Kara Somerville
Biographic Data
| ID | 3672980 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kara Somerville |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kara |
| FAMILY NAME | Somerville |
| SIGNATURE | SOMERVILLE K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Saskatchewan |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 43 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2004 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The Professionalization Journey of Immigrant Influencers
Legal immigration decisions in the current political climate are a quagmire. Rising tensions and changing policies around immigration in Canada have created an environment of heightened uncertainty and information gaps. Immigrant influencers represent a mechanism to overcome some challenges faced by potential migrants; however, they remain under-researched. This paper describes the professionalization journey of immigrant influencers in Canada. U…
Building, negotiating and sustaining transnational social networks
International student migration (ISM) is one of the fastest growing categories of migrants in Canada. Drawing on the narratives of 30 international students at a Canadian university, this paper investigates international students' decisions to study overseas and the roles of social networks in shaping mobility. We find that international students negotiate information while embedded in multiple social networks consisting of family, friends, ethno…
The importance of weak friendships for international student satisfaction
Intergenerational Relations and Gendered Social Surveillance of Second-Generation South Asians
Anchored in the literature on gendered transnationalism, the current study examines intergenerational relations. Based on 30 in-depth interviews with second-generation South Asians in Toronto, findings suggest that these youth experience tensions with their immigrant parents due to what they interpret as their parents' lack of understanding about the socially acceptable norms that regulate Canadian adolescence. Young South Asian men and women rep…
Understanding friendship formation between international and host-national students in a Canadian university
Canada is known for its multiculturalism and is a major receiving country for international students. The successful integration of international students relies to some extent on positive social interaction and friendship formation with host-national students, which has been linked to a variety of positive outcomes. Nevertheless, consistent with existing research, we discover that international students develop their closest friendships with co-…
Keeping Up Appearances Within the Ethnic Community
Second generation South Asian youth are defined as part of the model minority based on their educational success in Canada and elsewhere. The literature explaining these successes highlight parental pressures as a determinant. Based on a qualitative study of South Asian second generation youth in Toronto, we examine their educational experiences, and their interpretations of these experiences. We find that there is a disconnect between the first …
Information sources and knowledge transfer to future migrants
There is widespread recognition of the employment problems facing skilled immigrants in Canada. As a result, research reports high levels of frustration and anger over immigrants’ failed attempts to secure employment in Canada that is commensurate with their foreign-earned credentials and experience. Furthermore, research suggests that these employment problems are largely unanticipated by immigrants. As these employment difficulties have been ob…
Strategic Migrant Network Building and Information Sharing
This article explores the migrant networks that develop between migrants, non‐migrants and the larger Indian diaspora. Specifically, it examines the decision to migrate to Toronto, Canada and how this decision is shaped by, and in turn shapes the migrant network. Based on 35 interviews with migrants from Karnataka, South India, two main findings are presented. First, migrants are deliberately choosing settlement countries in which their families …
Admission and Employment Criteria Discrepancies
Vulnerabilities of Highly Skilled Immigrants in Canada and the United States
Despite similar permanent status immigration categories (Economic, Family, and Refugee), the experiences of skilled immigrants in Canada and the United States are quite different. The point system used to select applicants for the Economic Class in Canada makes skilled immigrants vulnerable to a number of perils after the migrant lands. Foreign credentials and work experience are discounted by Canadian employers, who also impose a discriminatory …
Institutional change and emerging cohorts of the “New” immigrant second generation
Strategic Migrant Network Building and Information Sharing
This article explores the migrant networks that develop between migrants, non‐migrants and the larger Indian diaspora. Specifically, it examines the decision to migrate to Toronto, Canada and how this decision is shaped by, and in turn shapes the migrant network. Based on 35 interviews with migrants from Karnataka, South India, two main findings are presented. First, migrants are deliberately choosing settlement countries in which their families …
Admission and Employment Criteria Discrepancies
The importance of weak friendships for international student satisfaction
Understanding friendship formation between international and host-national students in a Canadian university
Canada is known for its multiculturalism and is a major receiving country for international students. The successful integration of international students relies to some extent on positive social interaction and friendship formation with host-national students, which has been linked to a variety of positive outcomes. Nevertheless, consistent with existing research, we discover that international students develop their closest friendships with co-…
Keeping Up Appearances Within the Ethnic Community
