Vulnerable Refugees

2008

The integration of refugees into Canadian society goes beyond simple socio-­economic measures of self sufficiency. While policy makers and academics often recognize the complex nature ofintegration, operational definitions tend to direct the focus of policy makers towards outcomes that measure successful settlement, over successful integration. This essay seeks to provide an operational definition that takes rights of citizenship as the foundational basis for integration over basic markers of success: employment, welfare, language etc. Such a definition must take into consideration the unique barriers refugees face as a result of past and present personal traumas and the structural rigidities of the immigration system. Creating an environment in which refugees gain access to their rights consequently allows them to participate in their own objective and subjective integration into Canada – and should be the chief objective of integration policy. As such, this essay suggests the strengthening of refugees human capital networks as a potential mechanism for achieving these goals.

2011

This paper represents an overview and meta-analysis of existing research on refugee integration in Canada. The terms of reference for the work include three main components: 1) a summary of key research findings in sectors indicative of integration in Canada, such as labour force participation and income, housing careers, official language ability, and social links and practices; 2) the identification of research gaps related to refugee integration, especially as they pertain to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming (AGDM); and 3) proposed areas of potential inquiry for UNHCR in future studies based on the findings.

2019

This study provides a one year follow-up on the resettlement experiences of four Syrian refugee families living in Canada. More specifically, this study focuses on the language and literacy development of refugee children. Overall, a lack of development in English and Arabic proficiency was noted among refugee children. A closer analysis of the learning environments of refugee children demonstrated there was a lack of support available at home and in school.

2018

In 2015, Canada began efforts to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees, a number that was soon exceeded as private and government sponsorship levels increased in response to the mass exodus of Syrians fleeing ongoing conflict. Between January 2015 and July 2017, over 84,000 refugees were resettled to Canada. This refugee population included 43% of school-age (17 years old and under) youth, arriving to communities and schools across Canada (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2017). The current educational system is illequipped to facilitate this transition and combat the socio-psychological challenges refugee students face as they enter Canadian schools (Gagné et al., 2012; Kovacevic, 2016). To understand refugee students’ education, social integration, and wellbeing in publicly-funded education systems in Canada, we conducted a scoping review of recent Canadian refugee education literature and policy.

2010

A large percentage of refugees have low levels of education and official language fluency upon arrival in Canada . This paper discusses educational goals of newcomer refugee youth from three communities in Toronto (Afghan, Karen, and Sudanese), and explores how these are linked to premigration and post-migration determinants . Guided by community-based research principles, we collaborated with eight refugee youth peer researchers and conducted ten focus groups and thirteen interviews with refugee youth . Results show that newcomer refugee youth develop strong aspirations for higher education in Canada as a proactive response to overcome pre-migration experiences of forced migration and educational disruptions . We then discuss how these youth negotiate educational goals in post-migration context in relation to shifts in family responsibilities and everyday encounter with multiple systemic barriers in Canada . In doing this, we examine the thin line between vulnerability and empowerment that refugee youth straddle and reveal policy gaps and contradictions in the depoliticized humanitarianism within refugee resettlement in Canada .

2015

Much research on immigrants and refugees in Canada has focused on immigration policy and settlement sector developments, with a dearth of studies on settlement service agencies. Originating from a larger project that focused on the evolution of one settlement agency, this case study explores the efforts of the Association for New Canadians to assist immigrants and refugees with settlement and integration. This article provides insight into the effectiveness of the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program in one settlement agency in Newfoundland and Labrador. Findings highlight instructor and administrator perceptions of LINC learners as a very diverse group with myriad needs. Findings further suggest the importance of LINC instructors having autonomy in order to adapt and modify the program to meet learners’ needs at the local level. These findings have important implications for similar organizations, as well as for policymakers, educators and researchers. Provis...

2018

Briefly defined, economic integration is the "gradual process by which new residents become active participants in the economic…affairs of a new homeland" (CCR, 1998). The literature suggests this takes 12-15 years for refugees in Canada (Wilkinson & Garcia, 2017). Government assisted refugees often experience worse outcomes than other newcomers during this period. Several studies have investigated the divergence between groups to identify correlates with better outcomes, but few have evaluated practices that may rectify these differences. This paper attempts to fill this gap by evaluating policies for facilitating the integration of government assisted refugees in British Columbia. Three policy options are presented, which focus on labour market entry, income stability, independence, and skill development as foundations for longterm economic integration. As integration is complex and multifaceted, the options are designed to improve government assisted refugees' standing within five years rather than tackle all the challenges to integration refugees face.

Based on a four-year ethnography and informed by poststructuralist theories of identity and language, this article examines how, through lived settlement experiences in Canada, a young man from Mainland China gradually became an immigrant in the folk sense of the term. Though he was considered a success in terms of the diaspora community, he was disempowered in the host society. Highlighting one vignette, I illustrate how he came to understand that language, in the form of various texts and everyday interactions, constitutes an important terrain upon which socioeconomic inequality and immigrant identity are negotiated, resisted but reproduced.

