Regionalisation is a hallmark of Australia's approach to international migration, reflecting governments' growing concern with where new arrivals live. Residence in regional Australia is encouraged (mandated, for some visas) in response to urban population pressures alongside rural population and economic decline. Parallel to regionally focused visa schemes exists a pattern of voluntary urban-to-rural migration among some international migrants. Such secondary mobility counters the policy logic that international migrants only live outside cities when required to do so. This paper explores 18 African migrants' motivations for ‘urban flight’: Australian cities have failed to sustain their well-being and they consider rural life a remedy. Their preference for rural locations is not purely instrumental, it is shaped by deep-seated affective connections. Given the challenges of regional population retention, settlement policies should be recalibrated to support the aspirations of international migrants who feel an affinity for rural places, rather than compelling the rural settlement of others who do not.

中文翻译：

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福祉空间和区域定居点：国际移民和乡村田园诗

区域化是澳大利亚处理国际移民的一个标志，反映了政府越来越关注在哪里新来者直播。为了应对城市人口压力以及农村人口和经济衰退，鼓励在澳大利亚偏远地区居住（某些签证是强制性的）。与以区域为重点的签证计划并行的是，一些国际移民中存在一种自愿从城市到农村的移民模式。这种二次流动与国际移民只在需要时才住​​在城市以外的政策逻辑背道而驰。本文探讨了 18 位非洲移民“逃离城市”的动机：澳大利亚城市未能维持他们的福祉，他们认为农村生活是一种补救措施。他们对农村地区的偏爱并非纯粹是工具性的，而是由根深蒂固的情感联系塑造的。鉴于区域人口保留的挑战，