UBC Centre for Migration Studies

Cover of a Migration Insights Series research brief titled “Integration Starts Abroad: How Technology Shapes Displaced Newcomers’ Integration in Canada.” The design features purple and blue tones with a photo of a person using a smartphone.

Four years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, millions remain displaced. New research by Sophie Xiaoyi Liu and Dr. Aryan Karimi shows many displaced newcomers prepare for housing and jobs before arriving in Canada, a process they call transnational integration.

🔗 Read the brief: shorturl.at/Hawwp

@acri-uts.bsky.social

The CMS Mobilities research group invites you to a talk by Prof. Wanning Sun on March 16 from 3:00 to 4:30 PM in C.K. Choi 351, examining Chinese-language media, transnational platforms, and political belonging among PRC immigrants in Australia.

🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

#MigrationResearch #DataChallenge #HousingPolicy #CanadianResearch #StudentOpportunity

We are Accepting Applications for this Year’s Bridging Divides Migration Data Challenge. Uncover Insights. Tell Stories with Data. Drive Impact. Up to $10,000 in prizes Open to students at TMU, UofA, UBC and Concordia University Apply by: April 1, 2026

🎓 Students at UBC looking to tackle the intersection of immigration and housing in Canada? Apply to the @bridgdivides.bsky.social Migration Data Challenge 2026! Access exclusive data from the CMHC. Win up to $10,000.

👉 Deadline: April 1, 2026
🔗 migration.ubc.ca/news/bridgin...

@bridgdivides.bsky.social

Registrations are now open for the 2026 CMS Migration & Inclusion Conference!

📅 April 27, 2026, 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM PST
📍 Liu Institute for Global Issues, xʷθəθiqətəm (Place of Many Trees), UBC Vancouver, Canada

🔗 Full details and registration: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

What can Canadian-produced series Heated Rivalry reveal about Canada’s image as a “queer utopia,” especially for newcomers and refugees? Join @lisabrunner.bsky.social, Bridging Divides Research Associate, for on online discussion on March 4, 2026: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

@migration.ubc.ca

Not all pathways to permanent residence lead to the same outcomes.

New IRPP research by Rupa Banerjee shows that the type of temporary permit can shape long-term economic prospects in Canada.

A key issue for the future of immigration policy: centre.irpp.org/research-stu...

Call for Papers Trust to Impact: Trustworthy and Responsible AI for Citizenship, Migration and Social Good (TIAI) Submission Deadline: April 17, 2026

📣 #CFP: Bridging Divides researchers Reza Samavi and Naimul Khan will be hosting a workshop on May 25, 2026, focusing on responsible and trustworthy AI at the intersection of technology, society and policy. Deadline to submit abstracts: April 1, 2026.

Learn more: www.torontomu.ca/bridging-div...

Discover how marriage, race, and geopolitics intersect in Reform-era China. Join us for a conversation on Post-Soviet Brides in the China Dream with Prof. Elena Barabantseva (@manchester.ac.uk).

📅 March 12 | 11:00–12:30 PM
📍 Buchanan Tower, Room 225

🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

"We need to address public concerns by clearly articulating how a balanced, skilled immigration system benefits the nation as a whole.” Latest research from Bridging Divides researcher Vince Hopkins shows how policy communication can shift support for low-skilled immigration in Canada. Learn more ⬇️

Register for the talk: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

On March 2, Prof. Margarita Mondaca (Community Medicine & Rehabilitation, Umeå University) presents "Addressing Health Inequalities in Racialized and Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Areas in Sweden."

Read the Q&A: migration.ubc.ca/news/speaker...

#HealthInequalities #CommunityEngagedResearch

Watch as our own Professor @alibhagat.bsky.social discusses how narratives of safety, belonging, and nationhood are constructed for refugees, immigrants, and newcomers.
#sfuspp

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UBC Centre for Migration Studies event poster titled 'Heated Rivalry: Immigration, Safety, and Queer Belonging in Canada.' Features image from the Heated Rivalry show. Includes portraits of four speakers: Dr. JP Catungal, Dr. Ali Bhagat, Aleks Dughman-Manzur, and Dr. Lisa Brunner (moderator). Event details: March 6, 12:00–1:15 PM, Online.

