Author Identifier (ORCID)
Hien Thi Nguyen: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2041-7597
Catriona Turnbull: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2207-687X
Loretta Baldassar: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6246-4773
Abstract
(Grand)parents are increasingly traveling internationally to visit and spend time with their transnational families. This mobility is essential to provide informal, unpaid care, driven by globalisation as family members relocate for study and work. However, governments in receiving countries like Australia are implementing restrictive measures, defined in the literature as ‘immobility regimes’, to control the movement of older migrants into their territories, including overseas (grand)parents. Drawing on the lived experiences of 22 Vietnamese migrants (11 (grand)parent visitors and 11 adult migrants who host their (grand)parent visitors), this paper explores the relationship between transnational mobility and institutional migration policies in the Australian context. We demonstrate how migrant (grand)parents’ responses to Australia's migration policies foster informal caregiving through family reunification and fulfilment of cultural expectations. These (grand)parents employ various strategies, including engaging in cyclical travel to balance caregiving responsibilities and personal needs; leveraging digital technologies for transnational caregiving and relationship maintenance; and adapting to mobile and precarious ageing across borders. The paper concludes by reflecting on how the intersection of migrant (grand)parents’ lived experiences and Australia's migration policies can reveal ‘inequalities’ and ‘discrimination’ based on nationalities and age.
Keywords
(Grand)parent visitor, caring mobility, immobility regimes, temporary migration, Vietnam
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Publication Title
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Arts and Humanities
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comments
Nguyen, H. T., Turnbull, C., & Baldassar, L. (2026). Sustaining caring mobilities in immobility regimes: Adaptive strategies of Vietnamese migrant (grand)parents in Australia. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2026.2628460