Mirroring global trends, a growing share of immigrants to Canada are renting, but the evidence landscape on immigrant renting is patchy at best. In general, rental markets present unique research challenges, making it difficult to get an accurate reading of rental housing activity. Recent studies have leveraged online rental listings for new insights, but the vast majority consider dominant-language platforms only. In places with substantial immigrant communities, such as many Canadian cities, this narrow focus is highly problematic. To address this gap, Harten will examine Vancouver’s rental market using online listings from two platforms: one English, and one Chinese.
Research Questions
Does information supply differ across platforms, and to the extent that it does, how do differences online compare to actual settlement patterns?
Do listings on the Chinese language platform cater to recent immigrants to Canada?
Methods
Computational Methods (Deep Learning)
Qualitative Content Analysis
Quantitative Text Analysis
Statistical Analysis
Geospatial Analysis
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Principal Investigator: Julia Harten (Assistant Professor, School of Community and Regional Planning)
Outputs
Work in progress.
Project Status
This project is currently in the Data Analysis phase.
The American public is not as polarized or as rigid in its attitudes towards immigration as we might think.
The U.S. presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris has once again brought immigration, and the sharp partisan divide over immigration, to the fore. Research by CMS affiliate Dr. Matthew Wright examines whether the American public is really as divided as U.S. political rhetoric would suggest.
“Republicans are probably pushing too hard on the immigration issue; most Americans don’t like this, don’t want it, and don’t believe it.”
Matthew Wright
Associate Professor, UBC Political Science
Key Findings
Despite what the extremist positions of many political leaders and pundits might suggest, the American public is not so polarized on immigration issues. Most Americans’ attitudes toward immigration are centrist. On the aggregate, most Americans have slightly positive views of immigration and immigrants.
People’s preferences on immigration policy are motivated largely by civic values, which are widely-shared moral beliefs about what is desirable in the public realm, and their perception of how well a given policy aligns with civic values – not by feelings of economic or ethnocultural threat.
Americans’ stances on immigration issues can change. Immigration attitudes change over time, and rhetorical framing strategies can increase support for specific policies.
Recommendations
Politicians should adopt more pragmatic, centrist immigration policy positions. Few U.S. citizens support extremist policy measures. Political elites are often out-of-step with the majority of voters, even within their own party, on immigration.
Advocates of immigration reform should emphasize how their proposed policies align with core American values. Value-based arguments are effective in shifting people’s attitudes on immigration. It can help to dive into policy details.
Implications for Current Events
Republican candidate Trump has made immigration and the allegedly deviant behaviours of immigrants the central issue of his campaign; Democratic candidate Harris has largely avoided discussing immigration. While the far-right outlook on immigration dominates the news cycle, research shows that it is far less popular among the American public.
Dr. Wright and his colleagues argue that centrist proposals for immigration reform that speak to core American values can win support from large majorities of voters. His research shows that a majority of Americans support legalizing some undocumented immigrants through the Dream Act and even admitting more immigrants, if selected for their ability to meet labour market needs, without necessarily sacrificing family-based immigration. Such proposals are likely to be more popular if framed as strengthening the U.S. economy and providing equal opportunity to law-abiding, hardworking people who are ready to integrate into American society.
About the Authors
Matthew Wright is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. His research focuses on political psychology and explores how political identities and values shape views on immigration, policy, and diversity. His recent books on these topics include Immigration in the Court of Public Opinion (with J. Citrin and M. Levy) and Immigration and the American Ethos (with M. Levy). He earned his BA from McGill University and his PhD from UC Berkeley. Before joining UBC, he was an Associate Professor of Government at American University in Washington, DC.
Nadia Almasalkhi is a doctoral candidate in Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley. She is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She holds bachelor’s degrees in International Studies and Modern Languages (Arabic and French) from the University of Kentucky. Her current research studies the political integration and political transnationalism of Middle Eastern immigrants and diasporas.
Copyright: UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Availability: Web & Print
Publication date: November 4, 2024
Pages: 3
This publication is part of the CMS Migration Insights Series. The research briefs synthesize peer-reviewed, published academic research by CMS affiliates.
This project seeks to examine discourses about gig work and explore the experiences of immigrants working in different facets of the platform economy, as well as those employed in remote work.
The project will focus on the everyday occupational experiences of immigrant platform workers to understand how they perceive and navigate their employment and daily routines when engaged in ‘non-traditional’ forms of work. It aims to understand these in relation to contemporary and dominant discourses on gig work.
Research Questions
What are the discourses shaping the platform economy?
What contextual factors shape the occupational experiences of immigrant workers within the platform economy?
How does engaging in platform and/or remote work reconfigure traditional borders and boundaries in immigrants’ lives?
In what ways do platform and/or remote workers nagivate “occupational balance” among the different revenue-generating occupations they engage in?
