This paper examines the role of diasporic social networks in providing informal social protection to Nepalese immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Though the Middle East and East Asian countries are the primary destinations for Nepalese migrants, Western destinations also remain key places for Nepalese migration imaginaries and aspirations (Neubauer, 2024). Particularly the US as a Thulo Desh, (big/important country) or Karmabhumi (land of work) has loomed large in the consciousness of the Nepalese public since the Cold War (Tamot, 2008). In fact, the Nepalese diaspora in the US is the largest one after India, with 167,000 Nepalese having immigrated to the US between 2000 and 2022. As labor migration continues to shape Nepal’s socioeconomic landscape, Nepalese immigrants abroad face varying levels of precarity due to legal, economic, and cultural challenges. This study explores how these challenges are mitigated through diasporic social networks that facilitate access to vital resources, emotional support, and opportunities for upward mobility.

Using concepts of informal social protection, social networks, and social support, this ethnographic research highlights the role of community ties, both offline and online, as safety nets for migrants navigating life in the United States. The study employs a multi-method approach, including semi-structured interviews with Nepalese immigrants, participant observation at diasporic gatherings, and analysis of diasporic Facebook groups.

The findings reveal that kinship and friendship networks, diasporic organizations, and digital forums constitute an arrival infrastructure for newcomer immigrants by providing informational and social support for employment, housing, and daily challenges. However, the study also documents significant financial, legal, and social precarity. While diasporic networks serve as critical sources of support, they can simultaneously foster dependency and enable exploitative relationships. Another important finding is that Facebook groups in the Nepalese diaspora are essential forums for spreading and accessing information as well as gathering financial and material support. The study also found that Nepalese diaspora organizations support the socialization and strengthening of social capital of the community, though representational gaps and caste-based dynamics as well as veteran-newcomer power dynamics permeate. Importantly, the findings also demonstrate that symbolic boundaries of diasporic networks based on notions of deservingness also condition social support and can create dependent and exploitative dynamics. Lastly, the study found that community members believe the Nepalese immigrant community should be better informed of state-provisioned services and resources. Overall, the study’s findings illuminate the centrality of social networks in the migration and arrival process of Nepalese immigrants in the US. This research not only contributes to understanding informal social protection within transnational migration contexts but also emphasizes the significance of social ties in creating resilience among migrant communities. The study finds that diasporic social networks are an important source of informal social protection, though due to power dynamics and exclusion, must be complemented through access to other sources of social protection, particularly state-provided. Recommendations to community leaders include outreach to local authorities and service providers, organizing targeted social support programs, and increased representation of youth, women, and ‘caste-oppressed’ individuals in decision-making.