of limiting access to welfare for immigrants has been successful in its primary goal. Originality/value – No other papers have considered the issue of immigrant welfare receipt in Ireland in the context of the massive migratory inflow after EU expansion in 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine interethnic differences in the degree of participation in social assistance, disability, and unemployment benefits during the working-age period. Design/methodology/approach – Using individual register data of the entire immigrant population for 2005 from Statistics Netherlands, the paper employs standard probit models to estimate differences in welfare use between immigrant groups that are divided into the first and second generations. Findings – The analysis shows that migrants from non-western countries, both first and second generation, have a higher probability of participation in social assistance and disability-benefit programs and to a lesser extent in unemployment-benefit programs. A large part of migrants' welfare dependence can be explained by their background characteristics and immigration history, but a significant unexplained residual is still left. Strikingly, the degree of dependence of second-generation non-western migrants on social assistance is similar to their parents'. Practical implications – A higher welfare dependency of non-western immigrants is probably related to the admittance policy. Most immigrants from developing countries are allowed to enter The Netherlands on humanitarian grounds, as family or asylum migrants. Originality/value – This study is the first scholarly investigation of welfare use by immigrants and their descendants in The Netherlands. An additional novel feature is that the study covers three major social-welfare benefits for those aged between 19 and 64 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This case study investigates the discriminatory and exploitative housing practices that contributed to the social marginalization of Latinos in the Gulf Coast Recovery Zone following Hurricane Katrina. Discriminatory practices (such as denial of available units or rejection of Latinos from homeless shelters) leave migrants vulnerable to homelessness and economic exploitation. The most vulnerable Latinos are those who hold an undocumented legal status, have marginal occupational status, or have limited English ability. These vulnerabilities are magnified following a disaster when housing is in short supply, group tensions are high, employers are heavily involved in allocation of housing, and government oversight is lacking. Using 25 interviews with established and newly arrived Latino immigrants on the Gulf Coast, the author finds that these four factors-legal status, occupational status, limited English language ability, and the disaster context-contributed to the exploitation of and discrimination against Latinos in the housing market following Katrina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After Katrina, the Bush administration suspended Department of Labor workplace regulations throughout the Gulf, a move consistent with their general emphasis on voluntary workplace protection programs rather than government oversight. This approach left many workers in hurricane reconstruction jobs unprotected, especially Latino immigrant day laborers who, facing language barriers and legal constraints, were least able to negotiate workplace safety or other labor conditions. Fifty-three immigrant workers and 28 key informants from community, union, church, and relief organizations in Louisiana and Mississippi were interviewed at job hiring sites and relief organizations using an inductive, exploratory approach. In this multihazard and changing work environment with a new and fluctuating workforce, enforceable policies mandating worker protection and education were sorely lacking. Free market conditions, driven by incentives to work as fast as possible, and the preponderance of unregulated small contractors and individual home owners as employers contributed to the unsafe environment. Although workers and home owners attempted to take precautions, they usually lacked adequate education about hazards, access to protective equipment, and training in its proper use. However, the labor conditions during the hurricane recovery in the Gulf Coast are likely to be duplicated throughout the country in workplaces employing Latino day laborers unless workers' health is given greater priority by regulatory agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrival of Latino immigrant workers and the weakening of federal labor regulations after Hurricane Katrina raised concerns about labor conditions and workers' rights. We carried out a survey of workers at 212 randomly selected addresses in the city of New Orleans, successfully interviewing 212 out of 351 workers approached (40% refusal rate). Workers were asked about their demographic, employment, and health characteristics, as well as violations of human rights they may have experienced. The survey was supplemented with in-depth qualitative interviews with Latino workers and key informants in Louisiana and Mississippi. Our study showed that Latino workers, particularly undocumented workers, experienced lower wages, more nonpayment of wages and/or overtime wages, and fewer worker protections than non-Latino workers. The poorer treatment of Latino and undocumented workers is thought to reflect employers' perception of them as a disposable labor force. Indeed, few of the workers who arrived after Katrina, and especially low percentages of Latinos and undocumented workers, intended to settle in New Orleans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization and the transnational movement of people have intensified the migration of highly educated people from developing countries to the industrialized countries of the North. While causing a serious 'brain drain' or 'talent shortage' in developing countries, these migrations have also produced profound ethnic, cultural and racial diversity in receiving countries. Even as developed countries lure and vie for high-calibre immigrants in order to gain or maintain a competitive advantage in the 'knowledge-based' global economy, structural barriers in the labour markets of these countries exclude and deny immigrants access to occupations and jobs commensurate with their training and expertise. Denying people access to hiring opportunities for reasons unrelated to their abilities or industry is discriminatory, oppressive and unjust. This paper argues that anti-oppressive practice is an effective social work practice tool for gaining a better understanding of the oppression, marginalization and exclusion of skilled immigrants of colour in Western societies. In working with visible minority immigrants, anti-oppressive practice becomes a powerful instrument of resistance and for advocating for structural change that would emancipate and, empower immigrants in Canada and other immigrant-receiving countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers insight and recommendations to professionals working with the Asian Indian elderly population, and suggestions for future research on this rapidly growing segment of the US population. It compares and contrasts the experiences of three different “waves” of Asian Indian immigrants that migrated since 1965. In particular, the article explores the reasons for migration, the challenges faced following migration, legal status and cultural values among the three waves of Asian Indian immigrants and how these factors influenced each group’s adaptation and experience in the USA as mature adults (over age 55). The article concludes with recommendations on how this knowledge should influence professionals working with Asian Indian elderly on an individual or a community basis, as they plan and organize culturally sensitive services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elderly people from ethnic minority groups often experience different barriers in accessing health services. Earlier studies on access usually focused on types and frequency but failed to address the predictors of service barriers. This study examined access barriers to health services faced by older Chinese immigrants in Canada. Factor analysis results indicated that service barriers were related to administrative problems in delivery, cultural incompatibility, personal attitudes, and circumstantial challenges. Stepwise multiple regression showed that predictors of barriers include female gender, being single, being an immigrant from Hong Kong, shorter length of residency in Canada, less adequate financial status, not having someone to trust and confide in, stronger identification with Chinese health beliefs, and not self-identified as Canadian. Social work interventions should strengthen support and resources for the vulnerable groups identified in the findings. Service providers should adjust service delivery to better serve elderly immigrants who still maintain strong Chinese cultural values and beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of immigration has led to an important increase in the number of social programmes and services for migrant populations in many European countries. However, some investigations have shown that the use of formal resources is extremely low in these groups. In contrast to the limited utilization of programmes and services, research in the field of social psychology has revealed that the primary source of help and support for immigrants is their own informal social network. After analysing the characteristics, advantages and limitations of formal and informal support systems, this paper presents a typology of social support interventions with migrant populations that integrates both types of support. Four levels are differentiated: dyadic interventions, social network interventions, mutual aid groups and community interventions. The development of programmes to strengthen the informal support system is emphasized as an alternative to integrating formal and informal resources in social work practice with migrant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the recent sociopolitical changes in the Former Soviet Union, significant numbers of older Soviets have arrived in the U.S. with their families. Soviet immigrants who enter the U.S. are no longer automatically considered political refugees, which has limited their entitlement to services. Recent changes in public welfare and immigration policy place the responsibility for care of elderly members solely on the family. While caring for older adults is stressful for any family, new immigrants may be especially burdened since they have limited knowledge of services, few coping resources to provide adequate care, and little experience resolving cultural conflicts with their older parent. By using a practice model designed to evaluate late-life caregiving situations, two case scenarios are presented to examine practice and service delivery issues of older Soviet immigrants and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]