AI Empowerment Initiative: Bridging Immigrants with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Nonprofits through Tailored AI Training Programs

Project Overview

This research addresses the challenges immigrants in Canada face regarding digital skill development and employability within the context of economic digital transformation. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes integral to economic activities, digital literacy among immigrant populations is crucial for equitable workforce integration and national competitiveness.

Research Questions

How can tailored AI literacy and skills training for immigrants enhance their employability within Canadian SMEs and nonprofits, and contribute to Canada’s digital transformation?

Research Design and Methodology

Focus groups, in-depth interviews, surveys.

Collaborators

UBC Centre for Migration Studies

Principal Investigator: Annamma Joy (Associate Dean, Research and Professor, Management, UBCO)
Ying Zhu (Associate Professor, Management, UBCO)
Julien Picault (Professor, Arts and Social Sciences, UBCO)
Madeleine Ransom (Assistant Professor, Arts and Social Sciences, UBCO)

Outputs

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Conferences & Events

"AI Workshops for Immigrants to Canada," Okanagan, Canada, October 18 & October 25, 2025

"AI and Future Jobs", presented by Ying Zhu, KCR's Youth Employment Boot Camp, Kelowna, Canada, July 21, 2025

Media

Kelowna workshop to help newcomers navigate AI in the workplace, CBC Radio Kelowna, October 24, 2025

Project Status

This project is currently in the Planning and Data Collection phase.

Keywords

Artificial intelligence; AI; immigrant employment; SMEs; nonprofits; skills training

AI for Youth Immigrants at KCR

Leveraging Machine Learning to Study Immigrant Renting via Online Advertisements in Vancouver

Project Overview

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.

Discover other Bridging Divides projects

Discover other UBC projects from the Bridging Divides research program.

This research was undertaken thanks in part to funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Beyond Political Polarization: Finding Common Ground on Immigration in the United States

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.

Read the Brief

“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.

Original Research

Citrin, Jack, Morris Levy, and Matthew Wright. 2023. Immigration in the Court of Public Opinion. Immigration & Society Series. Hoboken, NJ: Polity Press

Suggested Citation

Almasalkhi, Nadia. 2024. “Beyond Political Polarization: Finding Common Ground on Immigration in the United States.” CMS Migration Insights Series. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Centre for Migration Studies.

Document details

This publication is part of the CMS Migration Insights Series. The research briefs synthesize peer-reviewed, published academic research by CMS affiliates.

Media Contact

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Managing Occupational Balance in Platform and Remote Work

Project Overview

It is important to understand how workers, and immigrant workers in particular, are represented within discourses on the platform economy, given their potentially marginalized position in Canadian society and gig work more broadly.

This project examines discourses on gig work and investigates the experiences of immigrants engaged in different facets of the platform economy, as well as those employed in remote work.

The focus is on the everyday occupational experiences of immigrant platform workers, exploring how they perceive and navigate non-traditional forms of employment and daily routines, and situating these experiences within broader contemporary discourses on gig work.

Cluster: ADTs and the Future of Work

Research Questions

What discourses are 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?

Research Design and Methodology

This project will conduct a critical discourse analysis to identify dominant themes and subjectivities constructed through relevant texts. Next, a series of interviews will be conducted with immigrant platform/remote workers from across Canada.

Collaborators

UBC Centre for Migration Studies

Principal Investigator: Suzanne Huot (Assistant Professor, Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy)
María Cervantes-Macías (Postdoctoral Research Fellow)

Toronto Metropolitan University

Marshia Akbar (Affiliated Researcher, Sociology, Director, BMO Newcomer Workforce Integration Lab, CERC in Migration and Integration)
Samantha Jackson (Research Associate, Postdoctoral Research Fellow)
Hari KC (Research Associate, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, CERC in Migration and Integration)
Aziz Rahman (Research Affiliate, CERC in Migration and Integration)
Anna Triandafyllidou (Professor & Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, Sociology)

Concordia University

Émile Baril (Research Associate, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Political Science)

