Migration Studies Commons^™

Migrant Entrepreneurship, Collective Violence And Xenophobia In South Africa (Migration Policy Series No. 67), Jonathan Crush, Sujata Ramachandran

International Migration Research Centre

The remarkable growth of informal migrant entrepreneurship in South Africa since 1990 would have been much lauded had it not been for the striking detail that the actors in question are seen as “foreigners” or “outsiders”. As such, they are uniformly viewed as undesirable and disadvantaging poor South African citizens. The growing presence of migrants in the informal sector has created various tensions in South Africa, including in government circles, ignoring the fact that in the free market economy of South Africa, immigrants and refugees, like citizens and commercial enterprises, would otherwise enjoy the freedom to establish, operate and expand …

Issue 04: Inventory Of Services Provided To Immigrants And Refugees In The Waterloo Region, J. Fernando Reyes, Margaret Walton-Roberts, Jenna Hennebry

International Migration Research Centre

In this issue of Policy Points we have provided an inventory and assessment of immigrant services providers currently delivered in the Waterloo Region. Local communities play an important role in the settlement of newcomers and their integration into society. Waterloo Region has the fifth-highest immigrant rate in Canada (Statistics Canada, 2007), and in 2009 the Kitchener Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) was 11th highest nationally in terms of the number of immigrants arriving, and the fourth-highest in Ontario (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2011). Furthermore, Waterloo Region is expected to have a significant increase in the immigrant population over the next decades …

Inserting Migrants Into The Global Social Protection Floor, Marie-Hélène Ratel, Gabriel Williams, Keegan Williams

International Migration Research Centre

• The social protection floor (SPF) is a global initiative led by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to provide social security to vulnerable groups.
• The SPF neglects the rapidly growing population of international migrants and focusses principally on citizens from lower-income countries.
• The SPF requires a method to evaluate the social protection gap that exists between citizens and non-citizens in countries that receive migrants in order to improve protections for all.
• The SPF Advisory Group must collaborate more closely with transit and receiving countries, middle- and high-income countries, and regional organizations to reduce the gaps in social protection between citizens and …

Effectively Engaging Diasporas Under The New Canadian Department Of Foreign Affairs, Trade And Development, Manuelle Chanoine, Meredith Giel, Tâmara Simão

International Migration Research Centre

• With the amalgamation of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) into a new Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD), new opportunities will emerge for a coherent approach to diaspora engagement initiatives that combine the existing policy directions under a single umbrella.
• DFATD should work with diasporas in Canada to facilitate and improve engagement with the sending regions. This engagement can occur through current programs, as well as the creation of a new pilot project requiring cooperation between the different policy approaches.
• Engagement should vary according to the different …

Diasporas, Development And Governance In The Global South, Abel Chikanda, Gareth Haysom

International Migration Research Centre

Diasporas are increasingly recognized as key development resources for low- and middle-income countries. Thus, governments in the Global South are turning to their own extra-national diasporic populations in order to boost economic development, build global trading and investment networks and increase their political leverage overseas. The main goals of the conference on Diasporas, Development and Governance in the Global South were to enhance international understanding of the role of diasporas in development, identify best practices for policy engagement of diasporas and facilitate Canadian diaspora engagement in development. The conference focused on three main areas:

• Critical examination of efforts by international …

South Asian Diasporas In Canada, Margaret Walton-Roberts

International Migration Research Centre

In May 2011 over 60 scholars gathered in Canada for a conference on; ‘Assessing the complexities of South Asian Migration’. This special issue of South Asian Diaspora on South Asian diasporas in Canada emerges from this event, and contains papers by scholars from multiple disciplines drawing upon various research methods and theoretical frameworks. As a collection the papers demonstrate the mature and evolving nature of research on Canada’s various South Asian immigrant communities (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and the Maldives). This geographical diversity comprises what is termed ‘South Asia’, according to this journal’s aims and scopes at …

Migration, Urbanization And Food Security In Cities Of The Global South: 26–27 November 2012, Cape Town, South Africa, Jonathan Crush

International Migration Research Centre

• The disjuncture between food security, migration and urbanization must be overcome. It is an institutional as well as a thematic disconnect on a global scale.
• Food security is primarily about access to food, not agricultural production.
• In an increasingly urban world, the locus of food and nutrition security will no longer be rural areas and the global perspective needs to shift appropriately.
• Hunger is a political as well as economic problem and requires state intervention.
• Increasing demand for food needs to be met in ecologically sustainable ways while ensuring that the poor have adequate access to food.
• Migration should be …

