Article

Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Programs: Experience of Syrian Refugees in Alberta, Canada

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Abstract

The article documents the settlement experiences of Syrian refugees in a major city in Alberta, Canada, in the first year of their resettlement. It then compares them across the three government and private sponsorship programs to understand which program is most effective in helping refugees settle and integrate in Canada. The study uses face-to-face, individual interviews with refugees and private sponsors, and key informant interviews with settlement volunteers and agency representatives. The findings suggest that all three programs were largely successful in bringing in Syrian refugees, from various asylum countries in the Middle East to safe places in Canada. However, the settlement experience of refugees varied after they arrived in Canada. Challenges in learning English and finding employment were paramount among all three refugee streams. Contrary to some acdemic literature, privately sponsored refugees faced resettlement challenges similar to their counterparts in the two other sponsorship streams.

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... ficulties adjusting to social, socio-economic, linguistic, and cultural demands (Agrawal, 2019;Oudshoorn et al., 2020). Indeed, Syrian refugee children may experience challenges with their development and adjusting to the Canadian socio-cultural environment, while Syrian refugee parents may require support with parenting practices due to lack of familiarity with the new host country (CMAS, 2015). ...
... Post-migration barriers can negatively impact well-being among parents and children and reduce collaboration between home, school, and services (Georgis et al., 2017). This study identified several resettlement barriers resembling previous findings, such as language, transportation, and social isolation (e.g., Agrawal, 2019;Oudshoorn et al., 2020), as well as unique barriers to support and service acquisition for autistic children and their families (lack of knowledge of specialized programming, lack of vocational opportunities, unfamiliarity with service application processes, lack of autism-specific trauma-informed care). Although participants spoke about their general resettlement experiences, parenting autistic children is an added stressor that can further complicate day-to-day resettlement barriers. ...
... This study's findings resembled literature in which participants expressed positive experiences with resettlement, viewed Canada as fated or a blessing, and decided to move to Canada for increased opportunities for their children (e.g., Agrawal, 2019). Participants reported positive resettlement experiences, highlighting improved quality of life, established routines, and family satisfaction with children's skill development. ...
Article
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This study explored the resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees accessing supports and services for their autistic children in Alberta, Canada. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA), in-depth interviews with three participants led to seven shared themes regarding parental experiences with the Syrian crisis, access to supports and services, barriers to resettlement, and sentiments regarding their resettlement. Findings are explained using migrant adaptation models to situate practice within a social justice orientation by understanding the perspectives of vulnerable migrant populations. Practical implications include ways to benefit refugees, imbue culture within practice, inform policy initiatives, and highlight the importance of trauma-informed care.
... Under Canada's Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) are matched to their initial destination communities by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). While a rich body of research has focused on understanding the socio-economic and wellness outcomes of refugees after they have been destined (see : Agrawal, 2018;Ali et al., 2021;Hynie et al., 2019;Kaida et al., 2020aKaida et al., , 2020bRose, 2019;Simich et al., 2003), there is a dearth of contemporary research outlining the organizational and material aspects of matching and destining refugees before they arrive. Given the initial lack of agency in choosing where to settle, it is important to understand the motivations and considerations mobilized by IRCC during the destining process. ...
... This policy shift signaled a realignment to reflect the resettlement programme's humanitarian objectives. However, it also prompted the need for more specialized health and settlement services for all resettled refugees, but GARs in particular (Agrawal, 2018;CIC, 2011) as they tend to have greater difficulty settling into their destined communities than PSRs Kaida et al., 2020b;Oda et al., 2019). This heightened vulnerability underscores the importance of optimized matches and settlement supports. ...
... Much of the academic writing on the settlement and integration of refugees has looked at the importance and value of existing and newly cultivated social capital for providing much-needed support and assistance in facing financial, employment, personal, and health challenges (Ager & Strang, 2008;Agrawal, 2018;Ali et al., 2021;Hanley et al., 2018;Lamba & Krahn, 2003;Suter & Magnusson, 2015). This work has centered on the importance of family ties, as well as both ethnic and cross-cultural community networks, among others. ...
Article
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Canada occupies a leadership role in resettling refugees as part of the United Nation’s durable solutions to the global refugee crisis. Although resettlement is an important demonstration of international solidarity, it also poses many challenges for policymakers in terms of optimizing integration and settlement outcomes for refugees. Under the Canadian Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), government officials are responsible for choosing the communities to which Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) are matched and destined. While a significant amount of research has focused on the socio-economic outcomes of resettled refugees, there is a dearth of contemporary research outlining the substantive aspects of matching and destining GARs to their new homes in Canada. Mismatches can lead to refugees’ secondary migration, resulting in complicated trajectories of resettlement and integration. Based on interviews with key government officials and settlement providers, this study investigates the factors considered by the Canadian government, specifically, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), when making the match and assesses how they play out in the destining process by focusing on Ontario as a case study. The findings suggest that while factors such as availability of specialized medical services, family and friend connections, and a community’s settlement capacity are deemed important, the resettlement process lacks consideration of refugees’ individual characteristics and neglects to look at refugees’ human capital. The study has strong policy implications for designing and crafting an optimized destining and matching process that gives due consideration to refugee empowerment.
... As for health status of private-sponsored refugees, literature agrees that they do better than government-sponsored refugees (Agrawal, 2018;Beiser, 2003 and2009;Oda et al., 2019). For example, Oda and colleagues (2019) found that privatesponsored refugees reported lower perceived physical and mental issues. ...
... Literature on Canada reports a higher language level of private-sponsored refugees than government-assisted refugees (Agrawal, 2018;Beiser 2003;ICC 2016;Neuwirth and Clark, 1981). For example, in his article on Southeast Asian refugees who arrived in Canada between 1979and 1981, Beiser (2003 found better integration -including language skills -of the former than the latter. ...
... Moreover, if beneficiaries do not manage to achieve a certain degree of integration (e.g., finding a job) by the end of the programme, they may fall in a condition of irregularity (Kantor and Einhorn, 2017). Although this is an issue that all migrants and refugees may experience (e.g., when the residence permit expires), beneficiaries of PSPs may face additional challenges as private sponsorship may be characterized by relationships of structural dependency (Agrawal, 2018;Beiser, 2003 and2009;Smith, Hadziristic and Alipour, 2017;Lenard 2016). As a consequence, the agency of the beneficiaries may be limited, and they can face more challenges in coping with difficulties than other migrants and refugees. ...
Technical Report
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This paper focuses on the potential contribution of PSPs to integration compared to government’s resettlement schemes. After framing the overall EU-level and international debate on the topic and summarising previous findings on integration of PSPs’ beneficiaries, the paper illustrates the possibly ‘enabling’ factors of PSPs. The paper also points out the controversial issues that may hamper beneficiaries’ integration, especially in the long run.
... This is expected, as most immigrants and refugees settle in these three metropolitan areas. There is, however, increasing scholarly attention to medium-sized cities such as Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and others, as these areas have attracted more immigrants in the last decade or so (Abu-Laban et al. 1999;Agrawal 2018;Derwing and Krahn 2008;Enns and Carter 2009;Frideres 2006;Hyndman et al. 2006;Krahn et al. 2005;Lo and Teixeira 2015a;Radford 2007;Teixeira 2009;Walton-Roberts 2006). Further, a serious dearth of studies exists on settlement experience in small communities with a population of around 100,000. ...
... This can be attributed to the new model of health services to Syrian refugees employed in Lethbridge, which is explained later in the article. Contrarily, in Edmonton, refugees complained about the long waittimes to see their family doctors and specialists for any non-emergency care (Agrawal 2018). ...
... We noted the following additional differences between the two cities: (Agrawal 2018). It seems that smaller municipalities, such as Lethbridge, where the refugee numbers are also small were better prepared within the existing or slightly expanded settlement infrastructure. ...
Article
The article documents refugee experience in the first year of their settlement in a small city in Canada and then explores whether the size of the community matters in the settlement processes. This is based on an extensive study of Syrian refugee settlement experiences in one large Canadian city (Edmonton) and one small Canadian city (Lethbridge). The findings argue that contrary to existing scholarly literature, small municipalities such as Lethbridge were more creative, nimble, and efficient in settling Syrian newcomers. In small cities, however, lack of denominational and non-denominational organizations to complement government assistance, the onset of compassionate fatigue among the city dwellers, and limited retention of newcomers due to limited employment opportunity are real threats to the settlement process immediately after newcomers’ arrival and in the long term. A more substantial role of municipal governments in the refugee resettlement process is recommended to offset the disproportionate burden settlement sector carries.
... Three areas where there is a significant knowledge base but outside the scope of the current study are health needs and experiences of Syrian refugees (Hansen and Huston 2016;Tuck et al. 2019), educational engagement and integration of Syrian refugee children and youth (Massfeller and Hamm 2019;Reddick and Sadler 2019;Yohani et al. 2019), and experiences of privately sponsored Syrian refugees (Hutchinson 2018;Hyndman et al. 2017;Hynie 2018). In regard to settlement experiences of Syrian GARs, common research themes to date include the challenges faced by settlement providers to meet the needs of those they are mandated to serve, including having sufficient funding, training, and time (Agrawal 2018;Kenny and Mamuji 2019). Refugees themselves then face barriers to employment, inter-connected with challenges to language acquisition, with limited supports (Agrawal 2018). ...
... In regard to settlement experiences of Syrian GARs, common research themes to date include the challenges faced by settlement providers to meet the needs of those they are mandated to serve, including having sufficient funding, training, and time (Agrawal 2018;Kenny and Mamuji 2019). Refugees themselves then face barriers to employment, inter-connected with challenges to language acquisition, with limited supports (Agrawal 2018). This can lead to high risks of poverty including chronic poverty (Hyndman and McLean 2006). ...
... This can lead to high risks of poverty including chronic poverty (Hyndman and McLean 2006). Syrian GARs have also highlighted limited supported opportunities to develop social connections with English-speaking Canadians (Agrawal 2018). ...
