UBC Centre for Migration Studies

Bill C-12 marks one of the most significant overhauls of Canada's immigration and refugee system in recent years. On #WorldRefugeeDay, it's worth understanding what it means for refugee claimants, temporary migrants, and the organizations that serve them. 🔗 Read the explainer: shorturl.at/rr5aC

📢 Calling all UBC students! Apply to the Build a Bridge Innovation Challenge for a chance to win up to $4,000 per team. Compete to design and build an AI-enabled Minimum Viable Product that addresses barriers to immigrant inclusion. ‼️ Deadline: Oct. 15, 2026. Learn More: bit.ly/buildabridge...

Affiliate in Focus 🔍 | In this Q&A, we speak with CMS Affiliate Daljit Gill-Badesha, CEO of @amssa.bsky.social (Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC). 🔗 Read interview: migration.ubc.ca/news/affilia...

Calling journalists! Apply to the @globalmigrationtmu.bsky.social and @bridgdivides.bsky.social Journalism Fellowship at @torontomet.bsky.social by Nov. 1, 2026. $5,000 CAD stipend, collaborative environment, dedicated academic host, networking opportunities, and more. Info ➡️ bit.ly/jrn-fellowsh...

⚡️New Research Brief! After the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, a government program relocated “at risk” communities to safer, integrated settlements. This brief outlines how shortcomings in addressing economic and cultural values led to “circular resettlement.” Read the brief: tinyurl.com/3spfm8x6

Most regional immigration programs are built on the assumption that the main challenge is getting newcomers to arrive. But a new policy brief by Michael Haan, Lindsay Finlay and Taylor Paul suggests a bigger challenge is getting them to stay. centre.irpp.org/research-studies/encourage-immigrants/

📕 #NewPublication: Migrant Workers and the Ambiguities of Digitally Mediated Work in Canada, by Bridging Divides researcher Suzanne Huot and postdoc María Cervantes Macías. Drawing on interviews with 50 migrants on their experiences with gig and remote work in Canada. Learn more ⬇️

While gig work is appreciated for its flexibility and accessibility, new Bridging Divides research shows that immigration policies and digital platforms deny newcomer gig workers basic social protection, trapping them in long-term precarity. 📕 #NewPublication by postdoc María Cervantes Macías ⤵️

We are looking forward to the Narratives of Citizenship exhibition, featuring experiences of citizenship, belonging, and Truth and Reconciliation at the MOSAIC Moves Walkathon. Join us at the Walkathon and explore the exhibition. Learn more and register ⬇️

MOSAIC Moves Walkathon 👟 takes place Aug 16, 10 AM-2 PM, at Swangard Stadium, Burnaby. Stop by the CMS booth for the Photo Narratives of Citizenship exhibition, with photos and reflections on citizenship, belonging, and Truth and Reconciliation! 🔗 Register: mosaicbc.org/mosaic-walka...

New research always brings exciting insights, even into existing projects. Big congratulations to our Bridging Divides colleagues at UBC, Annamma Joy and Xiaojun Li! 👏

Affiliate in Focus 🔍 | Koyali Burman, CMS Community Advisory Board member and Director of VLIP, discusses her career in settlement and international development, the barriers newcomers face, and the research and partnerships needed for more inclusive communities. 🔗 migration.ubc.ca/news/affilia...

CMS Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. María Cervantes Macías discusses how migrants' backgrounds, aspirations, and opportunities shape the meaning of permanent residency in Canada. 🔗 Read more: www.thestar.com/news/canada/...

UBC Political Science students partnered with the @governmentofbc.bsky.social on a behavioural policy project improving communication about settlement & integration services for newcomers. 🤝 Read the Q&A with Prof. Vince Hopkins & Dr. Sandra Schinnerl. 🔗 migration.ubc.ca/news/from-cl...

A new op-ed by Bridging Divides researcher Daniel Hiebert explores why Canada needs a population balancing strategy. Give it a read ⤵️ #MigrationResearch #PopulationStrategy

Very soon, immigration will be responsible for all of Canada's population growth. In this op-ed, Prof. Emer. Daniel Hiebert (@ubcgeography.bsky.social) lays out what a coherent, long-term strategy for balancing immigration, aging, and growth should look like. 🔗 Read more: shorturl.at/FztYX

🆕 As governments invest in migration information campaigns, Dr. Helena Zeweri’s research examines how Australia used culturally tailored messaging to deter Afghan Hazara asylum seekers, framing deterrence as a humanitarian measure. 🔗 Read the brief: migration.ubc.ca/publications...

Canada's Family Class Program still clings to a narrow, traditional definition of family. A new brief by Megan Gaucher makes the case for a more inclusive, coherent family reunification system. Read the brief and discover her 4 recommendations to modernize it: centre.irpp.org/research-stu...

What holds multiculturalism together? New research by Sophie Liu, Aryan Karimi & Thomas Kemple finds that newcomers from Ukraine and Afghanistan held on to a middle-class identity, and that a shared economic footing eased their sense of belonging with Canadian-born residents. 🔗 shorturl.at/LUfhl

📢 #JobOpportunity: We are hiring a Senior Research Associate to support with research development, fundraising, knowledge mobilization, and cross-theme collaboration. 🔗 https://www.torontomu.ca/careers/research-staff-opportunities/senior-research-associate-immigrant-health-wellbeing-june-8-2026/

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. We encourage researchers to sit with their projects and think of avenues where reciprocal relations can be pursued. 1/3

📣 Last chance for UBC Vancouver students to join the 2026-27 cohort! Submit your application by 11:59 PM PDT today. 🔗 migration.ubc.ca/graduate-stu...