Indirect Pathways Into Practice: A Comparative Examination Of Indian And Philippine Internationally Educated Nurses And Their Entry Into Ontario’S Nursing Profession, Margaret Walton-Roberts, Jenna Hennebry

International Migration Research Centre

In Canada half of all internationally educated nurses (IENs) are employed in Ontario, and in 2010 the top three countries where new IENs had received their training were the Philippines, India and China. This presentation reports on preliminary results from an ongoing research project examining the experiences of IENs from the Philippines and India who intend to enter Ontario’s nursing profession indirectly via temporary migration streams. The preliminary survey results will be presented, including differences in the characteristics and experiences of the two groups as they follow migration and occupational pathways to enter Canada and the nursing profession in Ontario. …

The Housing Preferences And Location Choices Of Second Generation South Asians Living In Ethnic Enclaves, Virpal Kataure, Margaret Walton-Roberts

International Migration Research Centre

Canada has experienced the development of suburban ethnic enclaves by established immigrant diaspora groups surrounding major metropolitan centres. However, less is known regarding the housing and location preferences of their maturing offspring population, known as the second-generation. This paper seeks to explain the housing preferences and location choices of second-generation South Asians residing in Brampton's ethnic enclaves, a suburban city on the periphery of Toronto. This research draws on the home leaving process and integrates the theoretical perspectives of ethnic enclaves and the life cycle. A telephone survey conducted in Brampton's ethnic enclaves suggests a dominant preference of low-density, detached-style …

Issue 03: Backgrounder On Safety And Legal Protection Of Irregular Migrants And Volunteer Workers In Mexico, Andrea Pietrzak

International Migration Research Centre

Every year tens of thousands of irregular migrants from Central America cross Mexico’s southern border and attempt to make the 1,000-mile northbound trek to the United States. These migrants make the journey despite increasing threats of violence from organized criminal gangs, corrupt police and security forces members, and private citizens. An investigation by Mexico’s National Commission for Human Rights in 2010 found that more than 11,000 irregular migrants were kidnapped nation-wide, with an unknown number violently assaulted and raped. In an urgent action report issued on July 27, 2012, Amnesty International stated that irregular migrants, and the volunteers who assist …

Contextualizing The Global Nursing Care Chain: International Migration And The Status Of Nursing In Kerala, India, Margaret Walton-Roberts

International Migration Research Centre

In this article I explore the issue of nursing status in Kerala, India and how over time a colonial discourse of caste‐based pollution has given way to a discourse of sexual pollution under expanding migratory opportunities. Based on survey and qualitative research findings, I caution that the improving occupational status of nursing in India is not directly mapped onto social status, and this is particularly evident in the matrimonial market. In the light of these findings I argue that global nursing care chain (GNCC) analysis must assess more than just workplace contexts in order to conceptualize how global care chains …

Issue 02: Key Issues & Recommendations For Canada’S Temporary Foreign Worker Program: Reducing Vulnerabilities & Protecting Rights, Jenna Hennebry, Janet Mclaughlin

International Migration Research Centre

In this issue of Policy Points we have identified some of the most significant rights issues facing Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) in Canada based on our empirical research amassed over a decade of study. In order to address these problems, we have provided a number of recommendations for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) with an emphasis on some of the most vulnerable workers – those in the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training (NOC C & D Pilot), and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). While recognizing that there are jurisdictional differences and many other …

Determinants Of Health Of Migrant Farm Workers In Canada, Janet Mclaughlin

International Migration Research Centre

Despite wide indications that migrant farm workers (MFWs) comprise a particularly vulnerable subset of the temporary foreign worker population, relatively little attention has been paid to their health issues. This article describes major health concerns among MFWs in Canada, reviews the social determinants of health of particular importance to this population, and notes research and policy implications. Findings are drawn primarily from two recent literature reviews conducted for the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Issue 01: Backgrounder On Health And Safety For Migrant Farmworkers In Canada, Janet Mclaughlin, Jenna Hennebry

International Migration Research Centre

Annually, approximately 30,000 migrant farmworkers come to work across Canada from countries such as Mexico, Jamaica, Guatemala, the Philippines and Thailand through Canada’s Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP) and the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training (NOC C and D). Their health and safety has long been a neglected area of research, but several recent studies have now shed light on some important issues of concern. Despite these studies’ diverse contexts (Ontario and British Columbia) and methods (quantitative questionnaires and qualitative ethnography) the similar findings in each study demonstrate consistent patterns. The purpose of this backgrounder …

Organizing From The Maquiladoras To The University: Dialogue And Reflections Among Women Migrant And Maquiladora Workers In Mexico, Evelyn Encalada Grez

International Migration Research Centre

n February researchers from the International Migration Research Centre (IMRC) participated in “the First Forum on International Migration and Transnational Studies” hosted by the “Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla” (BUAP) in the capital of the state of Puebla in Mexico. This forum was part of a joint initiative with the centre through a Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) “North American Research Linkages” grant. The forum convened researchers from all over Mexico, as well as Europe, Canada and the United States, to discuss points of interest in the ample field of transnational migration studies.

