For many displaced newcomers, integration into the host country is a complex process. Increasingly, newcomers use online platforms and transnational social connections to prepare their settlement and integration both before and after arrival in Canada.
Displaced newcomers are using digital tools and social networks to secure housing and jobs before arrival—a process of transnational early integration. Research by CMS affiliates Sophie Xiaoyi Liu and Dr. Aryan Karimi with Afghan refugees and displaced Ukrainians reveals that while this strategy accelerates pre-arrival resettlement, it also exposes them to misinformation and online hostility.
“We show that many newcomers, such as Afghan refugees and displaced Ukrainians coming to Canada, are already building employment, housing, language skills, and community support through digital and transnational networks before they arrive—redefining how integration takes place.”
Key Findings
- Displaced newcomers use digital technology to support their resettlement before arriving in Canada. Information about employment, housing, and government services comes from websites and online personal connections.
- Social media provides essential immigration information, but also exposes newcomers to misinformation and potential discrimination. This can exacerbate psychological health risks and migration anxieties for displaced newcomers.
- Many displaced newcomers rely on trusted family and friends in Canada to overcome integration barriers. While newcomers used online platforms, their lack of references in Canada made it difficult to secure housing and jobs without the support of trusted individuals already in Canada.
Recommendations
- Governments should provide comprehensive pre-arrival and post-arrival integration information on official websites. This can include information on services and NGO resources to ensure refugees have reliable settlement information.
- Policymakers should subsidize early language training for refugee newcomers, funding courses inside and outside Canada to remove early integration barriers.
Implications for Current Events
February 2026 marks four years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a conflict that forced millions of Ukrainians to seek safety abroad. Canada is one of the major destinations for displaced Ukrainians after introducing the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), which offered accelerated temporary status for displaced Ukrainians. By April 1, 2024, the program received nearly 1.2 million applications and approved over 960,000. After obtaining travel authorization, the next challenge for Ukrainians is navigating integration from a crisis zone to a new life in Canada.
Sophie Xiaoyi Liu and Dr. Aryan Karimi, in their new research, studied the integration experiences of both Afghan refugees and displaced Ukrainians in Canada. They found that refugees seek to secure housing and employment before they even arrive in Canada, a phenomenon they described as transnational integration. To do that, many refugees used a mix of official government portals, social media platforms, and social connections in Canada to secure these essentials from overseas. However, their widespread use of digital tools also sometimes exposed them to misinformation and anti-immigrant hostility, complicating their integration into Canada.
About the Authors
Sophie Xiaoyi Liu is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of British Columbia, specializing in the sociology of law, race/ethnicity, and migration. She examines how knowledge of and experiences with the law shape the ways marginalized groups engage with legal practices in the North American context. Her dissertation examines pathways to justice for hate incident victims in Canada, with a particular focus on the experiences of Asian minorities. She employs diverse methodologies to explore these issues, including survey experiments, in-depth interviews, and computational text analysis.
Aryan Karimi is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. He studies migration and refugee flows, the role of ethnic and racial boundaries in assimilation practices, and the daily lived experiences of racialized refugee and diasporic communities. His research engages with immigrants/refugees from the Middle East, North Africa, Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa, with particular attention to the links between pre- and post-migration experiences and the broader transnational legacies that shape migration.
Capri Kong is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. She holds a BA degree and a Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia. Her current research studies the characteristics and dynamics of friendship networks among first- and second-generation immigrants and their influence on immigrants’ sense of belonging and integration into Canadian society.
Original Research
Liu, Sophie Xiaoyi, and Aryan Karimi. 2026. “Refugee Integration Goes Transnational: Afghans and Ukrainians Prepare for Integration in Canada Before and After Arrival.” Global Networks 26, no. 1: e70042.
Copyright: UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Availability: Web & Print
Publication date: March 5, 2026
Pages: 3
This publication is part of the CMS Migration Insights Series. The research briefs synthesize peer-reviewed, published academic research by CMS affiliates.