Research Assistants

Roxanne Angel Bella (Master’s Student, Geography, UBC)
Ryan Feng (Master’s Student, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC)
Veronica Hernandez-De Paoli (Master’s Student, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC)
Vaida Kiaulakyte (Undergraduate Student, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC)
Alexa Krywulak (Undergraduate Student, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC)
Jessie Kwan (Master’s Student, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC)
Isabella Pojuner (Doctoral Student, Geography, UBC)
Reeham Siddique (Doctoral Student, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC)
Selvana Soreal (Undergraduate Student, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, UBC)
Luke Stockall (Undergraduate Student, Urban Studies, UBC)

Outputs

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Publications

Cervantes-Macías, M. E. (2026). Uneven development in the platform economy: Stratified immigration policies and uneven access to transnational social protections in North America, Digital Geography and Society, 100164, ISSN 2666-3783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diggeo.2026.100164.

Jackson, S., & Huot, S. (2025). Working from (a New) Home: Tensions Faced by Remote Working Immigrants in Canada. Societies, 15(10), 271. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15100271

Stefaniuk, M. & Baril, É. (2025). Four ways Ottawa can throttle ‘Driver Inc.’ Policy Options. Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). August 27th, 2025. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/08/driver-inc-trucker-exploitation/

Baril, Émile, & Vultur, M. (2025). Navigating Streets, Restaurants, and Algorithms: A Study of Young Immigrant Food Delivery Couriers in Montréal and Toronto. Labour Le Travail, 95, 121–144. https://doi.org/10.52975/llt.2025v95.007

Cervantes-Macías, M. E. 2025. “ The Production of Credentialized Aspirations: Familial Strategies in Mexican Upper-Middle-Class International Mobility.” Population, Space and Place 31: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70142

Cervantes-Macías, M. E. Uneven development in the platform economy: Stratified immigration policies and uneven access to transnational social protections in North America, Digital Geography and Society, 2026, 100164, ISSN 2666-3783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diggeo.2026.100164

Conferences & Events

"Immigrants’ experiences of digitally mediated employment: critically examining the spatial transformations of work," presented by Suzanne Huot, María Cervantes-Macías and Reeham Siddique, CAOT Conference 2026. Montreal, Canada. May 13, 2026.

"Credentialized Aspirations and Differentiated Migrant Labour in Canada’s Digital Economy," presented by María Cervantes-Macías at the 2026 CMS Migration & Integration Conference, Vancouver, Canada, April 17, 2026

"Comics and Knowledge Mobilization in Migration Studies," presented by María Cervantes-Macías, UBC Comics Cluster, November 27, 2025

“Misclassification and new technologies in the Canadian trucking industry,” presented by Émile Baril at the 13th Annual Pathways to Prosperity National Conference: Investing in Canada’s Shared Future: Pathways to Possibilities, Halifax, Canada, November 24-25, 2025

"Immigration, Work and New Technologies: Access to the Labour Market & Workforce Dynamics," presented at the 13th Annual Pathways to Prosperity National Conference: Investing in Canada’s Shared Future: Pathways to Possibilities, November 24, 2025

"Immigrant Workers and the Digital Transformation of Work: Spatial Precarity and Urban Labour in Toronto and Vancouver," presented by María Cervantes-Macías and Suzanne Huot, 13th Annual Pathways to Prosperity National Conference: Investing in Canada’s Shared Future: Pathways to Possibilities, November 24, 2025

"Comparison of Migrant Food Delivery Riders in France and Canada", presented by Émile Baril, On the Move: Migrant Workers and Food-Delivery Platforms in Italy and Canada, IRMS, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, November 7, 2025

"Digital Platforms and Transnational Social Protections: Uneven Territorialization in the Digital Economy," presented by María Cervantes-Macías, Cartographies of Platform Labour in the Digital City, Madrid, Spain, November 6, 2025

"Digital Platforms and Transnational Social Protections: Uneven Territorialization in the Digital Economy," presented by María Cervantes-Macías, Digital Geographies Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, November 3, 2025