Article
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The purpose of this study was to understand the subjective resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees to Canada. The Canadian government committed to accepting 25,000 Syrian refugees between November 2015 and February 2016. Since that time, increased pressure has been placed on settlement agencies to find suitable housing for these families in a shorter time-span than usual. This study assessed the settlement experiences of 17 Syrian refugee families in a mid-sized city with a particular focus on housing and landlord relations and the overall settlement experience. Data collection involved in-depth interviews with one or more family members from each family, facilitated by an interpreter. These interviews were then analysed using thematic analysis to produce qualitative descriptive results. The themes speak to barriers to housing stability, including housing quality/safety/cost, balancing the needs of children versus the family as a whole, gaps to community integration, and downplaying the need for assistance.
... Currently, the resettlement of refugees in Canada might be sponsored by the Canadian government, through the Government-Assisted Refugees (GAR) program, 5 or by private groups, through the Privately Sponsored Refugees (PSR) program. There are five different categories of private sponsorship arrangements in Canada (excluding Quebec): Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAHs), Constituent Groups (CGs), Groups of Five (G5), Community Sponsors (CSs), and Blended Visa Office Referral (BVOR) (Macklin et al. 2018;Agrawal 2019). SAHs are mostly religious organizations, ethnocultural groups, or humanitarian organizations, which have formal agreements with the federal government. ...
... Although the PSP has been generally favoured as a more effective model of refugee resettlement than its government-assisted counterpart in Canada (Agrawal 2019;IRCC 2016), research suggests that it is more effective only in certain ways, such as integrating the newcomers into local practices, developing social networks, and forming a sense of belonging in the community more quickly. For example, the emotional and cultural support provided by sponsors tends to lead to more successful resettlement experiences; it often improves refugees' ability to become economically independent (Neuwirth and Clark 1981). ...
... For example, the emotional and cultural support provided by sponsors tends to lead to more successful resettlement experiences; it often improves refugees' ability to become economically independent (Neuwirth and Clark 1981). Sponsors have been said to facilitate refugees' access to wider social networks and to enhance connections between refugees and their resettlement communities (Agrawal 2019;Hanley et al. 2018;Lanphier 2003); however, while these social networks may create quicker opportunities for employment, privately sponsored newcomers may face situations where they do not acquire sufficient officiallanguage competence, which in turn can lead to low paying, precarious, and dead-end jobs (Hyndman and Hynie 2016). 6 Moreover, refugees who have been sponsored by private groups report being satisfied with their experiences transitioning to Canada. ...
Technical Report
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The number of refugees in need of resettlement in the world is estimated to surpass 1.44 million people in 2020 (UNHCR 2019a). Resettlement is a policy that relocates refugees from a country of asylum where their lives might be at risk or where their basic needs are not met to a safe country that has agreed to receive them. An often life-saving measure, resettlement also promotes the “sharing of responsibility for global crises,” as Philippo Grandi, the current United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, put it (UNHCR 2019b). With around 84% of the world’s refugees being hosted in countries of the global South, resettlement programs can attenuate this imbalance by having countries of the global North voluntarily participate in hosting and supporting refugees. With many governments alleging lack of resources for resettlement programs, and the number of refugees in need of resettlement growing each year, the role that citizens and private actors can play in promoting this policy becomes significant. Canada is held internationally as a pioneer and leading country when it comes to private sponsorship, a kind of resettlement in which individuals, private groups, or organizations provide the financial and social support necessary for the resettlement of refugees. Syrians currently represent 40% of the total number of refugees in need of resettlement in the world (UNHCR 2019a). In late 2015, the recently elected Liberal Government made a commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in a short period of time, in what became known as Operation Syrian Refugees. Since the launching of this Canadian operation, there has been abundant research analysing the large-scale resettlement process, its successes, limitations, and lessons for future policymaking and host communities (for example, see Drolet et al. 2018; Hamilton et al. forthcoming; Hynie et all. 2019; Kyriakides et al. 2018; Walton-Roberts et al. 2018), although little focused scholarly and policy attention on Syrian refugee resettlement in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. This Policy Points contributes to these analyses by unpacking the particular lessons from one host community in Ontario, the Kitchener-Waterloo region, and highlighting the resettlement experiences of privately sponsored Syrian refugees in this area. It draws on policy, program, and scholarly documents, and on a selection of 55 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with mainly privately sponsored (and some government-assisted) Syrian refugees on their experiences of resettlement in southern Ontario, Canada. The interviews were conducted in either Arabic or English and lasted 90 to 120 minutes. They took place in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, Mississauga, and Toronto in 2017 and 2018. Participants included 26 women and 29 men who lived in Syria both prior to and during the recent civil war. They were aged between 28 and 63 and from diverse social backgrounds. Most participants self-identified as Syrian; the remainder self-identified as Kurdish, Palestinian, and Turkmen. All interview participants had departed from Syria to the nearby host states of Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey during the period of 2012 to 2017. Upon their arrival in Canada, they received formal residency status and some now hold Canadian citizenship.
... The Canadian Government provides social and financial supports to GAR during the refugees' initial resettlement period (up to 12 months) [19]. While numerous studies have concentrated on studying the socio-economic and well-being consequences of refugees after they have been assigned to their destinations [20], a systematic approach to RR is limited. Traditional ways to solve this problem mainly case by case in the unit of a person or family, which is tedious, time-consuming, and often unsuccessful. ...
... The x-axis means the latch value for a refugee family to be qualified to be assigned to a city. The y-axis means the quality of assignment (σ: the sum of all the assigned qualification values), which implicitly reflects the secondary migrations [20]. Fig. 2 shows a scattered chart for 100 cases using SA and RGMRA and informs that the assignment quality of RGMRA is always better than SA. ...
... baby-sitting, and sharing food, materials and experience) among low-income neighborhood residents. Similarly, such networks and social relations within immigrant groups (Agrawal, 2019;Rottmann & Kaya, 2020) have a positive influence on their sense of community and safety, and adjustment/integration. Immigrants' social bonding is high in ethnic settlements (Qiu et al., 2020). ...
... Moreover, living in ethnic enclaves reduces the need to learn the host country's language (Zorlu & Hartog, 2018) but hinders social interaction between host and guests (Alhusban et al., 2019), slowing refugee integration (Hebbani et al., 2018). Besides language barriers (Agrawal, 2019;Zorlu & Hartog, 2018), tensions with the host society linked with pressures on the housing (Fozdar & Hartley, 2014) and labor market (Şimşek, 2020), and access to public services (Akar & Erdoğdu, 2019), along with socio-cultural differences between the two societies (İçduygu & Şimşek, 2016) hinder the dialogue (Hynie 2008;Şimşek, 2020), and immigrants' satisfaction. ...
Article
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Hosting the world’s largest Syrian refugee population, Turkey has not introduced a housing policy to address permanently the housing needs of Syrian urban refugees. The aim of this exploratory study, focusing on a case study in a Syrian ethnic enclave in Ankara, was to provide insights into Syrians’ housing conditions and needs while further seeking to establish from their perspectives the determinants of their residential satisfaction (RS). Face-to-face in-depth interviews with 38 Syrian refugees uncovered perceptions and experiences of the resident, dwelling and neighborhood components of RS. The content analysis revealed perceptual attributes of RS, while descriptive statistics displayed the frequencies of citation and the mean RS scores. The study found that Syrians were able to sustain cultural values, identity and social relations through a combination of their own self-settlement strategies and certain neighborhood characteristics, including access to labor and housing markets, aid/subsidies and mosques, low cost of living, the existence of co-ethnics, solidarity networks and peaceful relations with natives, and living in an ethnic enclave. This resulted in RS, which was positively influenced by adaptations made inside/outside the dwelling, detached houses with yards providing privacy, additional housework and socialization space, and large, comfortable, newly-built flats. Conversely, dissatisfaction resulted from the high percentage of rent in the family budget, the existence of unofficial realtors, security problems including the decrease in police services following the departure of Turkish residents, deterioration in dwellings, and the risk of demolitions in the neighborhood’s renewal process. Most of the neighborhood and dwelling features in the field met Syrians’ needs and aspirations, even to the extent that satisfaction levels exceeded expectations.
... baby-sitting, and sharing food, materials and experience) among low-income neighborhood residents. Similarly, such networks and social relations within immigrant groups (Agrawal, 2019;Rottmann & Kaya, 2020) have a positive influence on their sense of community and safety, and adjustment/integration. Immigrants' social bonding is high in ethnic settlements (Qiu et al., 2020). ...
... Moreover, living in ethnic enclaves reduces the need to learn the host country's language (Zorlu & Hartog, 2018) but hinders social interaction between host and guests (Alhusban et al., 2019), slowing refugee integration (Hebbani et al., 2018). Besides language barriers (Agrawal, 2019;Zorlu & Hartog, 2018), tensions with the host society linked with pressures on the housing (Fozdar & Hartley, 2014) and labor market (Şimşek, 2020), and access to public services (Akar & Erdoğdu, 2019), along with socio-cultural differences between the two societies (İçduygu & Şimşek, 2016) hinder the dialogue (Hynie 2008;Şimşek, 2020), and immigrants' satisfaction. ...
Article
Full-text available
Hosting the world’s largest Syrian refugee population, Turkey has not introduced a housing policy to address permanently the housing needs of Syrian urban refugees. The aim of this exploratory study, focusing on a case study in a Syrian ethnic enclave in Ankara, was to provide insights into Syrians’ housing conditions and needs while further seeking to establish from their perspectives the determinants of their residential satisfaction (RS). Face-to-face in-depth interviews with 38 Syrian refugees uncovered perceptions and experiences of the resident, dwelling and neighborhood components of RS. The content analysis revealed perceptual attributes of RS, while descriptive statistics displayed the frequencies of citation and the mean RS scores. The study found that Syrians were able to sustain cultural values, identity and social relations through a combination of their own self-settlement strategies and certain neighborhood characteristics, including access to labor and housing markets, aid/subsidies and mosques, low cost of living, the existence of co-ethnics, solidarity networks and peaceful relations with natives, and living in an ethnic enclave. This resulted in RS, which was positively influenced by adaptations made inside/outside the dwelling, detached houses with yards providing privacy, additional housework and socialization space, and large, comfortable, newly-built flats. Conversely, dissatisfaction resulted from the high percentage of rent in the family budget, the existence of unofficial realtors, security problems including the decrease in police services following the departure of Turkish residents, deterioration in dwellings, and the risk of demolitions in the neighborhood’s renewal process. Most of the neighborhood and dwelling features in the field met Syrians’ needs and aspirations, even to the extent that satisfaction levels exceeded expectations.
