Australia is considered one of the world’s major ‘immigration’ nations, along with Canada, New Zealand and the United States (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2014). Aside from Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, everyone else is the product of migration.
Currently Australia has different visa categories – permanent and temporary. The permanent visa category comprises two programmes: (i) skilled migrants and families; and (ii) the Humanitarian programme for refugees and those in refugee-like situations.
The temporary visa category refers to people on study and work visas that are for a short duration. Often work visas are responses to shortages of people with skills in particular industries and professions (Kettle, 2018; 2021).
Many of the migrant families participating in the research project worked in industries such as food processing, mechanics, hospitality, and care services. They participated generously in the study by coming to the school to be with their children after their shifts at work.