Methods
Discourse Analysis
In-Depth Interviews
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Principal Investigator: Suzanne Huot (Assistant Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy)
Laura Lam (Research Assistant, CERC in Migration and Integration)
Outputs
Presentations
“Adjustment, balance and belonging among newcomers engaged in remote work in Canada” presented by Samantha Jackson and Suzanne Huot at the 27th Canadian Ethnic Studies Association Biennial Conference, Edmonton, November 15, 2024
“Uneven Development in the Digital Economy: The New Landscape of Transnational Social Protections” presented by María Cervantes at the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, March 26, 2025
“Immigrants’ occupational experiences of remote and hybrid work in Canada” presented by Samantha Jackson and Suzanne Huot at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference, May 9, 2025
Naturalization ceremonies signal the integration of new citizens into the national community as they pledge allegiance to their adopted country. These ceremonies also serve as both formal and informal educational platforms, transmitting the narratives and values attached to national identity. However, national identity itself is dynamic—constantly contested and evolving. This project examines how naturalization ceremonies, including those incorporating Advanced Digital Technologies (ADT), influence new citizens’ perceptions of national identity. The study involves:
Analyzing discourse surrounding virtual ceremonies in Canadian news media and policy documents;
Administering a survey to naturalizing individuals, differentiating between ceremony types (in-person, remote, enhanced ceremonies, and those involving Indigenous elders);
Conducting elite interviews with citizenship judges and key actors responsible for ceremony development;
Exploring potential collaborations with organizations involved in naturalization ceremonies in Canada and comparator countries.
Research Questions
How do naturalization ceremonies shape new citizens’ understanding of citizenship and national identity?
What is the affective impact of naturalization ceremonies? Do they foster strong feelings of belonging among new citizens? Is there a differential impact based on the ceremony’s format (e.g., in-person, virtual, enriched)?
Does the inclusion of Indigenous elders influence the experience?
Methods
Discourse Analysis
In-Depth Interviews
Surveys
Media Analysis
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Principal Investigator: Antje Ellermann (Professor, Political Science)
Irene Bloemraad (Professor, Political Science and Sociology)
Vince Hopkins (Assistant Professor, Political Science)
Sandra Schinnerl (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC Centre for Migration Studies)
Lisa Brunner (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC Centre for Migration Studies)
Today, most international migrants settle in cities, leading to a condition known as “super-diversity.” This concept captures the complex and evolving layers of nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, and other traits that define urban populations. As new migrants arrive, they often settle in areas already shaped by earlier waves of migration, creating a dynamic and intricate social fabric.
The project involves developing a website that enables users to interact with sophisticated data about social complexity in Canada’s 6 largest metropolitan areas: Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa-Gatineau. Data are drawn from the administrative records of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada and the 2021 census. This is primarily a public communication effort.
Research Questions
How do immigrants integrate into large Canadian cities?
How can people be encouraged to ‘see’ social complexity?
Methods
Geospatial Analysis
Statistical Analysis
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Principal Investigator: Dan Hiebert (Emeritus, Geography)
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity
This project investigates how friendships and relationships form through participation in social infrastructure, which includes physical spaces like parks, markets, cafes, libraries, and churches where people interact. These spaces encourage shared activities, leading to the formation of lasting connections. Social infrastructure fosters mutual support and collaboration, with its roots in studies of public spaces, “third places,” and community organizations. Strong social infrastructure promotes cross-boundary integration, especially when it attracts diverse groups and fosters civility.
Research shows that community organizations act as hubs for boundary-crossing friendships by drawing in a variety of participants. Understanding how relationships form in these settings enhances our knowledge of social integration. A key focus is on “mediated social infrastructure,” which refers to the formal structuring of interactions, often seen in community organizations. This concept builds on the idea of organizational embeddedness in sociology.
Mediated social infrastructure can be exemplified by organized activities like a mothers’ group at a park or a quiz night at a bar. These structured, repeated interactions, guided by the goals of community organizations, help foster meaningful connections, similar to situational mechanisms for friendship formation in psychology. Studying these dynamics provides insights into segregation and integration in social spaces.
Research Questions
How do mediated processes within social infrastructures contribute to friendship formation and integration?
When do mediated processes contribute to friendships that cross boundaries of language, ethnicity, immigration status, religious differences, age and gender?