... Newcomers experience a number of structural and systemic resettlement barriers including issues with housing, language, childcare, education, employment, and the loss of social networks or connections (Drolet & Moorthi, 2018;Hanley et al, 2018;Kumar Agrawal, 2019). Such concerns are exacerbated in non-traditional newcomer-receiving cities, especially those now experiencing a dramatic rise in immigration rates. ...
... Newcomers are frequently told that "Canadian experience" is a condition for employment, yet they struggle to obtain this work experience due to language barriers, devaluing of their home country credentials and experience, discriminatory reference check practices, lack of Canadian references, the loss of their social networks, different workplace norms, racism and discrimination (George & Chaze, 2014;Hanley et al, 2018;Kosny et al, 2019;Krahn et al., 2000;Schellenberg & Maheux, 2007;Thomas, 2015). These factors may explain why refugees have higher rates of unemployment (Wilkinson & Garcea, 2017) and, if employed, frequently work in precarious, demanding and low-paying positions (Kosney et al, 2019;Kumar Agrawal, 2019;Senthanar et al, 2020). Only 8% of the Syrian GARs-the focus of our research-reported being able to speak one of the official languages (English or French), 80% had no or less than secondary-level education, and many did not possess the kind of formal credentials that would be recognized in Canadian workplaces (IRCC, 2019). ...
Article
This paper focuses on the qualitative findings from a mixed‐methods study of the educational and employment experiences of male and female Syrian refugees who settled in Regina, Canada. Canada admitted over 40,000 Syrian refugees who settled in 350 communities across Canada, including many smaller, non‐traditional refugee‐receiving centres. This influx necessitated the expeditious development of additional services as well as a re‐allocation of local resources. Drachman's (Social Work, 37, 68, 1992) three‐phase migration framework was employed to trace the experiences of these Syrian refugees through the pre‐migration, transit and resettlement phases. The findings demonstrated that the participants perceived a shift from independence to dependence on the government as they moved through each of the successive phases of migration. While participants had constructed identities as “hard workers” back home, they found that their experiences and credentials from back home were devalued and learning English was a prerequisite for employment.
... ex Jugoslavia accolti in Olanda e Italia, ha messo ad esempio in evidenza come, nel contesto italiano, l'assenza di un sistema fortemente strutturato di accoglienza, al di là delle criticità, avesse favorito rispetto a quello olandese più strutturato contatti con gli italiani spontanei, individualizzati e caratterizzati da una maggiore reciprocità.Agrawal (2018), nel suo studio sulle diverse forme di finanziamento di programmi di reinsediamento in Canada, ha invece evidenziato opinioni contrastanti rispetto a che cosa nei programmi a sponsorship privata facilitasse o meno lo stabilirsi di contatti spontanei con la comunità ospitante: infatti, se per il personale delle agenzie per l'insediamento ...
... Disegno e partecipanti Tipo di accoglienza e contesto Livello di contatto Risultati (integrazione) Agrawal, 2018 Interviste con 84 rifugiati, personale dell'agenzia di insediamento e diversi membri dello sponsor privato ...
Article
A fronte dell’aumento delle migrazioni forzate, le istituzioni sovranazionali hanno tentato di delineare politiche condivise per la gestione del fenomeno, ma gli approcci degli Stati riceventi restano molto frammentati. Questa rassegna ha analizzato 35 pubblicazioni per indagare il tipo di contatto implicato nei programmi di accoglienza e i relativi esiti sull’integrazione di richiedenti asilo e rifugiati. I risultati evidenziano come siano soprattutto i programmi orientati a un’accoglienza diffusa sul territorio ed integrata nei contesti sociali e lavorativi del contesto ospitante a garantire le condizioni migliori per l’instaurarsi di relazioni interculturali positive.
... In Canada, refugees entering through the Private Sponsorship programme are generally considered to be more effective in long-term adaptation and integration than GARs (Hyndman 2011;Agrawal 2018). In fact, in a recent evaluation of the Canadian resettlement programmes over a 10-year period (2002-2012), 50% of Privately Sponsored refugees found employment in their first year of arrival in comparison to 12% of GARs (IRCC 2016). ...
... In fact, in a recent evaluation of the Canadian resettlement programmes over a 10-year period (2002-2012), 50% of Privately Sponsored refugees found employment in their first year of arrival in comparison to 12% of GARs (IRCC 2016). Possible reasons include the careful way in which sponsoring groups chose refugees, in many instances, through their own extended contacts (Agrawal 2018), and to Privately Sponsored refugees' broader exposure to services and resources in the community. In a study of church groups as private sponsors, Chapman (2014) found that the majority of Privately Sponsored refugees were either known to the sponsors (friend, acquaintance) or were family-linked cases. ...
Article
This article examines the employment integration experiences of Syrian refugee women arriving to Canada through four common refugee streams: government-assisted, private sponsorship, Blended Visa office referral, and as refugee claimants. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with Syrian refugee women and key informants, we show how differences between streams – eligibility requirements, supports provided, services rendered – facilitate or act as barriers to seeking out and securing employment. The finding suggests that government-assisted refugee women struggled the most when compared with the other refugee women. Particularly, GAR women arrived with part of their families and minimal supports, affecting their mental well-being and job search. Meanwhile, the other refugee women typically arrived with the qualities (language, work experience) needed to integrate and so, were able to choose when, how, and the type of work they secured. Through this study, we propose policy recommendations that should be incorporated within the Canadian refugee system to mediate challenges and promote a positive resettlement experience for all refugees.
... The goal of political discourse analysis, then, is to comprehend political discourse's nature and function as well as to "critiquing the role discourse plays in producing, maintaining, abusing, and resisting power in contemporary society". Such work, he insists, "should be able to answer genuine and relevant political questions and deal with issues that are discussed in political science" (Agrawal, 2019). ...
... The second topic in this group, «Refugees Settlement», contains words such as «refugee, asylum, protection, resettlement, and crisis». The most closely related article on this topic documents the settlement experiences of Syrian refugees in the province of Alberta in Canada during their first year of resettlement (Agrawal, 2019). Moreover, the article contrasts the sponsorship programs-government and private-to determine which program more effectively supports refugees' resettlement and integration in Canada. ...
Article
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The research on immigrant integration is a dynamic interdisciplinary domain with rich and diverse literature. Considering the numerous studies in this domain, it is valuable to provide a comprehensive mapping to understand the research landscape resource and facilitate collaborations. This article combines Structural Topic modeling with bibliometric analysis to identify key research topics on immigrant integration. Applying these methods to 70890 abstracts published between 1960 and 2022, we identified 30 key research topics. We also tracked their prevalence over time, correlations and distributions within institutions and countries, funding effects, and countries’ collaborations. The results indicate that the most discussed topics are integration theory, economic integration, education, residential segregation, integration policy, language, religious diversity, cultural participation, identity & belonging, racism & discrimination, political participation, health & welfare, research methods, demographic issues, gender & violence. Moreover, some of these topics were highly prominent in earlier periods and nearly non-existent in later years, while others emerged only recently. Specific topics maintained consistent significance over time. Analyses of correlations and trends reveal clusters of topics and diverse distributions across countries and research institutions. The implications of these results can benefit researchers, helping them better understand the current state of research and design future research projects. The finding could also help stakeholders in migration and integration governance and funding agencies to guide policies regarding the integration of immigrants.
... Moreover, homestay also differs from other support practices, such as sponsorship programs and community-based sponsorships (European Commission 2018) because the latter does not envisage the sharing of personal space and often blossom from previous connections between the guest and the host (Neuwirth and Clark 1981;Kumar Agrawal 2019;Kaida, Hou and Stick 2020;Ali, Zendo and Somers 2022). At the same time, sponsorship programs and many homestay programs have in common that they give volunteers the opportunity to support refugees' social inclusion, especially access to housing. ...
Article
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In the aftermath of the rapidly increasing number of refugees arriving in Europe following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, non-profit organizations, private companies, and also public institutions have promoted homestay initiatives: that is, local households hosting refugees. In order to reflect on the political issues that homestay accommodation for refugees raises, the article charts and synthesizes the available research on homestay produced in 75 works written in English, French, German, and Italian, and which focus on the European context. Most of those texts were published in the second half of the 2010s and focused on the homestay initiatives that developed in the context of the so-called 2015 “refugee crisis”. We analyzed this material by focusing on three different levels: first, hospitality as an inter-individual relationship within the domestic sphere (micro level); second, refugee homestay as diverse accommodation arrangements, implemented by informal groups, non-profit organizations, and public institutions (meso level); and, third, the (non-) contentious dimension of homestay accommodation (macro level). The review also identifies theoretical, methodological, and empirical perspectives for future studies on homestay. We call for more attention to be given to the intersectional inequalities and power relations between hosts and guests; to the life trajectories of refugees; and to the interplay between homestay initiatives and political contexts. We argue that homestay is an exemplary case to reflect on the ongoing evolution of refugee support towards solidarity practices that ambivalently interact with border regimes.
... To the degree that the net monetary benefits to welcoming communities increases with time, host communities have an incentive to encourage sedentary or permanent integration. In addition to federal and state policy structures, factors such as local welcoming policies, family, ethnic associations, refugee and social services, and initial job placements may all provide inertia against secondary migration (Agrawal 2019;Bevelander and Pendakur 2014;Bernt et al. 2022;Hume and Hardwick 2005;MacKenzie, Forde, and Ciupijus 2012;Watson 2022). ...
Article
Refugees in the US have increasingly been resettled in small cities, many of which have viewed refugee resettlement as a means of economic development. Using a unique geo-coded data set of almost 600 refugees from over 30 countries resettled in Utica, New York, our study offers primary evidence on the determinants of refugee intentions to migrate from their resettlement community. We find that human capital, co-ethnic enclaves, length of time in the US, and multigenerational integration play a key role in refugees’ intentions to migrate. While the neighbourhood density of refugees has no impact, increases in the density of co-ethnic enclaves have a strong negative effect on the intent to leave in the near future. This effect is particularly strong during refugees’ first five years in the US. Generation 1.5 refugees are significantly more likely to plan to move than those who arrived to their resettlement community at an older age. Our findings highlight the effects of country of origin, education, age, past family migration, and religious affiliation. For small-city governments and resettlement agencies seeking to retain resettled refugees, our results suggest a focus on building stronger co-ethnic enclaves over an emphasis on the diversity of the resettled refugee population.
