Research summary
Newcomers make up 22 per cent of Canada’s population, so immigration research is an important field of study. Although Canadian immigration studies are thriving, the COVID-19 pandemic has created significant economic, social and health changes to the field. As Canada Research Chair in Migration Futures, Dr. Lori Wilkinson aims to better connect immigration research with the immigrant settlement sector.
She and her research team are studying the socio-economic outcomes of government-imposed social and economic COVID-19 restrictions for newcomers and conducting a detailed examination of the nature of racism in Canada. They are also creating a centre that will directly respond to research questions from the community while providing training opportunities for junior scholars. Ultimately, their aim is to generate and share immigration and refugee research to support policy decisions and create new programing that will encourage the successful integration of newcomers to Canada.