Return migration of New Zealanders: a profile of 1990 returnees

Departures and Arrivals: International Students Returning to the Countries of Origin

This paper examines notions of re-entry, or return migration, through the experiences of East Asian tertiary international students who had studied in New Zealand. After identifying specific methodological contexts of re-entry for these students, and briefly considering international students' experiences in New Zealand, this article examines various transitions encountered during re-entry. These transitions center on expectations, a longing to belong, identity crisis, and a sense of homelessness and loss, as well as various social responses and other general transitions. The paper then argues that the re-integration of identity and place is crucial in ameliorating some of the reentry difficulties, which also provides a useful conceptual framework to understand re-entry.