"Workers’ Workshops on Migrant Experiences in Platform and Remote Work", Vancouver, Canada, October 25 & October 27, 2025

“On Hailing ‘Skill’ and Broken Promises: (Im)Migration in Polarizing Societies,” presented by Émile Baril, uOttawa workshop, September 25-26, 2025

"Digital Platforms and Transnational Social Protections: Uneven Territorialization in the Digital Economy," presented by María Cervantes-Macías, Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference, Birmingham, UK, August 28, 2025

"Young and Immigrant Food Riders in Toronto and Montreal," presented by Émile Baril, WORK2025 annual conference, Turku, Finland, August 20-22, 2025

“Immigrants’ engagement in remote and gig work occupations: Critically examining the spatial transformation of the ‘workplace’ through a mobilities lens”, presented by Suzanne Huot, María Cervantes-Macías, and Samantha Jackson, Occupational Science Europe Conference, Essex, United Kingdom, August 15, 2025

"Platform food delivery and migrant riders in Montreal and Toronto," presented by Émile Baril, AMCIS annual conference, Montreal, Canada, August 14-16, 2025

"Comparison of migrant food delivery riders in France and Canada," presented by Émile Baril, IMISCOE annual conference, Paris, France, July 1-4, 2025

“Immigrants’ occupational experiences of remote and hybrid work in Canada”, presented by K. Kiaulakyte, K. Krywulak, S. Soreal, S. Jackson, and S. Huot, Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Conference, Edmonton, Canada, May 7, 2025

“Uneven development in the digital economy: The new landscape of transnational social protections”, presented by María Cervantes-Macías, American Association of Geographers Conference, Detroit, United States, March 27, 2025

"Adjustment, Balance and Belonging Among Newcomers Engaged in Remote Work in Canada”, presented by Samantha Jackson and Suzanne Huot, 27th Canadian Ethnic Studies Association Biennial Conference, Edmonton, Canada, November 15, 2024

"Addressing remote work challenges faced by newcomers to Canada” poster, presented by Samantha Jackson and Suzanne Huot, Pathways to Prosperity Annual Conference, Vancouver, Canada, November 14, 2024

"Migration Disrupted: How Technological Transformation is Reshaping Human Mobility", Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada, May 7, 2024

Infographics

By Sofía Donner. Enlarge image

Work-in-Progress

Vultur, M. & Baril, É. Les jeunes livreurs de repas à Toronto et Montréal : quelques déterminants d’un emploi sous tension. Revue Jeunes & Société. (Accepted)

Baril, É. Migration, labour and resistance by sans-papiers couriers in Paris. In “The Global Platform Economy and the Local Conditioning of Algorithmic Work.” Edited by A. Wolf & M. Figueroa. University of Illinois Press. (Accepted)

Project Status

This project is currently in the Data Analysis and Knowledge Mobilization phases.

Keywords

Digital Capital, Pre-arrival Settlement, Labour Market Information, Social Media, Economic Integration

Naturalization Ceremonies

Project Overview

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?

Research Design and Methodology

The research project follows a mixed-methods approach, including discourse analysis, in-depth interviews, surveys, and 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)

University of Toronto

Phil Triadafilopoulos (Professor, Political Science)

Concordia University

Mireille Paquet (Associate Professor, Political Science)

Research Assistants

Taylor Jackson, (Doctoral Student, Political Science, University of Toronto)
Carolina Reyes Márquez (Doctoral Student, Political Science, University of Toronto)
Vaishnavi Panchanadam (Doctoral Student, Political Science, University of Toronto)
Laura Rivera Sanchez (Doctoral Student, Political Science, University of Toronto)
Nadya Zezyulina, (Master’s student, Political Science, Concordia University)

Outputs

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Conferences & Events

“Competing problematizations of virtual naturalization ceremonies,” presented by Lisa Brunner, Carolina Reyes Márquez, and Nadya Zezyulina, CMS Research Conference 2025, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, May 1-2, 2025.