... Over the years, IRCC has increasingly shifted targets in favour of private sponsors to a point where these now represent 60% of resettled refugees (IRCC, 2022b). Challenges with the private sponsorship program have been well documented both prior to and during the pandemic (Agrawal, 2019;Bond et al., 2020;Hyndman et al., 2017;Labman, 2016;Martani, 2020). The government should continue efforts to address processing times, excessive financial burdens, and sponsorship breakdown while realigning refugee resettlement to bring it back in line with the principle of additionality, wherein the program is led by the resettlement of government-assisted refugees. ...
Preprint
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Since January 2020 Canadian federal immigration policy has been shaped by the need to contain the spread of COVID-19 balanced against the need to protect the economy. This paper provides a critical review of key administrative trends and immigration policy responses and their significance for different groups of migrants. Using the newly developed CERC Migration Covid-19 Immigration Policy Tracker (2022), we 1 identify key trends in policymaking and practice beginning January 2020 through August 2022, and evaluate their impact on refugee claimants and refugees, immigration detainees, economic immigrants, temporary foreign workers and international students, and family class immigrants. We find that while the federal government responded with rapid border closures for non-citizens, it immediately began to carve out exceptions for non-discretionary purposes. Ultimately, essential mobility into Canada was defined according to economically driven criteria with the pandemic sometimes used as an excuse to exclude migrants considered undesirable, particularly asylum seekers, and to achieve administrative efficiencies. We conclude that while successful in reacting swiftly to modernize its operations and meet ambitious permanent levels targets, despite the lofty rhetoric recognizing the contributions of migrant workers and refugee claimants, ad hoc policymaking did not substantially deviate from the status quo. The government failed to take advantage of opportunities to undertake systemic changes and build a more inclusive citizenship and immigration model that would better promote equity, rights, and protections for migrants and asylum seekers who continue to be made vulnerable by Canada's immigration and refugee policies.
... refugees to overcome stress induced by language barriers, unemployment, and discrimination (Kumar Agrawal, 2019;Wrigley, 2007;Yu et al., 2007). Likewise, the provision of financial literacy programs helps refugee consumers acquire skills in finance, budgeting, and banking besides learning how to pay bills and taxes which eventually reduces their financial stress (Kim et al., 2020;Newland et al., 2007). ...
Article
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This paper aims to provide new insight into refugee consumers' adaptation to stress with a particular emphasis on consumption coping strategies and well‐being. Drawing on the appraisal‐coping theory, this paper proposes a theoretical framework relating stress to coping responses and refugee well‐being. Social support is also introduced in the framework as a moderator. Examining the interplays between these concepts provides a comprehensive view of how changes in consumption patterns occur and how they affect refugee well‐being. Insights from this paper suggest that consumption activities could be viewed as responses of adaptation to chronic and acute stress. To adapt to new circumstances and reduce their stress, refugee consumers could engage in adaptive consumption coping or maladaptive consumption coping (i.e., compulsive and impulsive consumption), which in turn affect their psychological and physical, family, and economic well‐being. The paper contends that service support moderates the relationships between stress, coping responses, and refugee well‐being.
... Des études ont effet montré que certains groupes de parrainage n'étaient pas toujours suffisamment informés et équipés pour accompagner adéquatement les réfugiés dans le processus de réinstallation. Dans quelques cas, des groupes de parrainage formés dans un élan de générosité ont été dépassés par l'ampleur de la tâche et du soutien financier et ont abandonné les familles de réfugiés à elles-mêmes (Hanley et al. 2018, Blain et al. 2020a, Esses et al. 2020, Agrawal 2019. À Gatineau, nous avons eu vent que quelques familles n'auraient pas été accompagnées adéquatement par leur parrain, mais les lacunes observées ici ne semblent pas s'être posées avec plus d'acuité qu'ailleurs, notamment à Montréal (Hanley et al. 2018). ...
Technical Report
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Contexte Le conflit syrien qui sévit depuis 2011 a donné lieu à un flux massif de déplacements forcés. Face à l’une des pires crises migratoires contemporaines, le gouvernement du Canada a lancé l’Opération visant les réfugiés syriens à la fin 2015. À l’instar de plusieurs villes canadiennes, Gatineau a accueilli un nombre important de réfugiés syriens depuis 2016. À la fin de l’année 2020, ils étaient au nombre de 664 à avoir été réinstallés à Gatineau grâce au programme de prise en charge par l’État et au programme de parrainage par le secteur privé qui permet à des groupes d’individus et à des organismes sans but lucratif de parrainer des réfugiés. Il s’agit de deux programmes distincts comportant des modes de sélection et d’accompagnement des réfugiés qui leur sont propres. Objectifs Débutée en 2019, cette étude fait état de la réinstallation des réfugiés syriens et des facteurs qui ont favorisé versus entravé leur insertion et leur intégration. Nous nous penchons sur la mobilisation et la coordination des acteurs intervenant dans la réinstallation des réfugiés à Gatineau, le soutien dont ont bénéficié les familles dans le cadre de leur parrainage, leur satisfaction à cet égard, ainsi que sur les difficultés qu’elles ont rencontrées. Nous nous attardons ensuite à l’état de leur établissement et aux problèmes qu’elles ont rencontrés dans le domaine de la francisation et de l’emploi. Finalement, nous présentons quelques résultats sur la rétention des réfugiés à Gatineau et sur leur plan d’établissement à l’égard du Canada. Résultats L’arrivée des Syriens a été l’occasion pour la Ville de Gatineau et les intervenants de première ligne en réinstallation d’expérimenter une concertation structurée en matière de réinstallation. Cet exercice a permis à chacune des parties prenantes de faire valoir son importance et de mieux prendre sa place dans l’architecture des services d’accompagnement offerts aux nouveaux arrivants à Gatineau. Le Sommet du vivre-ensemble de la Ville de Gatineau qui s’est tenu en avril 2018 en est l’une des retombées et a lui-même mené à la création récente d’une table de concertation du vivre-ensemble et de l'immigration de Gatineau. Il y a donc tout lieu de croire que la ville de Gatineau sera bien préparée à accueillir les prochaines vagues d’immigrants. Nos résultats ont permis d’établir dans un premier temps que les réfugiés parrainés par le secteur privé (RPSP) et les réfugiés parrainés par le gouvernement (RPG) avaient des profils différents à leur arrivée en raison de critères de sélection distincts. Les RPG avaient à leur charge des familles plus grandes tout en ayant une moins bonne connaissance des langues officielles du Canada et en étant moins scolarisés, spécialement les femmes. Dans un deuxième temps, nos résultats ont montré que les RPSP ont eu des contacts beaucoup plus étroits avec les personnes responsables de leur parrainage et cela a donné lieu à un accompagnement plus soutenu dans de multiples domaines. Les RPSP ont aussi rencontré moins de problèmes dans le cadre de leur parrainage et se sont montrés beaucoup plus satisfaits à l’égard de leur parrainage que les RPG. Parmi les raisons en cause, leurs besoins moins importants, le mandat limité des organismes désignés par le gouvernement pour accompagner les RPG, en l’occurrence l’Accueil Parrainage Outaouais (APO), et le fait que l’APO est une petite organisation. Les attentes parfois très élevées des réfugiés, leur méfiance envers le gouvernement alimentée par la guerre et leur méconnaissance du système d’État-providence canadien y sont aussi pour quelque chose. À la vue de la qualité de l’accompagnement offert par le parrainage du secteur privé, le gouvernement a eu raison de tabler sur les capacités du parrainage du secteur privé lors de la crise des réfugiés syriens, mais il est dommage qu’il ait par la suite refermé les vannes. Il est regrettable que le programme de jumelage, qui existe depuis de nombreuses années à l’APO, n’ait pas été mieux mis à profit pour les RPG, d’autant plus qu’un très grand nombre de personnes souhaitaient aider et se portaient volontaires pour diverses tâches. La société civile a d’ailleurs joué un rôle déterminant dans l’accueil et l’accompagnement des réfugiés syriens en bonifiant les services d’accompagnement offerts par l’APO et en ciblant les réfugiés qui en avaient le plus besoin. Nos résultats indiquent clairement que dans le contexte considéré ici, les RPG étaient doublement désavantagés : les obstacles qu’ils devaient surmonter pour refaire leur vie étaient plus importants en raison de leur profil alors que leur accompagnement était beaucoup moins soutenu comparativement aux RPSP. Il aurait dû s’ensuivre une intégration nettement moins réussie et c’est en effet ce que nous observons. Environ 20% des réfugiés sont réfractaires à suivre une formation en francisation, notamment parce qu’ils ne voient pas la pertinence d’investir leurs efforts dans l’apprentissage du français plutôt que de l’anglais, une langue avec laquelle ils sont davantage familiers et qui est fortement en usage dans la région et au pays. Il apparaît aussi que les mères de famille nombreuse et particulièrement d’enfants en âge préscolaire sont moins enclines à prendre la direction des cours de francisation. Elles ont des problèmes à trouver un service de garde et lorsqu’elles y arrivent, elles doivent composer avec des déplacements laborieux en autobus, sans compter qu’elles trouvent angoissant de laisser leurs petits loin d’elles, auprès d’inconnus dans un pays qu’elles ne connaissent pas encore. Les réfugiés qui entreprennent une formation en francisation se montrent insatisfaits de leur expérience, particulièrement ceux qui ont de jeunes enfants et ceux qui sont très peu scolarisés. Les premiers peinent à concilier les études à temps plein et la famille et, du coup, à respecter les consignes d’assiduité. Les seconds sont mentalement épuisés à la fin de la matinée et ont beaucoup de difficulté à maintenir leur attention en après-midi. À l’issue de leur formation, que plusieurs ont quittée en cours de route, de nombreux réfugiés affirment avoir très peu appris, particulièrement ceux qui sont peu scolarisés. Ils auraient souhaité que les cours soient moins scolaires et axés davantage sur la pratique dans des contextes authentiques. De plus, plusieurs élèves affirment être passés à un niveau supérieur même lorsqu’ils n’avaient pas l’impression de s’être améliorés. Les RPG peu scolarisés sont ceux qui font face aux plus grands défis pour s’intégrer au marché du travail. Ils sont moins nombreux à entreprendre des démarches pour se trouver un emploi, rencontrent davantage d’obstacles lorsqu’ils en font, tirent plus difficilement profit du bassin d’emplois à Ottawa et, ultimement, sont moins nombreux à occuper un emploi. Les RPSP, peu scolarisés pour leur part, s’en sortent presque aussi bien que leurs compatriotes plus scolarisés, fort probablement en raison de l’accompagnement soutenu dont ils ont pu bénéficier dans le cadre de leur parrainage. La première et principale difficulté à laquelle tous les réfugiés sont confrontés lorsque vient le temps d’intégrer le marché du travail est d’ordre linguistique. Les hommes sont avides de commencer à travailler, mais les cours de francisation qu’ils suivent ne leur permettent pas d’acquérir suffisamment de compétences linguistiques pour être fonctionnels en français. Certains contournent l’obstacle de la langue française en travaillant dans des milieux où la langue arabe est parlée, principalement dans le secteur de l’alimentation et de la restauration. Mais ce faisant, ils compromettent le maintien et l’amélioration de leur acquis en français et se cantonnent dans des emplois où leurs compétences ne sont pas valorisées. Un autre constat est que les réfugiés misent beaucoup sur leur réseau social pour se trouver un emploi et s’adressent peu aux services d’aide à l’emploi disponibles. En se fiant surtout à leur réseau social, les réfugiés se retrouvent souvent à travailler dans des milieux peu francophones et dans des emplois qui ne sont pas en lien avec leur expérience de travail passée et leurs compétences. Enfin, les réfugiés ne sont pas tous conscients des risques et des désavantages du travail au noir. En dépit des difficultés posées par la langue française et de l’attractivité d’Ottawa, la ville de Gatineau a su retenir les réfugiés syriens dans une proportion très similaire à ce qui est observé pour l’ensemble des réfugiés dans les autres villes canadiennes. Il ne fait aucun doute que l’Opération visant les réfugiés syriens du gouvernement canadien a remporté un large succès du point de vue des réfugiés réinstallés à Gatineau. La quasi-totalité d’entre eux ont l’intention de rester au Canada, ressentent un fort sentiment d’appartenance envers le Canada et apprécient grandement leur nouvelle vie.
