Acculturation amidst Immigration Precarity: Questing the Implications for Psychological Well-Being Among Asylum Seekers and Refugees (ASRs) in Hong Kong

Asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs) face one of the most precarious immigration processes right from the onset of their journeys to settling in new destinations. The situation in Hong Kong is even more complicated as ASRs can wait over a decade in the city for transit to final destinations since Hong Kong does not grant asylum. This qualitative phenomenological study uses semi-structured interviews among 53 African asylum seekers and refugees (AAR) in Hong Kong to espouse how adapting to a new, albeit temporary, society amid the uncertainties about their immigration status affects their psychological well-being from social-ecological perspectives. Thematic analysis revealed profound losses and stresses from dislocation, with multi-pronged strategies employed to adapt culturally to Hong Kong while engineering safe ways to maintain social relationships in their home countries. However, restrictive immigration policies reduced their sense of autonomy to adequately engage with both societies, leading to diminished belonging, fulfilment, and low control over their futures due to dependency on third-party decisions. These displacement-induced hardships, along with systematic exclusionary conditions, adversely impacted AAR’s well-being, aligning with research on associations between forced migration, acculturative stress, and poor psychological outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of inclusive policies for ASRs’ well-being through supportive programmes for meaningful integration, even if their stay is temporary.