Methods
Case Studies
In-depth Interviews
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Principal Investigator: Sean Lauer (Professor, Sociology)
Suzanne Huot (Assistant Professor, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy)
“Immigrant friendships and social integration: A study of friendship networks and sense of belonging” presented by Capri Ka Po Kong and Sean Lauer at the Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference 2024, June 18, 2024
“Intersections of belonging: Friendship dynamics among Chinese LGBTQ+ migrants in Canada and the US” presented by Tori Yang and Sean Lauer at the Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference 2024, June 21, 2024
“Immigrant experiences in cosmopolitan organizations: A scoping review” presented by Frances Cabahug, Teodora Eckmyn, Miu Chung Yan, Karen Wong and Sean Lauer at the Canadian Association of Social Work Educators Annual Conference 2024, June 21, 2024
Project Status
This project is currently in the Planning and Data Collection phases.
This project investigates the decline in Canadian citizenship acquisition, especially among disadvantaged newcomers such as low-income individuals, those with limited language proficiency, and those with lower education levels. Despite Canada’s traditionally high naturalization rate, recent decades have seen a significant drop, raising concerns since citizenship is key to immigrants’ civic participation, social belonging, and economic integration.
We focus on understanding the administrative burdens that newcomers face when navigating the citizenship process, including learning, psychological, and compliance costs. These burdens can deter eligible immigrants from applying for citizenship, thereby limiting their access to the benefits associated with naturalization, such as better employment opportunities and higher earnings.
Through a mixed-methods approach, including interviews, survey experiments, and analysis of administrative records, this project aims to identify the barriers to citizenship and propose policy solutions to make the naturalization process more accessible and equitable. The findings will inform recommendations to reduce these barriers, especially for economic immigrants transitioning from temporary status to permanent residency. Ultimately, this research seeks to support the design of more inclusive and low-burden pathways to Canadian citizenship.
Research Questions
Why are Canada’s naturalization rates declining?
To what extent do administrative burdens weaken access to citizenship in Canada?
How can administrative support promote inclusive, low-burden pathways to citizenship?
Methods
Econometric Modeling
In-depth Interviews
Statistical Analysis
Survey Experiments
Collaborators
University of British Columbia Centre for Migration Studies
Principal Investigator: Vince Hopkins (Assistant Professor, Political Science)
Irene Bloemraad (Professor, Political Science and Sociology)
Taylor Jackson (Doctoral Student, Political Science)
Outputs
Presentation
“The journey to citizenship: Trends and current research,” presented by Sandra Schinnerl as part of the panel “Impact of changing identities and public perceptions on newcomer experiences,” AMSSA Leadership Forum, September 25, 2024.
“The journey to citizenship: Trends and current research,” presented by Sandra Schinnerl at the Metropolis Identities conference, Vancouver, Canada, October 30-31, 2024.
Project Status
This project is currently in the Planning and Data Collection phase.
To address immigrant health disparities, timely evidence-informed, equity-based, and community-engaged policy solutions are urgently needed. In the current project, we will be using population-based analyses and mixed methods contextual analyses to explicate preventable health inequities experienced by immigrant communities in Canada. Our consultation with migrant community partners, the national CIHR Youth Health Advisory, and other groups have identified two main priority areas: mental health (all ages) and sexual health (youth), along with food insecurity, discrimination, and other social determinants of health that can influence these priority health issues. We will use large-scale health surveys in Canada to track trends in health disparities among migrant populations.
Research Questions
What are 20-year trends in sexual and mental health outcomes among migrant youth in Western Canada compared to their Canadian-born peers?
Are any disparities in sexual and mental health improving or worsening?
Is there evidence previous policy changes have reduced risks and improved health for homestay students compared to earlier homestay students, and relative to their migrant peers who accompany their parents?
What correlates and social determinants help explain health inequities in sexual and mental health for migrant youth populations, especially for LGBTQ+ migrant youth, racialized migrant youth, and refugee youth in particular?
Methods
Statistical Analysis
Surveys
Collaborators
UBC School of Nursing & Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC)
Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Saewyc (Professor, School of Nursing)
“Building Relations through Storytelling” is an Indigenous-led project focused on non-extractive, land-based work rooted in Indigenous epistemologies. The research honours territorial protocols and prioritizes giving back to the community by facilitating the gathering of traditional knowledge to be passed on to future generations. The project is led by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Hereditary Chief Chepximiya Siyam’ Janice George.
The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh are one of the Original Peoples of the lands now occupied by the city of Vancouver. Chief Janice George will invite all 16 hereditary chiefs of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation to participate in talking circles, where they will share origin stories and reflections on land stewardship. By reclaiming familial chieftainship stories from the land and educating non-Indigenous community members on the importance of being a respectful guest—rather than a settler who perpetuates colonial dynamics—this project supports Sḵwx̱wú7mesh self-determination and aims to foster stronger relationships between newcomers, Canadian-born settlers, and the Squamish Nation.
This study will result in the creation of a docuseries and a children’s book. These resources will empower the Squamish Nation’s hereditary chiefs to share previously less accessible knowledge with current and future generations. The docuseries will be made available not only to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation but also to settlement and community organizations for use in their programming for newcomers and settlers to support reconciliation. The children’s book is designed for use in the classrooms of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh elementary school and for children and family audiences more broadly.
