This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the most interesting conceptual approaches to understanding contemporary migration in Australia in the light of recent empirical studies in the field. It presents the capacity of art to convey insights into the emotional experience of migration has been largely neglected in academic texts and seek to address this gap by considering a selection of Australian fiction and films. The book explores some of the key theoretical perspectives on migration with reference to sociological, anthropological, psycho cultural and geographical sources. It shows how our emotional responses are bound up with our sense of identity; even more so now that global communication systems make it possible to maintain contact with those left behind. The book discusses immigration policies were modified from the 1960s because of pressure and lobbying but explicit immigration polices only really changed in 1972.