The Economic Transitions of Refugees Resettling in Rural Nova Scotia Since 2015: Learning from Refugee Newcomers, Sponsorship Groups, and Employers

The project explores the facilitators and barriers to the successful economic transitions of privately sponsored refugees resettled in rural areas of Nova Scotia since 2015. While acknowledging differences in pre-migration experiences, we seek to better understand 1) the post-migration factors shaping their economic transitions, such as gender, parental status, race, age and health; 2) how refugees’ transitions are informed by cultural, intercultural, economic, and social variables; and 3) how resettlement by private sponsors in rural settings influences refugees’ economic transitions. A qualitative research design will be used to learn from refugees resettled in rural and remote areas of Nova Scotia, the volunteers who provide/d resettlement support, and the employers who hire/d newcomers. This study will help explain why privately sponsored refugees tend to integrate into the economy more rapidly and securely compared to government-sponsored refugees. This project is done in partnership with Syria Antigonish Families Embrace, SAFE, a community-based refugee sponsorship group established in Antigonish Nova Scotia in 2015.

Faculty Supervisor:

Norine Verberg

Student:

Carrigan Martell

Partner:

Syria Antigonish Families Embrace

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

St. Francis Xavier University