The Education–Migration Nexus: A Longitudinal Case Study of an International Student’s Journey From University to the Workplace in Australia

In popular destination countries for international students such as Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, education is an important pathway to immigration. The education–migration nexus has attracted much research attention. Although research has gravitated towards challenges international students experience on the pathway, there has been an emerging literature with a focus on their agency. Building on this emerging trend, this chapter presents a longitudinal, in-depth case study of an international nursing student, referred to as Hu (a pseudonym). This 5-year study examines Hu’s experience of studying at an Australian university and transitioning to the Australian workplace through a realist social theory lens on agency. The analysis is based on rich, contextualised data, including interviews with Hu and her teachers, curriculum documents and classroom observations during her studies. Additionally, it incorporates insights from interviews conducted during her job search in Australia and her final transition to full-time employment. One key finding is that Hu’s journey consists of a sequence of projects, each shaped by reflexive deliberation on her evolving concerns and her perceptions of structural factors as either enabling or constraining the realisation of her concerns. More importantly, Hu’s reflexive deliberations developed into a pattern which represents her mode of managing the interplay between agency and structure in the Australian setting. These findings have important implications for Australian universities, employers and the government in their initiatives to educate international students and support them in their transition to the workplace.