... Second, even if sponsors attribute refugees' pre-arrival hardships to the cultural 'backwardness' of Other places, witnessing newcomers' struggles could prompt novel awareness about the barriers to upward social mobility and the neoliberal structures perpetuating inequality in Canada. For instance, a dearth of social housing means that sponsors assist refugees in navigating an expensive private rental housing market (Oudshoorn et al., 2020), while helping them enter the Canadian labor market (Wilkinson and Garcea, 2017) reveals demand-side barriers like a refusal to recognize foreign credentials or expectation of 'Canadian job experience', which foreclose former refugees' ability to find employment relevant to their previous professions (Agrawal, 2018). ...
Article
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Private sponsorship has become a primary way that refugees access resettlement to Canada. Key in this program are the private Canadians who volunteer their money, time, and labor to sponsor and support refugees. Drawing on 25 interviews, this article examines the insights that these privileged citizens of the global north gain as they help refugees struggling with the marginalizing consequences of neoliberal austerity in their new hostland. While sponsors learn about the challenges facing working-class racialized newcomers (otherwise obscured to sponsors by their racial, class, and citizenship privileges), the program robs sponsors of the time and mental bandwidth to reflect on the structural nature of these challenges. Consequently, sponsors rarely understand refugees’ struggles as public troubles necessitating broader intervention, including modest policy reform. I call this cognitive outcome neoliberal fatigue. I conclude by discussing how this fatigue thwarts social change and reinforces neoliberal capitalism.
... The lack of shared socio-linguistic normsnoted by other scholars (e.g. Agrawal, 2019;Wessendorf & Phillimore, 2019;Wilkinson et al., 2017)partially explains this social distance. However, given that private sponsors, committed to supporting their sponsored families, were able to express care, concern, and respect across linguistic, cultural, racial, and religious differences, we need to consider other factors, too. ...
Article
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This study identified structures and strategies that assisted social integration of privately sponsored and government assisted Syrian refugees in Canada. Data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions. Sustained, personalized commitment of private sponsors to a single refugee family created respectful relationships, opportunities to cross social boundaries, and potential access to greater social capital. Short-term, large group settlement services given to government sponsored refugees did not offer any of these. Both groups subsequently forged social relations with people like themselves but only some refugees could cross linguistic, cultural, and religious boundaries based on commitments made by well-established Canadians.
... Hence, families often might have to choose which family members have the best chances to make it to the country of destination, and subsequently aim a family reunification in the host country. Therefore, refugees coming to Germany might be especially resilient as compared to refugee adolescents in other countries, in which selected adolescents had been flown in by plane, as for instance, Canada (Agrawal, 2019). Future studies, consequently, should compare different populations of refugee youth in different host countries while considering different areas of adaptation. ...
Article
Objective: This study examined the mental health of Middle Eastern male unaccompanied refugee adolescents in Germany in relation to the mental health of accompanied refugee peers, first- and second-generation immigrant and native peers. In particular, it was investigated whether differences in the mental health of unaccompanied and accompanied refugees and immigrant peers were related to differences in the perception of post-migration stress, and whether this association changed with different acculturation orientations. Method: In a cross-sectional study, 193 adolescents (Mage = 18.1 years, SD = 1.74 years; nrefugees = 74, nmigrants = 59, nnatives = 60) completed self-report measures of mental health, trauma, acculturation styles, and post-migration stress. Results: Analyses of variance revealed that unaccompanied refugees suffered most from internalizing and trauma symptoms, while accompanied peers, first- and second-generation immigrant and native adolescents did not differ significantly in internalizing symptoms. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that more integrated adolescents were generally associated with lower internalizing symptoms and integration also buffered against detrimental effects of post-migration stressors. Marginalized adolescents showed more internalizing symptoms, especially in the lights of more post-migration stress. Both assimilation and separation had no direct effects on internalizing symptoms. However, assimilation buffered against detrimental effects of post-migration stress on internalizing symptoms, whereas separation amplified these effects. Conclusion: An involvement in host society and an orientation towards the host culture fosters mental health of acculturating Middle Eastern adolescents in Germany when post-migration stress is perceived, particularly for unaccompanied refugee adolescents. Moreover, additionally maintaining the culture of origin seems to be in general most beneficial.
... As of August 2018, 58,600 Syrian refugees have been resettled in Canada as part of a large-scale humanitarian effort following the civil war in Syria. The refugee selection process for entry to Canada favored vulnerable and marginalized groups, such as young families and the elderly (Agrawal, 2018). Refugees were provided with income support for 1 year to help cover the cost of food, incidentals, shelter, and transportation. ...
Article
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This study aims to explore the motives and factors that drive entrepreneurship in Syrian refugee women in Canada and the differential contexts that may support or hinder these activities. Using a qualitative research design, a total of 29 in-depth interviews were conducted with Syrian refugee women, who had been in Canada for a minimum of 1 year and with key informants, including employment counselors and program managers who work closely with refugees during their resettlement. A feminist grounded analysis led to the identification of systemic challenges to entrepreneurship. Particularly, findings illustrate how the women were primarily interested in starting a small business in feminized industries such as food/catering or tailoring. However, these activities were challenged by economic, regulatory, and gendered contexts that appeared to push the women to operate these businesses in unregulated bounds, which was not financially rewarding. Key informants, on the other hand, seemed to promote feminized entrepreneurship as a “social enterprise” irrespective of the women’s background and experience. The paper presents new empirical evidence of entrepreneurship at the intersections of refugee and gender in Canada and adds to the growing body of work that examines migrant contexts that impact economic integration.
... Entrepreneurs can overcome the problems of financing and discrimination they face in the host country by developing a social network among themselves. The presence of refugees in a network creates social resources such as social legitimacy and support (Agrawal, 2019;Farhat et al., 2018). Stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, regard Islamic banking and finance not just as a market but as a way to promote Islamic values towards its staff, clients, and the general public, and target and effectuate social welfare, such as poverty alleviation (Moghul, 2017). ...
Chapter
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The cultural context of entrepreneurs is related to business type or funding choices. Conversely, economic systems shape the context of entrepreneurship by proving not only resources but also cultural accounts. From this point of view, for migrant entrepreneurs, economic institutions are primarily cultural toolkits that influence entrepreneurial action from a religious perspective. Participating banking is a new and cultural-based funding option. Migrant entrepreneurship has been researched from a Western perspective. However, interest is considered an unacceptable way of acquiring money in many religious theories and views. The aim of this chapter is to show that entrepreneurs' cultural factors are antecedents of the source of capital, for example, new ways of banking systems coherent with entrepreneurs' cultural views and facilitating entrepreneurship or start-up funding. That is why teaching profit-loss partnership (mudaraba) and capital subsidiary (muşaraka) systems is important in entrepreneurship education.
... In the context of relatively large-scale resettlement of Syrian refugees to Canada through private sponsorship, government assistance, and BVOR channels in 2015-16, and efforts to "export" the Canadian sponsorship model, 11 new research has emerged. Scholars have focused on motivations and experiences of sponsors, 12 peer networks, 13 regional variations, 14 and new administrative processes and categories of sponsorship. 15 A forthcoming edited volume by Labman and Cameron will use case studies to explore the conceptual and historical basis for sponsorship and prospects for successful "exportation" of the program. ...