Canadian journal of law and society, 2024

This article examines the underlying structural elements contributing to the vulnerability experienced by asylum seekers and undocumented migrants across two critical domains: refugee eligibility examination and accessibility of essential social services, particularly healthcare. By drawing insights from fieldwork conducted in Toronto between 2020 and 2022, this article investigates how migrants navigate and perceive vulnerability encountered both at the front-end of the refugee status determination and while trying to access social services. It discusses the perspectives of key stakeholders, including lawyers, representatives of immigrant-focused non-profit organizations, and municipal officials, shedding light on their experiences and insights regarding the challenges faced by migrants. Furthermore, this article critically evaluates Canada's adherence to the principles articulated in the 2018 United Nations Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees concerning the mitigation of vulnerability among migrant populations.

Library & Information Science Research, 2005

2022

This report looks at migrants' access to housing, employment, and other relevant resources in six different small and medium-sized towns and rural areas in Canada between 2016 and 2021. Primarily based on interviews conducted in each of the six selected municipalities, secondary data analysis and a policy literature review, it provides an overview of the concrete barriers that migrants face in relation to housing and employment; the local actors who are involved in, and/or seen as responsible for, facilitating their access; any concrete local measures or practices that help or hinder this access; and the specific target groups of these measures, initiatives or practices. The report finds that the concrete barriers facing migrant access to housing are affordability, availability, and size. These factors were particularly acute in Ontario and B.C. where a housing crisis has driven up the average cost of a home and decreased availability. During the study period, Canada possessed low unemployment rates, however, one of the concrete barriers regarding economic integration was foreign credential recognition and language acquisition (English or French). The local actors who were involved included immigrant settlement service organizations, provincial employment ministries, faith organizations or groups of individuals (involved in private sponsorship), provincial/regional chambers of commerce and community service organizations. The measures and practices included employment matching and preparation services, language training programs, job banks, mentoring programs, paid internships, targeted migrant hiring initiatives by municipal and community-service organizations, skills upgrading programs and municipal integration policies. The specific target groups of these measures included immigrants (both economic and resettled refugees) as well as residents.

2023

Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 2018

Immigrant women to Canada face unique challenges in gaining mastery of English or French, the country's two official languages. The study focuses on differences among women with respect to pre-migration and post-migration characteristics that position them differently with respect to language learning in the social contexts where they assert their immigrant identity. This study examines issues in language acquisition among adult immigrant women and their strategies to improve language skills within four years of arrival, using nationally representative data from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). The study shows that older women, less educated women, and some immigration class groups (i.e., spouse/dependents, family class, refugees) have lower language proficiency at arrival and less chances to improve. Since immigrant women represent a heterogeneous group in terms of pre-migration language skills and access to language learning, adequate language learning support is required to facilitate their effective integration in the Canadian society.

Journal of Rural and Community Development, 2019

The vast majority of scholarship on the integration of newcomers to Canada takes place within the large urban centres of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal (Shields, Turegun, & Lowe, 2014). In recent decades, however, higher numbers of immigrants are choosing to settle in rural areas for lower costs of living, local job opportunities, and quality of life (Manitoba Labour and Immigration, 2015). In addition, larger numbers of privately sponsored refugees are being sponsored into smaller towns and cities (Rural Development Institute, 2016). Finally, the Government of Canada uses immigration as an intentional strategy to grow regional centres (Burstein, 2010). These shifts mean that rural areas are seeing larger numbers of immigration, without the benefit of years of extensive research to know how these areas are uniquely positioned to welcome newcomers, and what barriers and opportunities exist for integrating newcomers in rural areas. This article will explore the topic of newcomer int...

Woodrow Wilson International Center For Scholars, 2005

The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. MPI offers pragmatic responses to the challenges and opportunities that large-scale migration presents to governments, communities and institutions worldwide. The Institute's program of research and policy development is built on solid data, balanced analysis, understanding of political processes, and the engagement of multiple stakeholders-from policy elites and business interests to community leaders and migrant organizations. MPI's work in North America, Western Europe, and many developing countries also allows national policymakers to benefit from international comparative research, as more and more countries accumulate data and experience that shed light on global migration forces. The Institute aims to provide the building blocks of migration policies that work, for source countries and countries of destination as well as for migrants and their new neighbors. For more information, please visit www.migrationpolicy.org. The Migration Information Source, MPI's monthly online resource at www.migrationinformation.org, provides reliable, easy-to-access data on international migration flows and timely analysis of migration trends shaping the world. Features include the innovative Global Data Center, more than 45 Country Resource pages, updates on the latest legislative developments from Capitol Hill, and tools for journalists, in addition to sustained coverage of migration, refugee and integration issues.