Research Questions
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh hereditary chiefs will be invited to reflect on the following questions:
What are the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Squamish Nation families’ traditional leadership stories?
If there was something you wanted children to know in seven generations, what would it be?
How can uninvited guests best show respect and care for the land?
Skwetsimeltxw Willard ‘Buddy’ Joseph and Chepximiya Siyam’ Chief Janice George
On April 20, April 27, and May 4, CMS hosted a series of weaving workshops led by Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) master weavers and community leaders, Chepximiya Siyam’ Chief Janice George and Skwetsimeltxw Willard ‘Buddy’ Joseph. Held over three consecutive Saturdays in April and May, the workshops provided nine hours of immersive, hands-on instruction in Coast Salish wool weaving. Participants learned foundational techniques while crafting their own wool wall hangings, guided by the expertise of the weavers.
The event aimed to foster cultural awareness and understanding of Indigenous practices on unceded territories. Alongside the technical aspects of weaving, Chief Janice George and Elder Buddy Joseph shared insights into the cultural and ceremonial importance of woven robes within Sḵwx̱wú7mesh traditions, enriching participants’ appreciation of the art and its connection to the land.
Citizenship is more than legal status; it represents a collective identity that is imagined through, and reproduced by, state-sponsored narratives of nationhood and belonging. Narratives of citizenship are instilled by various institutions throughout one’s life. For newcomers, cultural orientation, language classes, and citizenship study guides/tests play a key role in conveying these narratives.
Government-sponsored narratives of citizenship often differ from lived experience. They can obscure inequities in access and belonging and foster a selective form of patriotism that overlooks historical realities like colonialism.
This project explores the meaning of Canadian citizenship by examining its narratives and how people think about those narratives, with a focus on its relationship to Truth and Reconciliation. We are drawing on three key data sources:
Partnerships with two Vancouver-based service organizations (MOSAIC and YMCA BC) and one Toronto-based service organization (COSTI) to gather insights from staff and clients,
Perspectives of policymakers and government employees,
Content analysis of Canadian citizenship guides.
A Toronto-based community partner is also in the process of being added. The project includes a more limited analysis of German narratives of citizenship as a shadow case.
Research Questions
How have state-sponsored narratives of Canadian citizenship directed at newcomers evolved over time?
To what extent is citizenship constructed as an inclusive or exclusive category? How are the historical experiences of different groups—particularly those impacted by settler colonialism, systemic marginalization, and other historic injustices—represented in these constructions?
How do newcomers learn, interpret, and engage with these narratives of citizenship?
Methods
Art-Based Methods (Photovoice)
Focus Groups
In-depth Interviews
Qualitative Content Analysis
Surveys
Collaborators
UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Principal Investigator: Antje Ellermann (Professor, Political Science)
Irene Bloemraad (Professor, Political Science and Sociology)
Lisa Brunner (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UBC Centre for Migration Studies)
“Truth, reconciliation, and an evolving national identity,” presented by Lisa Brunner and Antje Ellermann as part of the panel “Impact of changing identities and public perceptions on newcomer experiences,” AMSSA Leadership Forum, September 25, 2024.
“The negotiation of Canadian citizenship narratives in the settlement sector,” presented by Adrienne Bale, Marcela Fuller, and Lisa Brunner, Metropolis Identities conference, Vancouver, Canada, October 30-31, 2024.
“Representations of equity-denied groups in Canadian citizenship guides,” presented by Anjana Donakonda, Metropolis Identities conference, Vancouver, Canada, October 30-31, 2024.
“Narratives of Indigeneity and settler identity in citizenship study guides,” presented by Lisa Brunner and Antje Ellermann, Canadian Ethnic Studies Association conference, November 16, 2024.
“Representations of Black, Forced Migrant, and Refugee Experiences in Citizenship Guides,” presented by Elizabeth Semowo, Pathways to Prosperity conference, Vancouver, Canada, November 25-26, 2024.
Project Status
This project is currently in the Data Collection and Data Analysis phases.
27th Canadian Ethnic Studies Association Biennial Conference
Dr. Lisa Brunner
27th Canadian Ethnic Studies Association Biennial Conference
Dr. Antje Ellermann
Metropolis Identities Conference
David Lee (MOSAIC), Marcela Fuller (YMCA BC), Adrienne Bale (MOSAIC), Dr Lisa Brunner (UBC Centre for Migration Studies) and Anjana Donakonda (UBC SPPGA)
AMSSA Leadership Forum
Dr. Sandra Schinnerl , Dr. Lisa Brunner, Dr. Antje Ellermann, Dr. Irene Bloemraad and Katie Crocker, CEO of AMSSA