Article
Executive Summary In an era of global uncertainty and multiple humanitarian crises, migration is a matter of life and death for many. In the Mediterranean, the migration drive from Africa and the Middle East has been restricted by European containment policies that have forced asylum seekers and refugees to depend on smugglers and illegal sea-crossing, resulting in numerous tragedies in which many have died. The lack of a secure path to access international protection and safe and legal entry to Europe and the increase in vulnerable people seeking international protection have motivated some stakeholders to outline and test new approaches to support refugees’ resettlement. Humanitarian corridors are a civil society response to support refugees and asylum seekers to reach Europe legally and safely. Although not without its drawbacks, the approach has proved highly effective. This article explores the humanitarian corridors from Lebanon to Italy, delving into the experiences of Syrian refugees who have participated in the program and those who have been involved in its implementation. It examines the weaknesses and strengths of the humanitarian corridors program based on feedback from program beneficiaries, field staff in Lebanon, and those in charge of the reception in Italy. Results reveal that, overall, this approach has proven to be highly effective as the humanitarian corridors are a civil society response to support refugees and asylum seekers to reach Europe legally and safely. Moreover, findings show that expanding humanitarian corridors on a larger scale is possible. The growth of humanitarian corridors depends on the political commitment of member states, the European Union policies and financial allocation, and civil society actors. Collaboration between governments and civil society could boost the potential for expansion, ensuring safe and legal entry for more individuals in need.
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This study aimed to examine the views of Syrian parents under temporary protection regarding the education of their children with special needs. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, specifically a case study design, and used criterion sampling. Participants included fifteen Syrian parents who were under temporary protection and had children with special needs, residents in a province in the Southeastern Anatolia region in Turkey. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview developed by the researcher and analysed through content analysis. The study identified four main areas: language and communication, guidance services, cultural differences, and acceptance and inclusivity. Findings revealed that both Syrian parents and their children with special needs face significant language barriers. Additionally, challenges in accessing necessary guidance services were noted. The research also found out key insights into cultural differences, as well as issues related to acceptance and inclusivity. The study's findings were discussed in relation to existing literature, and recommendations for future practice and research were provided.
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Under Community Sponsorship (CS) responsibility for supporting resettlement is outsourced to private actors. This generally includes responsibility for sourcing housing. Using a lens informed by hospitality and humanitarian reason, this article examines the ‘hospitable relations’ put in play in sponsorship arrangements in the Irish context. It draws on findings from a small-scale consultative study involving members of volunteer sponsor groups, sponsored persons, and stakeholders in professional roles connected to the programme. The findings provide insight into how ‘hospitality’ under CS necessarily involves the constitution of unequal power dynamics which intersect with wider societal dynamics and inequalities. It is argued that outsourcing responsibility for housing to volunteer sponsors potentially reinforces dependency on groups while placing sponsored people in unequal and exploitative relationships with private landlords and that responsibility for sourcing housing under CS should rest with the state.
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This article highlights features of Canada's private sponsorship program and ex-plains its consequences and performance. It explores which actors were involved in the private sponsorship, how domestic circumstances stimulated the application of the program, and it discusses its intended and unintended consequences. The author examines the profile of the Syrian refugees and discusses how personal characteristics may affect integration trajectories. Private sponsorship is consid-ered more effective than government-assisted sponsorship as it ensures a smooth-er, faster, and long-term integration of refugees. However, the author argues that personal profiles could play a critical role in integration process, and therefore, measuring the program's performance by only comparing it with a government-assisted program could be challenging.
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What role does language learning play in refugees’ memory-construction on the one hand, and imagining of the future self on the other? Using a temporal perspective on migration, I extend scholarship examining the role of language in the space-time continuum of resettlement. With three waves of semi-structured interviews with twenty Syrian refugee mothers (N = 60) who have recently arrived in Canada, this article examines how their experiences with time and future projections are influenced by their experiences of language learning in the host country. First, mothers’ lack of English proficiency and struggle to learn leads to a sense of nostalgia towards the past, where their proficiency in Arabic is associated with past feelings of comfort, security, and mastery. In addition, mothers find themselves ‘stuck’ in the present, where multiple structural barriers (e.g., absence of extended kin; limited government support) and individual challenges (e.g., health issues; having children with disability) significantly slow down their language acquisition process and prevent them from achieving other goals. This leads to a clear conflict between government expectations for the long-term future and the mothers’ immediate priorities. Finally, despite those government temporal expectations building on newcomers’ language acquisition, mothers do not want to envision the future due to past experiences of uncertainty, belief in divine control, and a foreclosure of the future. This article demonstrates the ways in which language, space, and time co-construct notions of the future, and a sense of potential ‘stuckness,’ well beyond the temporal limits of intensive state intervention in refugee lives.
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Food insecurity has been linked to adverse health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable populations such as refugees. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of food insecurity and its association with depression, anxiety, and stress among resettled Syrian refugee parents in Ontario. This was a cross-sectional study with a total of 540 Syrian refugee parents who resided in Ontario for an average of four years and had at least one child less than 18 years who were interviewed. Information about food insecurity was collected based on the question “During the past year, did you ever eat less because there was not enough food or money for food?”. Levels of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between food insecurity and depression, anxiety, and stress after adjusting for sociodemographic, migration-, and health-related factors. 44.6% of respondents reported experiencing food insecurity. Of participants, 7.6%, 8.9%, and 8.5% reported severe to extremely severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively. Results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that food insecurity was significantly associated with higher levels of depression (Adjβ = 2.00, p = 0.008), anxiety (Adjβ = 1.53, p = 0.013), and stress (Adjβ = 1.87, p = 0.019). Implementation of effective government interventions and frameworks are essential to reduce food insecurity among resettled Syrian refugees to ultimately improve their mental health outcomes and overall well-being.
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As globalization and migration have intensified, the need for integrating immigrants has become vital. Considering the similar but distinct policy and political contexts between Canada and the USA, it has become imperative to develop a thorough understanding of the impact of the localization of immigration policies on various immigrant groups and the places that have shaped their settlement and integration experiences. This scoping literature review presents a comparative perspective to enhance our understanding of the varied non-traditional gateway cities in both countries, as well as the place-based integration initiatives and local actors that play crucial roles in shaping immigrants’ lived experiences. The review includes 145 scholarly articles published in English from 2000 onwards that examine immigrant and refugee populations residing in smaller urban, suburban, or rural communities in both countries. It aims to provide a comparative analysis on the following: (1) local place-based initiatives in non-traditional gateway cities; (2) multi-level governance of immigrant integration and the role of municipalities and local actors; and (3) the contributing factors to integration and retention based on immigrants’ lived experiences. The scoping review concludes with research gaps and future directions.
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Canada is a leading refugee‐settlement nation with a highly developed private refugee sponsorship programme involving many community and religious institutions. This study explored how religious institutions affect refugee settlement in Kelowna, a mid‐size city in British Columbia. Kelowna has had a significant increase in refugee sponsorship since the 2015 Syrian crisis, and most private sponsorship has involved churches and the local mosque, in collaboration with government‐funded settlement services and community partners. We collected data through a questionnaire distributed among former refugees and semi‐structured interviews with key informants including clergy, refugee‐sponsorship groups, and service providers. The results reveal that religious institutions help refugees cope with barriers and challenges in Kelowna in three main ways: bridging language barriers between newcomers, service providers, and sponsorship providers; helping newcomers establish new lives in Kelowna and move toward integration; and helping newcomers move away from precarity toward prosperity as they re‐establish themselves and their families.
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Using the case study of Canada’s private refugee sponsorship program, we show how neoliberalization heightens the power of non-immigrant civilians to broker immigrants’ transnationalism. Private sponsors respond differently to two common and interrelated forms of refugee transnationalism in which they are structurally empowered to intervene. They encourage family reunification while discouraging remittances, although the former often depends on the fulfillment of the latter. Reflecting on these power imbalances, we classify private refugee sponsorship as part of a North American trend to devolve the management of noncitizens from state actors to ordinary citizens. We conclude by encouraging scholars of transnationalism to look down and investigate how non-immigrant private civilians in receiving countries increasingly shape newcomers’ cross-border linkages. We also urge them to look up and attend to the broader neoliberal context empowering and structuring the behavior of citizen brokers.
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Over the last two decades, immigrant and refugee integration service agencies in Canada have been incorporating a focus on resiliency in their work and hold “fostering resilience” as a primary goal of services. These agencies focus on helping their clients enhance resilience in response to their integration challenges. Refugee and immigrant youth (RIY) face intersectional vulnerabilities during their resettlement process. These challenges make the concept of resilience vital to their success. However, resettlement service providers associate RIY’s resilience with their assimilation into the Western culture such as integrating into the dominant culture. This definition is insensitive to cultural and social factors that contextualize RIY’s definition of resilience. Drawing from in-depth interviews of Refugees and Immigrant youths in Montreal, and using Resilience as a conceptual framework, the research study investigated the barriers to the integration of RIY and their conceptualization of resilience. The study found social isolation, cultural differences between the host and home communities, racism, hostility, aggression, and language to be barriers to RIY’s integration. The youth conceptualized resilience as a form of adaptability to any situation; as the ability to integrate into a new society while remaining deeply rooted in one’s culture and past experiences; and overcoming marginalization. The paper contributes to a nuanced critical understanding in the field of refugee and migration studies and further throws light on a growing triangular interrelationship between social and economic integration of refugees, cultural factors of host communities, and resilience.
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This chapter reflects on the narrative recollections of people on the move who have survived the current Syrian war, only to confront the challenges of forced displacement, relocation, loss and belonging. It draws on a series of in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews with displaced people from Syria, who reflect on their experiences of remaking home in the West Midlands, UK, and London, Canada. Building on existing scholarship about homemaking and displacement through drawing insights from interviewees’ experiences of migratory journeys, the chapter explores the diverse temporalities and practices through which Syrians create home ‘away’ from home. It shows how remaking home involves a struggle to negotiate everyday experiences of loss and belonging, which are exacerbated by state policies and social conditions that create barriers and generate additional emotional and practical labour for resettled Syrians. The chapter argues that the problematic framing of home in conventional static terms across both contexts work against Syrians’ existing conceptions of home, generating mixed experiences of resettlement.
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Drawn from 18-months of ethnographic research with resettled refugees living in a mini-enclave in one Canadian city, this article explores what ethnography offers research with resettled refugees. By interrogating the process of securing ethics approval from the Research Ethics Board (REB), I examine the figure of the refugee at the heart of liberal projects aimed at "saving" refugees. I demonstrate that the REB's reluctance to approve this project stemmed not only from conventional bureaucratic overreach related to ethnographic research but also from an unexamined and problematic idea of what it means to be a refugee. I discuss the gaps between institutionally perceived forms of vulnerability and the actual vulnerabilities that shape life for refugee women. I argue that vulnerability and risk must be understood as contextual and contingent, rather than inherent. Second, I explore the implications of positioning refugees as always already vulnerable on research practice and the value that ethnography offers for overcoming these blind spots.
