Refugee Integration Goes Transnational

Afghans and Ukrainians Prepare for Integration in Canada Before and After Arrival

Bibliographic Data

ID6426173
AuthorsSophie Xiaoyi Liu (0009-0003-1274-6379, Department of Sociology The University of British Columbia Vancouver Canada), A Karimi (0000-0002-9470-0782, Department of Sociology The University of British Columbia Vancouver Canada, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume26
Issue1
Publication date2025-12-09
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGlobal Networks (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1470-2266 • E-ISSN: 1471-0374
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/glob.70042
OpenAlexW4417180391
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited85

What does integration look like when immigrants and refugees mobilize socioeconomic resources before arriving in their new destination countries to proactively navigate the integration process? To date, research in refugee studies has emphasized the importance of socioeconomic capital and access to digital technologies in facilitating employment, housing and language acquisition. In comparison, our empirical insights from 80 interviews with Afghan refugee women and displaced Ukrainians in Canada point to a growing use of online tools and transnational connections in destination countries as strategies for integration. Specifically, our participants relied on online tools and social connections to search for employment and housing opportunities prior to arrival in Canada. Due to the lengthy wait times for accessing language classes upon arrival, many participants, in turn, enrolled in affordable online English classes taught by tutors located in Eastern Europe. By incorporating this transnational digital landscape into current debates on refugee integration, policy and theoretical implications, it suggests that integration is increasingly influenced by transnational and digital dynamics which extend beyond the national boundaries of origin and host countries