Work-in-Progress

“From ritual to service? The politics of virtual naturalization ceremonies,” written by Lisa Brunner, Carolina Reyes Márquez, and Nadya Zezyulina (journal article under review).

Project Status

This project is currently in the Data Collection, Data Analysis and Writing phases.

Discover other Bridging Divides projects

Discover other UBC projects from the Bridging Divides research program.

This research was undertaken thanks in part to funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Superdiversity in Canadian Cities

Project Overview

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

Steven Vertovec (Professor, Anthropology)

University of Alberta School of Urban and Regional Planning

Sandeep Agrawal (Professor, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences)

Lethbridge University

Bronwyn Bragg (Assistant Professor, Geography)

Centre Urbanisation, Culture et Société (INRS)

Annick Germain (Professor, Sociology)

University of Ottawa

Brian Ray (Associate Professor, Geography)

Outputs

Website

Access the Superdiversity website: www.superdiv-canada.mmg.mpg.de

Media Coverage

“How diverse is your neighbourhood? A new website shows how immigration to Canada has transformed our cities.” The Toronto Star. December 16, 2024. https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/how-diverse-is-your-neighbourhood-a-new-website-shows-how-immigration-to-canada-has-transformed/

“The big upside of thinking small on immigration.” The Globe and Mail. June 16, 2025. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-upside-of-thinking-small-on-immigration/

Publications

Hiebert, Daniel. 2024. “Immigration and a Population Strategy for Canada (Part 1, The Regions).”

Hiebert, Daniel. 2024. “Immigration and a Population Strategy for Canada (Part 2, The Regions).”

Daniel Hiebert. 2025. “Balancing Canada’s Population Growth and Ageing Through Immigration Policy.” Commentary 682. Toronto: C.D. Howe Institute.

Podcasts

How to fix Canada’s immigration system? – It’s Political with Althia Raj, October 11, 2024

Canada’s Aging Population, Demographics and Immigration, with Daniel Hiebert (#162) – Borderlines – Canadian Immigration Law Podcast, May 2, 2025

Fast vs. Slow: Immigration’s Impact on Canada’s Economy & Regions, with Daniel Hiebert (#172) – Canadian Immigration Law Podcast, July 4, 2025

Presentations

“Visualizing Superdiversity in Canadian Cities” presented by Daniel Hiebert, November 23, 2023.

“Visualizing Superdiversity in Canadian Cities” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Institute for Studies of Canada, McGill University, May 7, 2024.

“Visualizing Superdiversity in Ontario Cities” presented by Daniel Hiebert at IRCC, Ontario Division, May 18, 2024.

“Visualizing Urban Superdiversity” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Max Planck Institute, Germany, May 27, 2024.

“Steven Vertovec in conversation with Dan Hiebert,” by The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, June 28, 2024.

“Talking about migration: Words, data, images” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Scholars of Excellence Workshop, Toronto, October 1, 2024.

“Telling the Story of Canadian Immigration Through Data” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the La Maisonée, Montreal, November 4, 2024.

“Toward more Productive Policy Research” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Department of Anthropology, University of Montreal, November 5, 2024.

“Developing Immigration Policy” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Concordia University, Political Science, Montreal, November 5, 2024.

“Visualizing Superdiversity in Canadian Cities” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Canadian Urban Institute, Toronto, November 8, 2024.

“Visualizing Superdiversity in Canadian Cities” presented by Daniel Hiebert at McGill University, Montreal, November 7, 2024.

“Superdiversity in Canadian Cities” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the IRCC Research Matters Series, January 15, 2025.

“Superdiversity In Canadian Cities – A Website Demonstration” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the University of Alberta, January 28, 2025.

“Superdiversity in Canadian Cities” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the BC Provincial Summit 2025 organized by AMSSA, February 5, 2025.

“Superdiversity in Canadian cities website” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Calgary Police Services, June 10, 2025.

“Superdiversity in Canadian cities website” presented by Daniel Hiebert at the Edmonton Police Service, June 25, 2025.

“Superdiversity in Canadian cities website” presented by Daniel Hiebert for BC Statistics, July 22, 2025.