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The purpose of this article is to explore the existing intersectional knowledge on integration and resettlement of refugees with disabilities in two of the top five resettlement countries in the world, Germany and Canada. There is limited research on the intersection of migration and disability, especially in the context of refugee resettlement. Reflecting the dominant pathways of migration in each country, what little research there is focuses on asylum seekers in Germany, and immigrants in Canada. The review describes settlement programs in each country. We draw from the global literature around forced migration and disability, as well as disability and migration more broadly in each country, to enhance the limited existing research and conduct an intersectional analysis at the level of systems, discourses and subjective narratives. Findings highlight three dominant themes that weave across all three levels: being a “burden” on society, being invisible, and agency and resistance. Finally, drawing from the theoretical stance of Disability Studies, critical, and holistic integration theories we discuss how this intersectional analysis highlights the importance of reshaping the policies, discourse and definition of integration, and the consequences this can have on research, service delivery, and evaluation of integration and resettlement.
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Purpose This article outlines the development of the Refugee Job Search Process Framework (RJSPF), which was created to help identify barriers that refugees face when trying to find employment. The framework incorporates an interdisciplinary, multi-level approach to the job search, delving into research from migration studies and Industrial/Organizational psychology to outline factors that exist on both the side of the refugee applicant and the organization at each stage of the RJSPF. The authors also tested the RJSPF with Syrian refugees and service providers in Canada to examine the validity of each component of the model. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a semi-structured format to interview refugees and service providers on their experiences in either trying to find employment or helping their refugee clients with the job search process. After transcribing the interviews, the data were independently coded, quantified, and analysed using Nvivo software to validate the RJSPF. Findings The majority of the RJSPF either had high or moderate support from the interviews. The authors also identified 6 broader themes using thematic analysis, which include language fluency, credential recognition, Canadian experience “catch 22”, cultural incongruencies, employer exploitation, and mental health for successful employment. Originality/value The RJSPF is a new integration of disparate theories of job search experiences in a literature that lacks an organizing framework and perspective on the unique challenges refugees face in this area compared to other newcomers. In doing so, the authors use an interdisciplinary, multi-level approach that extends the nomological network of barriers facing refugees, therefore informing future research and practice.
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This study focuses on the frames utilized in the depiction of Syrian refugees and social and political actors involved in the Syrian resettlement in Canadian online news media. The role of the media is vital in portraying Syrian refugees' image and affects how the Canadian public perceives them. This paper focuses on utilizing the referential and predicational strategies introduced by the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA) in framing the Syrian refugees, Liberal government, Conservative party, Canadians, and Canada (henceforth social and political actors). This study examines a total of 31 articles selected from three of the most visited Canadian news sites, namely, the Toronto Star, the Toronto Sun, and the National Post. News articles were collected beginning from the arrival of the first group of refugees in December 2015 and ending in March 2017, which marked the first anniversary of the refugees’ arrival. The results obtained show that both liberal and conservative-leaning media utilized frames in ways that correspond with their ideological stance. In most cases, the limelight rarely focused on Syrian refugees. Instead, they were used as props to push the news source's ideological convictions and to condemn and shame the opposition. Therefore, it is understood, that the framing and portrayal of refugees in this narrow manner through discursive strategies obscures the complexity of the plight of Syrian refugees and depicts them as one-dimensional characters that audiences would either fear or pity. © 2020, Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. All rights reserved.
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Despite their very different histories, ideologies of nationhood, and experiences with immigrant and refugee integration in 2015-2016, Germany and Canada both struggled with the sudden arrival of newcomers. This chapter maps public responses to the so-called refugee crisis in the Rhein-Neckar Metropolitan Region in Germany and the (French and English bilingual) National Capital Region in Canada. Taking local newspapers as an approximation of public space, we ask: who claims what for or against (which kind of) migrants/refugees? Our research shows that politicians and members of diverse civil society organizations are most successful in making their voice heard, while migrants/refugees are seldom allowed to speak for themselves. We also find that public discourse in both local contexts is overwhelmingly supportive of refugees with the specific claims made by civil society actors in both regions being reflective of the highly divergent refugee integration schemes at the national/federal level.
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This edited collection offers an in-depth look at the reactions of Germany and Canada - two countries that have responded to the 21st century ‘age of displacement’ in very different ways - and the creative solutions and often collaborative efforts these host societies have undertaken to support the sudden arrival of newcomers within their nation’s borders. The migration of significantly high numbers of asylum seekers and refugees between 2015 and 2018 presented destination and resettlement societies both a sizable challenge and an opportunity to respond effectively to the imminent needs of this cohort. Germany and Canada emerged as leaders on the global stage for how they responded and the innovative ways they were able to bring together different social actors and stakeholders locally, nationally and globally. This volume is the result of an ongoing international, collaborative effort to monitor and evaluate these responses - from research to policies and practice. The objective is to mobilize knowledge produced through the latest research on key issues relating to the resettlement and integration of refugees in Germany and Canada in a timely and accessible manner. The works presented here not only show evidence based results on resettlement and integration in Canada and Germany, they also provide valuable insights that can support government agencies, service providers and members of civic society to rapidly respond to factors that threaten the wellbeing of refugees and will be instrumental to the successful integration of future cohorts.
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The existing literature on housing issues among immigrants, despite some advances in understanding this important dimension of just multiculturalism, is still young and fails to shed light on true variations within the immigrant population. In particular, the conditions of housing among refugees are a less explored area in the research on Canadian housing. This paper examines the specific obstacles that face recent refugees, as compared to other recent immigrants, in their search for housing. The study was carried out in Vancouver, among two main communities of recent refugees: Kurdish and Somali. A combination of survey questionaires and focus group workshops was used to acquire information about the refugees' housing experiences. The practical implications of this study are to aid the adaptation of housing policies and refugees' adaptation of settlement programs, to improve this population group's access to, and quality of, housing.
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Executive Summary 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. The salient findings pertinent to these terms of reference are listed below.  According to CIC's (2010b) most recent analysis of government-assisted refugees (GARs), post-IRPA GARs are younger, on average, than GARs from the 1990s, with about 60% (compared to 50%) under the age of 24.  Likewise, GARs arriving today have less education than those who arrived in the 1990s.  CIC (2010b) observes no major shifts in the economic outcomes for pre-versus post-IRPA refugees. However, a decline in earnings does correspond to declines in educational attainment and lower ages at time of landing. -African GARs from Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Congo achieve above average economic performance in the 2000s compared to below average outcomes in the 1990s.
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Access to affordable and adequate housing is a key step in the successful integration of newcomers. While some im- migrants are able to transition into home ownership quite rapidly, other newcomers are finding it increasing difficult to access basic shelter. There is little systematic knowledge about the extent of homelessness among immigrants and refugees in Greater Vancouver. This paper details the find- ings of a 2005 study entitled The Profile of Absolute and Relative Homelessness among Immigrants, Refugees, and Refugee Claimants in the GVRD. We highlight the extent to which some newcomers are increasingly at risk of "hidden homelessness," a term that describes precarious and unstable housing experiences. This paper also details the unique housing experiences of refugee claimants. Given their temporary legal status, claimants often face the most tenuous experiences in the housing market. Their experiences are often marked by poor residential condi- tions, crowding, and high rent-to-income ratios.
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Incl. bibl., abstract This study explores issues of access to high-status occupations in the Canadian labour market, with particular emphasis on refugees who were in professional or managerial positions prior to their arrival in Canada. The study is based on interviews with a sample of 525 adult refugees who were initially resettled in the province of Alberta between 1992 and 1997. About two thirds of the respondents came from former Yugoslavia, the remainder from countries in the Middle East, Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Despite the generally high educational attainment of these refugees, the results show that they experience, much higher rates of unemployment, part-time employment, and temporary employment than do Canadian-born individuals. A variety of structural factors operating in a segmented Canadian labour market help to explain the downward mobility of these highly qualified refugees. The policy implications of these results are examined in detail.
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The Ryerson University Refugee Resettlement Project (RRP), a decade-long study of 1348 Southeast Asian refugees who came to Canada between 1979 and 1981, is one of the largest, most comprehensive and longest-lived investigations of refugee resettlement ever carried out. Knowledge gleaned from the RRP about research methodology, about the resettlement experience, about the social costs of resettling refugees, about factors that promote or hinder integration, about risk and protective factors for refugee mental health, and about the refugees' consumption of mental health and social services is summarized in the form of 18 "Lessons." The lessons are offered in order to encourage and stimulate further research, as well to suggest policy and practice innovations that could help make resettlement easier, less costly, more effective, and more humane.
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In Canada, the phenomenon of urban refugees is largely an expression of state-managed practices, not spontaneous migration and settlement. This study focuses on the distinctly North American, and specifically Canadian, experiences of pre-meditated, state-planned, government-managed migration and settlement for urban refugees from the Aceh region of Indonesia to Vancouver, British Columbia in 2004. It explores why and how these refugees came to Vancouver; the state policy decision that located all of them in one city; and how they have fared in acquiring official language proficiency and employment. Whereas many refugees move to urban centres to enhance educational and employment opportunities, this study illustrates the obstacles to accessing both in Vancouver. Despite full legal status and access to employment sanctioned by the host state, there is no guarantee that refugees will have an easier time creating livelihoods under dramatically new conditions. The analysis is based on research conducted between January and August 2005 during which a survey of housing, employment, and income issues was conducted with 70 of the 104 Acehnese refugees who had relocated to Vancouver since February 2004. In addition, a one-day, three-part series of focus groups was held during which 47 members of the Acehnese community took part. Discussions centred on three key moments during their migration: (1) while in Malaysian detention camps; (2) upon arrival in Vancouver, British Columbia; and (3) during the first year of settlement in the city, to ascertain common settlement experiences, policy implications, and the short-term ‘success’ of the resettlement.
