Study to examine how migrants integrate into Canadian society

As Canada seeks to meet ambitious immigration targets, researchers across the country are undertaking a multimillion-dollar study of how migrants integrate into Canadian society.

Metropolitan University of Toronto is leading the seven-year, $98.6 million research project, which also includes researchers from the University of British Columbia, Concordia University and the University of Alberta. The project is funded by the Canadian government.

Anna Triandafyllidou, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at TMU, says the study will provide insight into immigration and migration at a time of social, economic and fast digital.

“We see this as very important to Canada’s past, present and future in many ways – not only in terms of economic outcomes, but also in terms of making our society richer, more creative, more innovative, more resilient,” she said. CTVNews.ca.

“The aim of this program is to examine how advanced digital technologies are changing everything: the way we live, the way we work, the way we travel, the way we communicate, the way we also participate in society and look the integration of immigrants. inside of that.

The project will examine the experiences of permanent residents, temporary foreign workers, refugees, asylum seekers, international students and economic migrants, Triandafyllidou noted. It will use a mixed-methods research approach that incorporates annual surveys, interviews, focus groups, and data extracted from social media.

There are four main research themes: employment and lifelong learning, immigrant health and well-being, place and infrastructure, and citizenship and civic participation.

Under the umbrella of employment and lifelong learning, for example, Triandafyllidou said researchers will analyze how the shift to remote and hybrid working during the pandemic has both benefited and disadvantaged newcomers, and how immigrants can begin their accreditation process in their country of origin. of origin for in-demand jobs, such as those in the health care sector, so they can “get started” when they arrive in Canada.

They will also explore the overrepresentation of migrant and immigrant workers in the digital on-demand economy.

“Our research has shown so far that this provides an opportunity for migrants who need to retrain or do their qualification assessment or accreditation, so instead of working a rigid nine-to-five job that doesn’t let them of time they prefer – with an inverted comma – to say, work for Uber or DoorDash,” Triandafyllidou explained.

“At the same time, we know it’s sometimes a trap. And we know that newcomers are less familiar with, for example, their rights or labor laws.

Within the framework of health and well-being, researchers will examine how the physical and mental health of immigrants and migrants changes as they integrate into Canadian society as they experience stress, isolation and culture shock.

Among other things, Triandafyllidou said the interdisciplinary research program will also examine the social and technical infrastructure of Canadian cities, the factors that have led to the decline in adoption of Canadian citizenship in recent years, the challenges and opportunities that arise from digital settlement services and how Canada can involve Indigenous communities more in decisions about the future of immigration to the country.

In total, the Migrant Integration in the Mid-21st Century: Bridging Divides program will involve 25 research leaders and more than 100 academics.

There are also more than 200 organizations involved, including the Ontario Council of Immigrant-Serving Agencies, the Public Policy Forum and Google.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2022, Canada welcomed 437,000 new permanent residents and 1.2 million temporary migrants, including international students. The Canadian government hopes to welcome 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, rising to 500,000 by 2025.

The results of the research program will be made available through reports, policy briefs, infographics and multimedia explanations, Triandafyllidou said. The overall goal of the project is to help Canada better prepare for the future as it seeks to welcome more migrants and immigrants, she added.

“Migration is both part of Canada’s national identity, but also part of its economic and demographic future.