Beyond borders, beyond care, beyond barriers: navigating barriers to healthcare access for undocumented Afghan immigrants in host societies

The research analyzes the healthcare barriers that undocumented Afghan immigrants encounter in Peshawar, Pakistan. Using a mixed-methods design, the study triangulated a descriptive survey (n = 284), nineteen in-depth interviews, and four focus-group discussions to document structural, social, and individual barriers to healthcare and migrants’ strategies for seeking care. Research on migrant health continues to increase, while studies about Afghan migrants, specifically, along with undocumented individuals, remain insufficiently investigated. Results show that immigration-related fear, combined with lack of documentation and insufficient money, serve as the main obstacles that stop Afghan migrants from using official healthcare services. The exclusion of Afghan migrants from healthcare services worsens because of their encounter with social and cultural barriers such as discrimination, alienation, and communication barriers. Migrants adapt their healthcare access by depending on informal social networks, traditional medical practices, and healthcare provider negotiations. Study findings reveal that mental health problems are widespread among study participants, yet these individuals struggle to obtain culturally suitable mental healthcare options. The research reveals how healthcare exclusion operates across systems and also shows how Afghan migrants demonstrate persistence when dealing with life’s difficulties. The study expands migrant health knowledge through its examination of Afghan undocumented immigrants’ circumstances while supporting a human rights framework in healthcare delivery. The study highlighted evidence-based policy suggestions to detach healthcare services from immigration status while growing affordable healthcare access and increasing cultural knowledge of providers. The findings demand systemic reforms that aim to resolve health inequality structures to prevent any person from losing their right to healthcare because of their immigration status.