Article
While advanced economies attempt to pursue a regionalized immigration policy, which aims at shifting migration flows away from the most popular urban centre destinations to smaller communities, the experiences of immigrants settling in such locations remains underexplored. This research provides timely knowledge of refugee labour market integration in smaller communities, using Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial capital, St. John's, as an example of such communities. The article examines the resettlement and labour market integration of refugees in a medium‐sized city with particular attention to factors that enhance refugee labour market integration and factors that negatively impact refugee integration and their retention in the receiving community. The study finds that the negative perception of employment opportunities is a significant factor in refugee's decision to move. Securing employment of refugees is facilitated by strong English language skills, social connections and is hampered by discrimination in the labour market.
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Abstract Our purpose in this article is to examine refugees' access to housing in metropolitan Vancouver. How are refugees faring in Vancouver's housing market relative to non-humanitarian immigrants? Is there evidence that their housing circumstances change over time? Following from this, can we detect systematic differences in housing experiences between refugees selected and supported by the Canadian government versus those who come to Canada seeking asylum? Finally, what are the most important barriers for refugees in Vancouver's housing market and how are they addressed? Our study involved three main forms of data collection: focus groups with representatives of organizations that support newcomers, focus groups with newcomers, and a systematic survey exploring the housing experience of immigrants and refugees. While this article focuses on the survey results, we also draw upon the contextual knowledge obtained through the focus groups. We find that refugees are more likely than economic immigrants to lack the resources needed to access adequate and affordable housing. Many inhabit inadequately maintained, overcrowded, and unaffordable housing units and experience increased risk of homelessness. Therefore, we conclude that there is a need for greater coordination between housing and settlement policy to enable all newcomers to meet their housing needs.
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Based on a case study in Calgary, we frame refugee (re)settlement through literature in emotional geography and argue that the logistics of settlements are emotional as well as pragmatic. Social agencies play a crucial role in the settlement of refugees, especially the government-sponsored class. Personal connections with a settlement worker make the negotiation of the city emotional from the outset. In addition, accessible public spaces and institutions help create positive emotional attachments. Other aspects, such as limited mobility and dispersed settlement, construct obstacles and intensify a sense of isolation. Neoliberal urban policy has made the settlement process in Canada more difficult.
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Over its history, the private sponsorship program has been an important vehicle for Canada and Canadians in their response to refugees. It has been a flexible tool able to respond to both small and large-scale resettlement needs. The result is that thousands of refugees have found a durable solution in Canada. This article chronicles the evolution of this program. It argues that while the program is driven by the interest of Canadians to assist particular refugees, it is still in keeping with the international objectives of increasing and diversifying resettlement. It identifies a number of the challenges that program faces. Ultimately, it urges that the program be given greater attention and study so as to ensure that it is able to continue to provide additional refugees with a durable solution.
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The current study examines the risk-inducing effects of unemployment and the protective effects of language facility on the mental health of Southeast Asian refugees resettling in Canada. Rates of depression and of unemployment declined dramatically during the first decade after arrival. Although language fluency also improved during this period, approximately 8% of the sample spoke no English even after 10 years in the country. Initial depression was a strong predictor of subsequent depression. For males, job experience in Canada was the strongest predictor of subsequent employment whereas, for women, depression proved an important predictor of employability. For men in particular, unemployment was a potent risk factor for depression. During the initial period of resettlement, English-speaking ability had no effect on depression or on employment. However, by the end of the first decade in Canada, English language fluency was a significant predictor of depression and employment, particularly among refugee women and among people who did not become engaged in the labor market during the earliest years of resettlement. Study results demonstrate that the mental health salience of risk and protective factors changes according to the phase of resettlement.
Article
Access to adequate, affordable housing is an essential first step in the re-settlement process for immigrants and refugees. It is the basis from which newcomers look for jobs, language training and other services. Without such housing, newcomers may have limited security of tenure, compromised health, jeopardized education and employment opportunities and impaired social and family life. Refugees generally face the greatest challenges of all newcomers and find their housing choices constrained by many factors. This article presents the results of a study of refugee housing circumstances in Winnipeg. Key socio-economic, housing and neighbourhood characteristics important to successful re-settlement are documented and analyzed. The longitudinal nature of the study facilitates exploration of trajectories in a variety of indicators over time. The picture that emerges is one of the improving trajectories in many key indicators but also of very difficult circumstances that negatively affect the re-settlement process and the effective integration of refugee households. The article ends with suggestions for policy and program changes that would improve the housing circumstances of newly arrived refugee households. © / Canadian Association of Geographers / L'Association canadienne des géographes.
Article
Objective To compare the integration of privately and government sponsored Southeast Asian refugees at the end of their first decade in the country. Method Data derive from the University of Toronto Refugee Resettlement Project, a 10 year study of the resettlement of more than 1300 Southeast Asians admitted to Canada during the 1979–1981 «boat people» crisis. The current study is based on data from 608 cases interviewed at 3 points in time between 1981 and 1991. Successful resettlement was measured by combining three study variables: employment. English language fluency and general health. The composite index of successful resettlement was regressed on the following predictor variables: sponsorship type (private versus government) gender; marital status; education; age, depression, and ethnicity (Chinese, Laotian and Vietnamese). Results In 1991, 86% of the refugees were working, feeling healthy and speaking English with at least moderate proficiency. Sponsorship appeared to affect long-term success, even after controlling for the effects of ethnicity, as well as other predisposing and enabling factors. Private sponsorship predicted successful integration whereas government sponsorship was more likely to predict the opposite. Men were more likely to have achieved successful integration than women, premigration educational level was associated with success, and younger refugees were more likely than their older counterparts to have been successful. Vietnamese refugees were less likely to have been successfully integrated than Chinese. Conclusion Private sponsorship may offer not only a potential solution in times of crisis, such as the «Boat People» and Kosovo situations, it may also make a significant contribution to long-term successful adaptation. More research is required in order to explore possible causal links between private sponsorship and integration.
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This paper reports on the findings of in-depth interviews with 50 South Asian immigrant women in Toronto regarding their settlement needs and the role of social capital in meeting these needs. The main findings discussed in this paper relate to the emergence of information as the most important settlement need and the ways in which information and orientation were obtained. Participants were found to rely on informal networks of friends and relatives as the most exhaustive and specific source of information and orientation. Cet article fait état des résultats d’entrevues en profondeur auprès de 50 immigrantes de l’Asie méridionale vivant à Toronto. Les entrevues portaient sur leurs besoins en matière d’établissement et le rôle que joue le capital social pour répondre à ces besoins. Les résultats évoqués dans cet article portent sur l’émergence de l’information comme le besoin le plus important en matière d’établissement, et sur les moyens par lesquels l’information et l’orientation ont été obtenues. Nous avons trouvé que les réseaux informels d’amis et de parenté constituaient la source d’information et d’orientation la plus exhaustive et précise pour les immigrantes.
Article
Canada inaugurated a unique sponsorship program through the Immigration Act of 1976. Twelve-month sponsor support creates both an initial bond and a friendship network projecting beyond the formal undertaking. Since the Southeast Asian wave in 1979–80, sponsorships have declined in frequency and in public visibility. More recently, variations of the sponsorship model involve shared responsibility with the federal government and local community organizations to widen the base of sponsor support and to alleviate burden in complex cases. Future policy directions may invite newcomers to assume a greater role in shaping their own resettlement pathways through transnational linkages. Also, centres such as places of worship should accommodate widely-used programs (health, labour market orientation) to bridge wider community services with newcomer idioms and customs.
Article
We examine the experiences of sponsors who assisted Kosovar refugees in Northern Alberta. Although the sponsors of the Kosovars did not provide basic financial support to the refugees, many found their role to be onerous, particularly in terms of emotional investment and demands on their time. They would have liked more opportunity to debrief and to have contact with other experienced sponsors. Some of the sponsors' initial expectations of the Kosovars were at odds with reality; conversely, many sponsors felt that the refugees had unrealistic expectations of them and of life in Canada. Recommendations are made for future sponsoring arrangements. Cet article porte sur les expériences des parrains qui ont aidé les réfugiés kosovars dans le nord de l'Alberta. Bien que les parrains des Kosovars ne leur aient pas fourni un appui financier de base, plusieurs d'entre eux ont trouvé que leur rôle était exigeant, particulièrement sur les plans de l'implication affective et les contraintes imposées sur leur emploi du temps. Les parrains auraient apprécié plus d'occasions pour débreffer et des contacts avec des parrains expérimentés. Les attentes initiales de la part de certains parrains ne cadraient pas avec la réalité; réciproquement, plusieurs parrains étaient d'avis que les attentes des réfugiés par rapport à leurs répondants et à la vie au Canada étaient chimériques. On présente des recommandations pour l'avenir qui touchent les mesures afférentes au parrainage.
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In contrast to many new immigrants, refugees normally have limited financial resources upon arrival in a new country. Consequently, most refugees need some form of assistance in accessing good-quality, safe and affordable housing. This paper evaluates the assumption that refugee claimants in Toronto experience a much more difficult pathway to housing than sponsored refugees. The housing trajectories of a sample of refugees are examined using semi-structured interviews. The results confirm that this sample of refugee claimants experienced a more difficult pathway to housing, at least in the initial stages of settlement. Over time, claimants improved their housing position and narrowed the gap with sponsored refugees. Contrairement à beaucoup de nouveaux immigrants, les réfugiés ont généralement des ressources financières limitées à leur arrivée dans un nouveau pays. Par conséquent, la plupart des réfugiés ont besoin d’aide pour accéder à un logement de qualité, sécuritaire et abordable. Cet article examine l’hypothèse selon laquelle les revendicateurs du statut de réfugié à Toronto doivent faire face à plus d’obstacles dans l’obtention d’un logement que les réfugiés parrainés. Les trajectoires résidentielles d’un échantillon de réfugiés ont été examinées par le biais d’entrevues semi-dirigées. Les résultats confirment que l’échantillon de revendicateurs du statut de réfugié ont eu plus de difficultés à se trouver un logement, du moins en ce qui à trait à la période suivant leur arrivée. Avec le temps, les revendicateurs du statut de réfugié ont vu leur situation résidentielle s’améliorer et l’écart avec les réfugiés parrainés diminuer.
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