The IMRC sponsored a …

The Impact Of English Language Proficiency And Workplace Readiness On The Employment Outcomes Of Tertiary International Students (Executive Summary), Sophie Arkoudis, Lesleyanne Hawthorne, Chi Baik, Graeme Hawthorne, Kieran O’Loughlin, Dan Leach, Emmaline Bexley

International Migration Research Centre

This project examines the influence of English language proficiency (ELP) on workplace readiness and employment outcomes for international students and graduates who seek to work in Australia. The study adopts a mixed method approach involving a detailed review of relevant literature, semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups, and quantitative analyses of three statistical data sets — Australian 2006 Census data, Australian Education International (AEI) data from January 2002 to June 2008, and the former Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (October 2005 and October 2006).

The qualitative data from the interviews …

The Impact Of English Language Proficiency And Workplace Readiness On The Employment Outcomes Of Tertiary International Students (Full Report), Sophie Arkoudis, Lesleyanne Hawthorne, Chi Baik, Graeme Hawthorne, Kieran O’Loughlin, Dan Leach, Emmaline Bexley

International Migration Research Centre

This project examines the influence of English language proficiency (ELP) on workplace readiness and employment outcomes for international students and graduates who seek to work in Australia. The study adopts a mixed method approach involving a detailed review of relevant literature, semi-structured individual interviews and focus groups, and quantitative analyses of three statistical data sets — Australian 2006 Census data, Australian Education International (AEI) data from January 2002 to June 2008, and the former Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (October 2005 and October 2006).

The qualitative data from the interviews …

Diasporas And Development: An Assessment Of The Irish Experience For The Caribbean, Indianna D. Minto

International Migration Research Centre

Dialogue on diasporas and their role in the development of the home country has grown in the last twenty years and Caribbean states have begun to identify ways they can engage their nationals residing abroad in this process. Those in the region looking to harness the power of the diaspora have turned their attention to the example of Ireland, a country with a large diaspora that has contributed significantly to its national advancement. By highlighting the lessons of the Irish experience, this paper argues that while the Caribbean’s diaspora has the desire to contribute and does help through remittances, there …

India-Canada Trade And Immigration Linkages: A Case Of Regional (Dis)Advantage?, Margaret Walton-Roberts

International Migration Research Centre

This paper reports of the first part of a comparative international study on the relationship between trade and immigration in the case of Canada-India relations. Subsequent papers will report on the Australia-India case. The research examines the perceptions of traders and government and trade officials with regard to how they interpret the links between immigration and trade. The research highlights how specific immigration networks between India and Canada, and various Canadian policy contexts have been seen to restrain the successful development of India-Canadian relations.

Migrant Rights Are Human Rights, Jenna Hennebry

International Migration Research Centre

Although it is the case that a rights discourse has become part of everyday language, the discourse remains relatively weak when it comes to migrant workers in Canada and around the world. Most certainly, the rights discourse has not been translated into everyday practices that protect the rights of migrant workers and their families worldwide. In fact, although we have the language of rights clearly articulated in the 1990 UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW) which offers significant protections for migrant workers, Canada and most other receiving …

Immigration, The University, And The Tolerant Second-Tier City, Margaret Walton-Roberts

International Migration Research Centre

Background
The ongoing geographical shift in immigrant settlement patterns and the related settlement experiences of immigrants outside of the largest national cities continues to be of interest to policy makers, practitioners, and researchers alike. This paper explores recent immigration to Kitchener- Waterloo (K-W), a second-tier city (STC) in Ontario, through the conceptual lens of the creative community and the role of the university.

Purpose
Qualitative research on immigrant settlement in Kitchener-Waterloo (K-W), Ontario has revealed the important role played by the region’s universities in attracting immigrants, but also in creating the feeling of a safe and welcoming space. This paper …

Demography, Migration And Demand For International Students, Lesleyanne Hawthorne

International Migration Research Centre

The following sections are included:

• DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT AND THE LOOMING ‘WAR FOR SKILLS’

• THE ATTRACTION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AS SKILLED MIGRANTS

• GROWING GLOBAL COMPETITION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

• TWO INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MIGRATION CASE STUDIES

  • Foreign Doctoral Students in the US

  • Australia

• INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MIGRATION: SELECT POLICY CHALLENGES

• REFERENCES