Paper short abstract:

When visa rights are linked to surviving domestic violence, migrant women often experience additional practical and emotional challenges. This paper focuses on women's visa process through time with experiences of intersecting vulnerabilities, resilience, confusion, deportation and complex trauma.

Paper long abstract:

Increasing numbers of migrant women on partner visas move to Australia every year, despite concerns regarding immigration and national security and a persistent high level of domestic violence in the country. Many migrant women, from all cultural and social backgrounds become trapped in abusive relationships due to a combination of complex personal and systemic reasons. Women are 70% of the applicants for partner visas, two thirds of the displaced people in the world and the overwhelming majority of survivors of domestic violence. Therefore, it is fundamental to consider gender violence and women's wellbeing when addressing immigration policy. This longitudinal research discusses mental health and material issues experienced by migrant women that engage with the Australian Department of Immigration through the Domestic and Family Violence Provisions. These were progressive laws when established, but many other Western countries have developed more appropriate legal remedies since. The data presented here was collected from 40 interviews in 2017 and 2018, with 20 migrant women undergoing a visa process under the Domestic and Family Violence Provisions. The data reveals experiences of resilience and personal growth but also reveals migrant women's worsening mental health throughout the visa process.