“Immigration and Population Dynamics” presented by Daniel Hiebert for the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, July 21, 2025.

Exhibition

The Superdiversity website was exhibited at the CERC in Migration and Integration (TMU) annual conference in Toronto, May 13-15, 2025.

Project Status

This project is currently in the Data Analysis and Knowledge Mobilization phases.

International Migration: From Root Causes to Drivers, May 13-15, 2025

Photo by Bridging Divides and CERC Migration

Featured News

View all related news

New article spotlights Prof. Emer. Daniel Hiebert’s report on regional immigration

Article spotlights Daniel Hiebert’s report on how regional immigration can ease urban strain and boost prosperity in Canada’s mid-sized cities.

Prof. Emer. Daniel Hiebert presents a new website showing how immigration to Canada has transformed our cities

Prof. Emeritus and CMS affiliate Daniel Hiebert presents the "Superdiversity" project, a website that transforms immigration and census data into interactive graphics, revealing demographic changes across generations of newcomers.

View all related news

Discover other Bridging Divides projects

Discover other UBC projects from the Bridging Divides research program.

This research was undertaken thanks in part to funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Immigration, Social Infrastructure, and Relationship Formation

Project Overview

This project investigates how friendships and relationships form through participation in social infrastructure, including physical spaces such as 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?

Research Design and Methodology

The research design adopts a comparative case study approach informed by community-engaged research practices. It employs mixed methods, including in-depth interviews, digital storytelling, and longitudinal qualitative research.

Collaborators

UBC Centre for Migration Studies

Principal Investigator: Sean Lauer (Professor, Sociology
Project Co-Leader: Yue Qian (Associate Professor, Sociology)
Suzanne Huot (Assistant Professor, Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy)

Research Assistants

Gabrielle Abando (Master’s Student, Sociology, UBC)
Frankie Cabahug (Master’s Student, Social Work, UBC)
Ka Po (Capri) Kong (Doctoral Student, Sociology, UBC)
Teodora Rawsthornes (Research Assistant, Sociology, UBC)
Tori Shucheng Yang (PhD Candidate, Sociology, UBC)

Outputs

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Publications

"Tao Po!: Spatial Workings of a Filipino Immigrant Hub" brief, The Infrastructure and Integration Lab, December 1, 2025

“‘Efficiency Trap’: Can online blind dating help users find a partner quickly?” WeChat, June 3, 2025. https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jf7XSzGIw3W_wwiIzMn6cA

Cosmopolitan social service organizations: A scoping review. iSquared Lab. May 2025. https://isquaredlab.ca/publications/

Cai, M., Qian, Y., & Hu, Y. (2025). The efficiency paradox: A temporal lens into online dating among Chinese immigrants in Canada. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 42(8), 2167–2187. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075251339257

Conferences & Events

"Making Friends in Community Organizations," presented by Sean Lauer, BC Neighbourhood Houses Conference, Victoria, Canada, October 22, 2025

"Intersections of belonging: Friendship dynamics among Chinese LGBTQ+ migrants," presented by Yang, T., & Lauer, S., Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Chicago, United States, August 11, 2025

"Roots: Here, There, or Nowhere? Transmitting Diaspora Identity in Hong Konger Families," presented by Capri Kong, Canadian Sociological Association, Toronto, Canada, June 9 2025

"Cosmopolitan Organizations: A place-based approach to integration," presented by Abando, G., Cabahug, F., Lauer, S., Canadian Sociological Association, Toronto, Canada, June 9, 2025

"Spaces, Social Capital, Culture and Community Building: The Case of Filipinos in British Columbia," presented by Abanda, G, Place and Power: BC Studies Conference, Vancouver, Canada, April 1, 2025

"Immigrant Settlement Services in Cosmopolitan Organizations: Service Provider Experiences," presented by Lauer, S., Canadian Ethnic Studies, Edmonton, Canada, November 11, 2024

“Immigrant experiences in cosmopolitan organizations: A scoping review,” presented by Cabahug, F. and Lauer, S., Canadian Association of Social Work Educators Annual Conference, Montreal, June 21, 2024.

