Conference Sessions

The process of immigrant integration is multifaceted and influenced by various factors, including economic opportunities, cultural adaptation, and social networks. While all these components play important roles, the influence of social networks, in particular, has garnered increasing attention. Social networks, comprising individuals and the relationships that exist between them, can significantly impact immigrants' experiences in their destination countries. This session aims to explore the intricate dynamics of how immigrants form new ties and the profound effect of these networks on the overall integration process. It seeks to address the question of what role the immigrant’s network plays in their integration process and overall well-being and falls under the theme of immigrant integration.

This session highlights important subtopics in the study of migrant students.  Papers investigate the following: 1) the influences of university prestige and environmental quality in attracting students who migrate for higher education; 2) the experiences of refugee children in Canadian schools with racism, bullying and xenophobia and how they overcome these experiences; 3) the desire of students to get away from their home countries and experience Canada for growth and self-actualization, using Punjab students as a case study; and 4) the lack of support by immigration services and university institutions in transitioning from university to work. The session also highlights the use of secondary data (the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS), the narrative analysis of autobiographical accounts; reflective thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews and use of university student data.

This session advances the development of migration theory by critically assessing the fallacies inherent in the SES mobility approach to changes in racial group labels and by proposing a boundary model of how group boundaries change; new developments also rest on refining the concept of legitimacy and demonstrating its potential use in theory-building.  A case study of Haitian treatment by the Dominican Republic reveals how illegality is produced in a neo-liberal state while an analysis of migration and work histories of 57 immigrant workers in the Peel region of Toronto reveals the complex intersections between race and gender which produce intricate patterns of precarious employment along a multiplicity of dimensions.

This session illuminates various dimensions and themes found in the transnationalism literature. Identity formation and negotiation, using Alevi immigrants from Turkey as a case study is one theme while what is perceived as emigrants’ right to politically participation by voting and running for office in the country of origin is another. International migration for international education also an aspect of transnationalism where parental and familial perceptions of educational benefits for their children are important. Finally, social media sampling advertising by Meta is assessed as a potential source of data on hard to reach migrant populations.

In immigration research, integration refers to how parts of the immigrant experience come together and facilitate the incorporation of immigrants into their new society.  Emphasis often is on how cultural and social integration intersect – eliciting questions such as: how is the participation of immigrants in the major institutions influenced by existing beliefs, behaviours, and material goods (and vice versa) and by the changes in these cultural characteristics? This session focuses on the dynamics of cultural and social integration, calling attention to 5 papers that study: 1) the impacts of four environments during COVID on economic hardship; 2) the importance of cultural orientation on the social integration of immigrants; 3) the importance of different levels of assets, ranging from the individual level to a larger environmental scale; 4) differences between immigrant generations in dwelling satisfaction, with a specific focus on South Asians and other groups such as the Chinese and whites.