Long‑term care systems worldwide are facing persistent workforce shortages, leading many countries to recruit care workers across borders. While cross‑border recruitment is intended to ease staffing gaps, its impact on workforce dynamics, acculturation, and retention remains insufficiently understood. This phenomenological study delineated the lived experiences of imported workers to identify cultural and organizational factors shaping job satisfaction, workforce sustainability, and care outcomes for older people. Semi‑structured interviews were conducted with 18 care workers, both imported and local, across multiple residential care homes for older people in Hong Kong. Transcripts were analyzed using Van Kaam’s controlled explication technique to capture themes related to workplace experiences, acculturation, and organizational practices. More than 60% of imported workers reported dissatisfaction and an intention to leave their positions. Stress was linked less to language barriers than to acculturative pressures, identity negotiation, and discriminatory workplace practices. Imported workers described exploitation, devaluation, and exclusion, while local staff highlighted tensions arising from wage disparities and job insecurity. Unequal power dynamics and limited autonomy further undermined satisfaction, with organizational leaders and agencies exercising disproportionate control over work processes. By integrating acculturation theory with labour process theory, the study illuminated how cultural adaptation and structural inequities jointly shape workforce outcomes and quality of care. These findings underscore the need for reforms that promote equitable labour practices and culturally sensitive workplace support systems. The study contributes evidence to inform workforce reform and strengthen retention, offering insights relevant to long‑term care systems globally as they grapple with sustainability and service delivery challenges.