Second generation South Asian youth are defined as part of the model minority based on their educational success in Canada and elsewhere. The literature explaining these successes highlight parental pressures as a determinant. Based on a qualitative study of South Asian second generation youth in Toronto, we examine their educational experiences, and their interpretations of these experiences. We find that there is a disconnect between the first …
Building, negotiating and sustaining transnational social networks
International student migration (ISM) is one of the fastest growing categories of migrants in Canada. Drawing on the narratives of 30 international students at a Canadian university, this paper investigates international students' decisions to study overseas and the roles of social networks in shaping mobility. We find that international students negotiate information while embedded in multiple social networks consisting of family, friends, ethno…
Information sources and knowledge transfer to future migrants
There is widespread recognition of the employment problems facing skilled immigrants in Canada. As a result, research reports high levels of frustration and anger over immigrants’ failed attempts to secure employment in Canada that is commensurate with their foreign-earned credentials and experience. Furthermore, research suggests that these employment problems are largely unanticipated by immigrants. As these employment difficulties have been ob…
Institutional change and emerging cohorts of the “New” immigrant second generation
Vulnerabilities of Highly Skilled Immigrants in Canada and the United States
Despite similar permanent status immigration categories (Economic, Family, and Refugee), the experiences of skilled immigrants in Canada and the United States are quite different. The point system used to select applicants for the Economic Class in Canada makes skilled immigrants vulnerable to a number of perils after the migrant lands. Foreign credentials and work experience are discounted by Canadian employers, who also impose a discriminatory …
Admission and Employment Criteria Discrepancies
Strategic Migrant Network Building and Information Sharing
This article explores the migrant networks that develop between migrants, non‐migrants and the larger Indian diaspora. Specifically, it examines the decision to migrate to Toronto, Canada and how this decision is shaped by, and in turn shapes the migrant network. Based on 35 interviews with migrants from Karnataka, South India, two main findings are presented. First, migrants are deliberately choosing settlement countries in which their families …
Information sources and knowledge transfer to future migrants
There is widespread recognition of the employment problems facing skilled immigrants in Canada. As a result, research reports high levels of frustration and anger over immigrants’ failed attempts to secure employment in Canada that is commensurate with their foreign-earned credentials and experience. Furthermore, research suggests that these employment problems are largely unanticipated by immigrants. As these employment difficulties have been ob…
Keeping Up Appearances Within the Ethnic Community
Second generation South Asian youth are defined as part of the model minority based on their educational success in Canada and elsewhere. The literature explaining these successes highlight parental pressures as a determinant. Based on a qualitative study of South Asian second generation youth in Toronto, we examine their educational experiences, and their interpretations of these experiences. We find that there is a disconnect between the first …
Intergenerational Relations and Gendered Social Surveillance of Second-Generation South Asians
Anchored in the literature on gendered transnationalism, the current study examines intergenerational relations. Based on 30 in-depth interviews with second-generation South Asians in Toronto, findings suggest that these youth experience tensions with their immigrant parents due to what they interpret as their parents' lack of understanding about the socially acceptable norms that regulate Canadian adolescence. Young South Asian men and women rep…
Understanding friendship formation between international and host-national students in a Canadian university
Canada is known for its multiculturalism and is a major receiving country for international students. The successful integration of international students relies to some extent on positive social interaction and friendship formation with host-national students, which has been linked to a variety of positive outcomes. Nevertheless, consistent with existing research, we discover that international students develop their closest friendships with co-…
The importance of weak friendships for international student satisfaction
Building, negotiating and sustaining transnational social networks
International student migration (ISM) is one of the fastest growing categories of migrants in Canada. Drawing on the narratives of 30 international students at a Canadian university, this paper investigates international students' decisions to study overseas and the roles of social networks in shaping mobility. We find that international students negotiate information while embedded in multiple social networks consisting of family, friends, ethno…
The Professionalization Journey of Immigrant Influencers
Legal immigration decisions in the current political climate are a quagmire. Rising tensions and changing policies around immigration in Canada have created an environment of heightened uncertainty and information gaps. Immigrant influencers represent a mechanism to overcome some challenges faced by potential migrants; however, they remain under-researched. This paper describes the professionalization journey of immigrant influencers in Canada. U…
Political science (10 works) · Immigration (8 works) · Migration and Labor Dynamics (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy (7 works) · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity (5 works) · Economics (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Demographic economics (4 works)