“Intersections of belonging: Friendship dynamics among Chinese LGBTQ+ migrants in Canada and the US,” presented by Yang, T., and Lauer, S., Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Montreal, June 21, 2024

“Immigrant friendships and social integration: A study of friendship networks and sense of belonging,” presented by Kong, C., and Lauer, S., Immigrant Social Networks Conference, Montreal, June 18, 2024

“Tao Po!: An exploration of the role of Filipino-Canadian neighbourhoods in the anchoring and cultivating Filipino-Canadian community,” presented by Abando, G. I., Canadian Sociological Association Annual Conference, Montreal, June 10, 2024

"Differences that Matter: Friendship Dynamics Among Chinese LGBTQ+ Migrants in North America," presented by Yang, T., and Lauer, S., CMS Annual Research Conference, Vancouver, Canada, May 6, 2024

Media

Rolfsen, E. (2024, February 12). Dating in the digital age: How online dating changes our partner selection. UBC News. https://news.ubc.ca/2024/02/online-dating-partner-selection/

Awards

CSA Outstanding Graduating Student Award, Canadian Sociological Association, awarded to Gabrielle Abando, June 18, 2024

Project Status

This project is currently in the Data Collection and Writing phases.

Keywords

Belonging; community; friendship; migrant integration; social infrastructure

Individual and Structural Barriers to Citizenship Acquisition

Project Overview

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?

Research Design and Methodology

The overall research methodology is mixed. Across the workstreams, multiple approaches are used: analysis of administrative records, surveys and survey experiments, and interviews. Together, the three workstreams form a cohesive mixed-methods design.

Collaborators

University of British Columbia Centre for Migration Studies

Principal Investigator: Vince Hopkins (Assistant Professor, Political Science)
Irene Bloemraad (Professor, Political Science and Sociology)
Antje Ellermann (Professor, Political Science)
Lisa Brunner (Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Migration Studies)
Sandra Schinnerl (Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre for Migration Studies)

University of Toronto

Phil Triadafilopoulos (Professor, Political Science)

Concordia University

Mireille Paquet (Associate Professor, Political Science)

Research Assistants

Carolina Reyes Marquez (Doctoral Student, Political Science, University of Toronto)
Taylor Jackson (Doctoral Student, Political Science, University of Toronto)

Outputs

Conferences & Events

"Political Socialization & Conversational AI: Single vs Repeated Interactions," presented by Laflamme, L., Hopkins, V., Sevi, S., Rubenson, D., American Political Science Association, Vancouver, Canada, December 10, 2025

"Stereotypes of High- and Low-Skilled Immigrants to Canada: Evidence From an Online Pilot Study," presented by Paquet, M., APSA Pre-Conference Event on Narrative and Text Analysis in the Study of Migration and Citizenship, Vancouver, Canada, September 10, 2025

IRCC presentation, presented by Ellermann, A., Schinnerl, S., IRCC (Citizenship branch and Research and Knowledge Mobilization), 27 November, 2025

“The journey to citizenship: Trends and current research,” presented by Schinnerl, S. 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 Schinnerl. S at the Metropolis Identities conference, Vancouver, Canada, October 30-31, 2024

"Perspectives on immigrant employment and the future of work" hybrid event, UBC Centre for Migration Studies, Vancouver, Canada, February 26, 2024

Project Status

This project is currently in the Planning and Data Collection phase.

Keywords

Canadian citizenship; citizenship; citizenship acquisition; structural barriers; naturalization

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This research was undertaken thanks in part to funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.

Population-Based Analysis to Inform Policy and Practice

Project Overview

This project builds on the team’s solid track record of using population-based analyses and mixed-methods contextual analyses to explicate preventable health inequities experienced by immigrant communities in Canada. Consultations with migrant community partners, the national Canadian Institutes of Health Research (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. Large-scale, regularly conducted health surveys in Canada provide opportunities to identify 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?
Is there evidence that BC Ministry of Education policy changes have improved the social safety net for homestay students?
What social determinants of health may explain sexual health and mental health inequities for migrant youth populations, particularly for marginalized migrant youth populations?
How common is food insecurity and unemployment among immigrants and refugees living with mental health issues and/or addiction disorders?

