Shaping the Future of Migration Research in Quebec

Building on local partnerships to advance community-driven research on integration and inclusion

FOCUS ON OUR HUBS

Quebec plays a vital role in Canada鈥檚 immigration landscape, and migrant integration in the province is a key research priority for Bridging Divides. From Francophone migration and regional settlement strategies to the integration of asylum seekers, Quebec offers both unique opportunities and distinct challenges. These help deepen our understanding of what inclusive integration looks like across a range of diverse contexts.

Much of this exciting research is emerging from the dynamic team at Concordia University. Anchored by the Institute for Research on Migration and Society (IRMS), under the leadership of Mireille Paquet, this research hub fosters interdisciplinary collaborations on urgent social questions. Concordia鈥檚 deep ties within Montreal and throughout Quebec allow it to respond directly to local needs while contributing to national and international conversations about migration and integration.

鈥淨uebec鈥檚 immigration landscape is unique, not only in its policy architecture but also in how it embodies the province鈥檚 identity and autonomy,鈥� says Paquet. 鈥淕round-level, localized research is essential to understanding these complexities.鈥�

Research shaping systems and communities

While Bridging Divides is national in scope, its success also depends on place-based research and local partnerships. In Quebec, researchers are working closely with academic collaborators, civil society groups, and community organizations embedded in migrant-serving networks.

Some groups are focused on digital inclusion or intercultural policy; others offer direct services, like housing for asylum seekers or wellness programming for immigrant families. These partners are all equally dedicated to building stronger, more inclusive communities and believe that research can help get us there. 鈥淐ommunity-based work allows us to capture the lived experiences of migrants, bringing nuance to debates that too often remain abstract,鈥� adds Paquet.

This approach also informs Concordia鈥檚 work on how immigration and settlement organizations are adopting Advanced Digital Technologies (ADTs) to deliver services, manage information, and support newcomers. While public attention often focuses on artificial intelligence, researchers are also studying how everyday tools such as spreadsheets, videoconferencing, and mobile phones, are already reshaping how newcomers are recruited, supported, and guided through immigration systems.

In partnership with organizations developing and using these technologies, Concordia researchers are exploring both their benefits and unintended consequences, including concerns around privacy, data protection, and the digital divide. These collaborations offer valuable insight that can inform more inclusive and ethical digital innovation across the sector.

Addressing housing insecurity with community leadership

Housing is another area where local realities and research priorities converge. Bridging Divides researcher Karine C么t茅-Boucher, based at the Universit茅 de Montr茅al, is working with Foyer du Monde who offers temporary housing to asylum seekers and precarious migrant families. Foyer du Monde is part of a Montreal-based group of grassroots housing organizations including La Traverse and Le Pont that have emerged to fill growing gaps in the formal shelter system, particularly in the wake of rising migration and a nationwide housing crisis.

Despite their impact, these groups are often over capacity. Foyer du Monde, for instance, has welcomed hundreds of people since opening in 2017 but now faces an 80 per cent rejection rate due to limited space.

Rather than working in isolation, these organizations have come together to form ROHMI, the Regroupement des Organismes en H茅bergement pour Personnes Migrantes. This new coalition coordinates advocacy efforts, shares data, and pushes for structural solutions to housing insecurity. Their collaboration reflects a broader trend seen across Quebec: community organizations stepping up, often ahead of policy, to ensure that newcomers have the support they need to begin their lives in safety and dignity.

鈥淎midst Canada鈥檚 broader housing crisis, migrants and asylum seekers are among those most at risk,鈥� says C么t茅-Boucher.

鈥淔oyer du Monde offers a warm welcome, legal services, psychosocial support, food assistance, and help finding housing 鈥� all this without stable funding and with the generous help of dedicated workers and volunteers.鈥�

Strengthening systems through collaboration

Coordination across sectors is not new in Montreal, and recent events have shown how powerful it can be. From the arrival of Haitian asylum seekers in 2016鈥�2017 to the reception of Ukrainian refugees in 2022, civil society, local government, and public institutions have repeatedly demonstrated that effective action is possible when it comes to welcoming and housing migrants.

In some boroughs, responses have been hyper-local, with schools, libraries, food banks, and community organizations working together to support newly arrived families. Still, efforts like these often unfold without formal provincial coordination or the consistent investment needed to sustain grassroots systems.

The work happening in Quebec reflects the core values of Bridging Divides: collaboration, equity, and practical impact. It also underscores the importance of understanding migration in context through research that is responsive to local needs, grounded in local expertise, and connected to real-world outcomes. In Montreal and across the province, and together with partners, researchers are advancing knowledge that helps communities meet the challenges of integration head-on.