Join us for two thought-provoking presentations that explore how smaller cities and rural communities are working to welcome newcomers, and why it’s more important than ever. You’ll hear fresh insights from international fieldwork that reveal what helps immigrants feel at home and how communities can grow stronger by listening to their lived experiences. Whether you’re passionate about inclusion, policy or community well-being, this event will spark ideas and inspire action.
Presentation 1: Rethinking immigration policy in rural and remote regions (Dr. Melissa Kelly and Monisha Poojary)
This presentation shares insights from a global research project, Beyond the Metropolis, that looks at how smaller and more remote cities in Canada, Australia and New Zealand can better support immigrants who choose to stay there long term. Through conversations with newcomers, local leaders and service providers in eight cities, the study explores what helps people feel welcome and connected and what still needs work. The findings offer practical ideas to help communities and policy makers create more inclusive and supportive environments outside major urban centres.
Presentation 2: Understanding newcomers’ place-based lived experiences in small and mid‑sized cities (Dr. Zhixi)
More than 140 small and mid-sized cities in Canada welcome only about 16.6% of newcomers. This shows that even though there are policies to encourage immigration to these areas, more work is needed to make them truly welcoming. Where someone settles really affects how well they adjust in the community. The study uses a mixed-method approach that combines surveys and interviews with local immigration partnership coordinators—key players in developing local settlement infrastructure—with interviews and photovoice with newcomers to explore their lived experiences of space and place. The results show that public spaces like parks, libraries and community centres play a big role in how newcomers feel and settle in. It’s important to support host communities in building welcoming communities and involving newcomers to ensure their voices are included.
Key questions
- How can local leaders and municipalities make newcomers feel more at home in smaller communities?
- Why do places like parks and libraries matter so much to immigrants settling in a new town?
- What does it look like when immigrants help design the programs meant to welcome them?
Speakers
Dr. Melissa Kelly is a migration scholar whose work investigates how international migrants and refugees experience settlement, integration and belonging across diverse urban settings. She holds a PhD in geography from Uppsala University and has held academic roles in South Africa, the UK, Sweden and Canada. Since 2020, she has been with the CERC in Migration and Integration program. Dr. Kelly leads the Beyond the Metropolis project, which advances understanding of international migration to small and midsized cities in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Monisha Poojary is a PhD candidate in Sociology at York University and a research assistant on the Beyond the Metropolis project at CERC Migration and Integration. She has an interdisciplinary background in the fields of sociology, psychology and criminology and is trained in qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. Her research interests include migration and settlement, diaspora formations, and the negotiation of racial and ethnic identities. Monisha’s dissertation uses a panethnic framework to examine how political, cultural, and social factors shape South Asian intergroup dynamics and identity negotiation in the Greater Toronto Area.
Dr. Zhixi Zhuang is a registered professional planner and an associate professor at the School of Urban and Regional Planning, Toronto Metropolitan University. As the academic director of the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement, and founder and director of DiverCityLab (www.divercitylab.com), her research focuses on the intersection of immigrant settlement, urban landscapes and municipal policies. She explores topics related to building welcoming infrastructure in non-traditional gateway cities, immigrant entrepreneurship and city building, ethnic place-making in “third places,” migration and suburban transformation, and the role of municipal planning in immigrant settlement and integration.
Research Matters events organized by the Research and Data Branch allow experts and researchers from different backgrounds to discuss their latest research and share knowledge relevant to IRCC's programs and policies. These presentations are intended for IRCC employees and other interested parties who wish to deepen their understanding of key emerging immigration challenges and trends.
The views expressed and the documents used in the Research Matter Events presentations are solely those of the invited authors and do not reflect those of IRCC or the Government of Canada.
For any questions or suggestions, please contact the Research Matters team.
Additional information
Research at a Glance is designed to inform the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) community and other interested parties about recently published, policy-relevant research from government, academic and NGO sources. The views expressed in the documents described do not necessarily reflect those of IRCC.