Research Design and Methodology

Mixed-methods approach that involves analyses of existing population-based health surveys from both provincial in-depth repeating surveys such as the British Columbia Adolescent Health Surveys, similar national surveys such as the Health Behaviour of School-Age Children Survey and, for adults, the Canadian Community Health Survey; and the potential to repeat some of these analyses with international surveys in Europe (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children [HBSC] from other countries). The population survey analyses will be followed by qualitative research, in which we present the findings to members of the target populations in focus groups to explore the contexts and perspectives that can help explain the findings, and elicit recommendations for practice and policy changes based on these results. This is part of the research team’s commitment to “nothing about us without us” participatory approaches.

Collaborators

UBC School of Nursing & Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC)

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Saewyc (Professor & Distinguished University Scholar, Director, School of Nursing)
Project Leader: Monica Rana (Managing Director, SARAVYC)
Abdul-Fatawu Abdulai (Assistant Professor, School of Nursing)
Scott Ramsay (Assistant Professor, School of Nursing)
Adi Ferrara (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Nursing)

Toronto Metropolitan University

Mandana Vahabi (Professor and Women’s Health Research Chair, Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing)

University of Regina

Daniel Ji (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work)

Research Assistants

Ohud Alotaibi (Doctoral Student, SARAVYC, UBC)
Ace Chan (Research Assistant, UBC)
Yeshvi Mehta (Research and Community Strategist, SARAVYC, UBC)

Outputs

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Publications

Ji, D., Rana, M., Coronel-Villalobos, M., Hammami, N., & Saewyc, E. (2025). Sexual health behavior trends in a nationally representative sample of Canadian migrant adolescents from 2014 to 2022. BMC public health, 25(1), 3006. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23966-9

Media

“The Morning Edition – Saskatoon with Adam Hunter: A new study highlights the gaps in sexual health education and services for teens new to Canada,” radio interview with E. Saewyc, September 23, 2025.

Conferences & Events

“The Perception Gap: Sexual health among trans and nonbinary vs. cisgender peers in Western Canada,” presented by E. Saewyc at From Awareness to Action: Advancing Sexual Health Promotion, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland, June 26, 2025

“Sexual behaviours among sexual minority migrant adolescents in Western Canada over 20 years,” presented by Marie Louise Umwangange, Health Promotion Annual Conference, Galway, Ireland, 26 June, 2025

“Is it getting better? Trends in sexual behaviours among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and mostly heterosexual (LGB+) adolescents in Western Canada,” presented by M. Rana at From Awareness to Action: Advancing Sexual Health Promotion, University of Galway, Galway, Ireland, June 26, 2025.

“Enacted Stigma, Suicidal Outcomes, and Protective Factors Among Sexual Minority South Asian Youth in Canada: Findings from BC Adolescent Health Survey, 2023,” presented by M. Rana at the World Anti-Bullying Conference, Stavanger, Norway, June 11–13, 2025

“Sexual health behaviours of migrant youth,” poster presented at Public Health 2025 Conference, Winnipeg, Canada, April 29 – May 1, 2025

Project Status

This project is currently in the Data Analysis and Writing phases.

Keywords

Health inequity; immigrant health; mental health; population-based analysis; sexual health

Building Relations through Storytelling

Project Overview

“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?

Methods

Art-Based Methods (Weaving Workshops)
Autoethnography
Oral History
Talking Circles

Collaborators

Principal Investigator: Chepximiya Siyam Chief Janice George, Hereditary Chief, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation
Sussan Yáñez, Cultural Facilitator (Co-Investigator)
Antje Ellermann, Co-Director, UBC Centre for Migration Studies (Co-Investigator)

L’hen Awtxw Weaving House

Outputs

Weaving Workshops

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.

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