Social engagement and integration: public policies for resettled refugees in Canada

Abstract

This dissertation compares integration outcomes for refugees resettled in Canada through the Government-assisted and Private-sponsored resettlement programs. Using data from the 2016 Canadian Census, I measured the economic, political, and social dimensions of integration for refugees resettled in Canada from 1980 to 2016. Even though integration results for all refugees tend to converge in the long-run, when separated into different periods, data shows that privately-sponsored refugees integrate faster than government-assisted refugees. Since both groups are subjected to similar contextual factors, the variation in refugee integration outcomes can be accounted for by the differences in the policy design behind the two resettlement programs. In particular, I argue that the integration differences between refugees resettled through the Government-assisted and Private-sponsored programs are attributable to the extent to which each program promotes social connections between refugees and their host communities. This study hopes to emphasize the need to take into account social engagement in the design of public policies for refugee and migrant integration.