“It's Like Damocles' Sword”: Australian Service Provider Perspectives on the Impact of Temporary Visas on Mental and Physical Health for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Issue Addressed: It has been well documented that refugees with temporary visa status have poorer physical and mental health than immigrants on permanent visas. This study aimed to investigate the perspective of service providers on temporary visa experiences of refugees and asylum seekers, to examine the pathways between visa-related post-migration difficulties and poor health and implications for health promotion. Working across refugees and asylum seekers with multiple and varying pre-migration experiences and cultural influences, service providers contribute an important perspective of client experiences within the temporary visa system. 

Methods: A mixed-methods design was utilised with a quantitative survey of service providers working with refugees and asylum seekers (n = 36) and in-depth interviews (n = 12). Participants were recruited through service networks and snowball sampling. Survey data were analysed descriptively with R, and interview data were thematically analysed. 

Results: Temporary visas, particularly short-term bridging visas, were identified as negatively affecting both mental and physical health through uncertainty, inconsistencies, service access transitions and family separation, with impacts via a range of social determinants and psychological states and behaviours. 

Conclusions: This study highlights the debilitating impacts of temporary visas on both mental and physical health, and the necessity to provide greater certainty to asylum seekers and refugees. 

So What?: Although the current Australian government has transferred many humanitarian temporary visa holders to permanent visas, temporary humanitarian visas remain available for use in the future. Moreover, many asylum seekers will remain on short-term bridging visas. The findings from this study stress the imperative of considering the mental and physical health consequences of immigration policy decisions for asylum-seeker and refugee populations. A deeper understanding of the interplay of components within the temporary visa pathway highlights multiple foci for future research and preventative intervention priorities.