How is Canada’s global “queer utopia” imagined – and unsettled – by borders and immigration policy? Using the Heated Rivalry show as a lens, this panel explores safety, belonging, and nationhood for refugees and newcomers.

🗓 March 6 | 12:00–1:15 PM | Online

🔗 Register now: shorturl.at/367pw

Call for Papers – Complex Migration Pathways: Insights from Asia

Inviting migration researchers! #CFP - Complex Migration Pathways: Insights from Asia

❗Deadline: Feb. 25, 2026

For more details on submission topics and how to submit, visit: www.torontomu.ca/global-migra...

#CallforPapers #MigrationResearch #Migration

Hiring: Research Assistant Migration Communication and Social Media Apply by March 1, 2026

📣 #Hiring: Research Assistant: Migration Communication and Social Media (Qualitative Methods). Apply by: March 1, 2026
📍 Toronto or Montreal (hybrid possible)

We are seeking an experienced qualitative researcher fluent in English and French, learn more: www.torontomu.ca/bridging-div...

New report identifies systemic racism in immigration detention, calls for abolition - UBC News A new report reveals how Canada’s immigration detention system disproportionately impacts racialized people—especially Black men—and calls for a gradual move toward abolition.

A new report co-authored by @allard.ubc.ca
Dr. Efrat Arbel reveals how Canada’s immigration detention system disproportionately impacts racialized people—especially Black men—and calls for a gradual move toward abolition.

news.ubc.ca/2026/02/new-...

WDCAG 2026 Conference Submission ​Deadline February 18th!

Graduate and Undergraduate Research Presentations Welcome!

For further information please visit the WDCAG206 conference website ​(blogs.ubc.ca/wdcag26a/)

New research by Prof. Karun K. Karki shows how skilled immigrants’ credentials are often devalued through gatekeeping and “local” bias, especially for racialized migrants in BC. Real integration requires institutional change, not just individual adaptation.

🔗 Read more: doi.org/10.1017/rep....

@bridgdivides.bsky.social

🆕 Research Brief | While Canadians tend to favour high-skilled immigrants, research by Dr. Vince Hopkins and colleagues shows that emphasizing the economic contributions of low-skilled workers can boost public support for expanding low-skilled immigration.

🔗 Read more: url-shortener.me/C7PT

We are deeply shocked and saddened by the shootings at Tumbler Ridge and extend our deepest sympathy to all those impacted. This is a truly horrific event, and our hearts are with the community and all British Columbians.

University members seeking support can find resources here: bit.ly/460hpjY

New research by Karun K. Karki explores South Asian international students’ experiences in Canadian higher ed, from cultural adaptation and academic pressure to financial strain and navigating support, calling for more culturally responsive support and policy reform.

🔗 Read more: shorturl.at/WSxLi

Join us March 2 for the final CMS Speaker Series event with Dr. Margarita Mondaca (Umeå University): “Addressing Health Inequalities in Racialized and Socioeconomic Disadvantaged Areas in Sweden.”

🕚 11:45 AM – 1:45 PM
📍 IKBLC, Dodson Room (302) / Online

🔗 Register: migration.ubc.ca/events/event...

Join us Tues Feb 10th for our next Geography Colloquium with Dan Hiebert, Professor Emeritus, UBC Geography.

Immigration Levels Planning in Canada: Balancing Complex Demographic Trade-offs

Event info: geog.ubc.ca/events/event...

Happening tomorrow, there’s still time to register!

A webinar on what 2026 could mean for Canada’s immigration policy, with @cbreton.bsky.social, Irene Bloemraad & @mireillepaquet.bsky.social.

👉 irpp.org/irpp-event/c...

@migration.ubc.ca, @irms-concordia.bsky.social

Get to know Claudia M. Serrano, Doctoral Candidate in Political Science at UBC, and learn about her research on border control, migrant safety, and critical border studies, as well as her advice for graduate students navigating critical migration studies.

🔗 Read the Q&A: shorturl.at/PM861