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Caring from Afar: Asian H1B Migrant Workers and Aging Parents

Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology volume 30, pages 319–331 (2015)Cite this article

Abstract

With the growth in engineering/technology industries, the United States has seen an increase in the arrival of highly skilled temporary migrant workers on H1B visas from various Asian countries. Limited research exists on how these groups maintain family ties from afar including caring for aging parents. This study explores the experiences and challenges that Asian H1B workers face when providing care from a distance. A total of 21 Chinese/Taiwanese, Korean, and Indian H1B workers participated in in-depth qualitative interviews. Key findings indicate that despite distance, caring relationships still continue through regular communications, financial remittances, and return visits, at the same time creating emotional, psychological, and financial challenges for the workers. Findings highlight the need for further research in understanding how the decline of aging parent’s health impacts the migrants’ adjustment and health in the United States.

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Acknowledgments

The data used in the study was collected with support from San Francisco State University Faculty Public Policy Research Seed Grants. The authors are grateful to Asian H1B migrant workers who participated in this study, as well as our research assistants, Tammy Yu and Jonathan Lee, for their valuable assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, HSS 216, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Yeon-Shim Lee

  2. Department of Economics, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Anoshua Chaudhuri

  3. Department of Asian American Studies, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave, San Francisco, CA, 94132, USA

    Grace J. Yoo

Authors
  1. Yeon-Shim Lee
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  2. Anoshua Chaudhuri
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  3. Grace J. Yoo
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Correspondence to Yeon-Shim Lee.

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Lee, YS., Chaudhuri, A. & Yoo, G.J. Caring from Afar: Asian H1B Migrant Workers and Aging Parents. J Cross Cult Gerontol 30, 319–331 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-015-9268-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-015-9268-7

Keywords

  • Asian H1B migration
  • Care provision
  • Financial/Psychological distress
  • Transnational caregiving