For #WRD2026, MAP BC and CMS host a timely panel on Bill C‑12—bringing legal, practitioner & academic perspectives on what’s at stake, what comes next, and where there is room for advocacy and solidarity. 📅 June 22 | 1:00–2:30 PM 📍 312 Main, Vancouver 🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

📢 Calling migration researchers! #CFP The 2027 IMISCOE Spring Conference, hosted by Bridging Divides and @globalmigrationtmu.bsky.social will take place March 10-12, 2027. The Call for Papers is open! Deadline to submit: June 26, 2026 Learn more: www.imiscoe.org/events/imisc... 1/2 🧵

🆕 Many Korean labour migrants in Canada seek a quieter, less competitive way of life. Through “micro‑networking”—keeping small, private circles—they find calm, but research by Dr. Kyong Yoon shows it can also lead to a decreased sense of belonging. 🔗 Read the brief: shorturl.at/WvqAV

📢 One week left to apply for the 2026-27 Graduate Certificate in Migration Studies! Build research skills, explore career opportunities beyond academia, and join a cross-disciplinary community. Open to all UBC Vancouver grad students. 🔗 Apply by June 15: migration.ubc.ca/graduate-stu...

Join MAP BC and CMS for #WorldRefugeeDay2026. This year’s event examines the impact of Bill C‑12 on asylum seekers: their rights, access to essential services, and sense of belonging in Canada. 📆 June 22 | 12:00 - 3:30 PM 📍 312 Main St, Vancouver, BC 🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

Is Canada’s asylum policy creating unintended consequences? A new IRPP brief by Audrey Macklin argues that the Canada–U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement has pushed asylum seekers toward dangerous irregular crossings while limiting refugee protection. 👉 centre.irpp.org/research-stu... @utoronto.ca

International students have been blamed for Canada’s housing crisis—but where’s the evidence? A review by Dr. Hassan Bashir and Dr. Kashif Raza found just 7 studies in 10 years on students, housing & higher ed, revealing a big gap between public debate and research. 🔗 Read more: surl.li/iwtwqs

📢 Applications open: UBC Graduate Certificate in Migration Studies (2026–27). Build migration expertise through an interdisciplinary program that complements any UBC graduate degree! Open to UBC Vancouver grad students Deadline: June 15, 11:59 PM PDT 🔗 Learn more: migration.ubc.ca/graduate-stu...

For the first time, the Bridging Divides Annual Conference will be hosted in Montreal! Led by colleagues from @irms-concordia.bsky.social, the theme is advanced digital technologies between empowerment, control and exclusion in migration journeys. 🔗 sites.events.concordia.ca/sites/concor...

📣 UBC Vancouver graduate students: Applications for the CMS Graduate Certificate in Migration Studies open Tuesday, May 19! The list of approved elective graduate courses for the 2026-2027 academic year is now available. Start planning your application! 🔗 migration.ubc.ca/graduate-stu...

💻 Digital tech is increasingly shaping how migrants find work and navigate labour systems. Day two of the Bridging Divides Annual Conference will feature a panel exploring this intersection. All sessions are hybrid. Learn more: sites.events.concordia.ca/sites/concor... @irms-concordia.bsky.social

Save the date! We are excited to announce that we will be hosting the 2027 @imiscoe.bsky.social Spring Conference in collaboration with the @globalmigrationtmu.bsky.social from March 10-12, 2027, at @torontomet.bsky.social. 🔗 Learn more: www.imiscoe.org/events/imisc... 1/2 🧵

Canada’s migrant integration system is under pressure. A new IRPP paper by F. Leslie Seidle examines how lower immigration targets + funding cuts are affecting the settlement sector. 🔎Explore his recommendations to strengthen Canada’s integration model: centre.irpp.org/research-stu...

On Mon, 27 April, @migration.ubc.ca held its 2026 CMS Migration & Integration Conference at UBC in Vancouver. Researchers at all stages shared work on migration and integration. An encouraging space to test ideas and practise giving and receiving feedback. Congratulations to all! migration.ubc.ca

What do Afghan diasporic & national experiences reveal about power after withdrawal? New paper by CMS affiliate Helena Zeweri shows how immigration bureaucracy—delays, complex forms, costs—extends U.S. influence post-withdrawal as imperial abandonment. 🔗 www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

How can Canada’s immigration system adapt amidst ongoing turbulence? How can we rebuild public trust while strengthening international protection? These are some of the key questions shaping the kickoff at the 2026 Bridging Divides Conference. A timely conversation at a critical moment!

CMS Research Associate @lisabrunner.bsky.social argues that "Canada doesn't just need tighter controls; it needs a predictable international education system with clearly defined entry and transition pathways over a multi-year horizon." 🔗 Read more: sl1nk.com/0f48efx

🆕 Research by Dr. Amanda Cheong & Hilal Kina shows hospital-code estimates overstate the #BirthTourism phenomenon and overlook the diverse experiences of non-resident mothers in Canada. 🔗 Read the brief: shorturl.at/Ii1gK