Page 63 - IJPS-11-6

International Journal of
Population Studies Migration to non-metropolitan Canada

inadequacies of services specific to immigrants were the community. Immigrant interviewees were provided
not necessarily a challenge faced by immigrants in the with a gift card (CAD 20) for their participation. This
community (Kelly & Nguyen, 2023). For example, in study is exploratory in understanding the experiences
Kelly & Nguyen’s (2023) study of immigrant settlement of settlement in a smaller city from immigrants, a key
in smaller cities in Ontario, Canada, their research informant, and municipal officials. Hence, we hope
participants did not necessarily require access to that this exploratory study that adopts semi-structured
formalized immigrant settlement and integration interviews as qualitative research methods will allude to
support in a smaller city, as participants in that study future studies that further enrich this body of research
mainly migrated from a larger metropolitan area where on migration and governance in smaller cities. The key
they received services before resettling to a smaller city. informant was professionally familiar with the immigrant
Access to ethnic and cultural amenities in smaller cities settlement in their community. Municipal officials were
was particularly important for immigrants (Zhuang & asked descriptive questions about the local context
Lok, 2023). Hence, experiences of immigrant settlement and their role, views, and expertise in immigration in
in these non-metropolitan communities were uniquely and to their community. Municipal officials have a role
shaped by the availability of infrastructure and the social in municipal governance, but their specific role is not
and cultural context of a place, as these contexts tend disclosed to protect their identity, which is consistent with
to be less ethnically and culturally diverse in relation to the Research Ethics Board. The key informant had a role
larger urban centers that had been historically shaped in immigrant settlement and integration work in their
and impacted by processes of migration. community. These two categories of participants were
recruited through an email invitation.
2. Data and methods
Brooks, Alberta was selected due to population and
This study is exploratory and qualitative, drawing on the demographic factors, including a small population
perspectives of three sample populations: immigrants, size, based on the 2016 Census (Statistics Canada,
municipal officials, and a key informant working in an 2019a; 2019b), (14,436), a high population proportion
immigrant and settlement agency, in a non-metropolitan of immigrants (30.1%), and a high “visible minority”
community in Canada. This study adopts qualitative demographic composition (36.8%). We acknowledge
methods to understand the reasons for migration to the caveats of validity in this study due to sampling.
a non-metropolitan community and the perspectives Nevertheless, we hope that the perspectives of
about immigration in the community. A total of 13 semi- immigrants living in a non-metropolitan community,
structured interviews were conducted (10 immigrants, one and with key informants and municipal officials from
key informant, and two municipal officials). Interviews a non-metropolitan community in Canada, this study
with immigrant participants included questions about the may be able to shed insights about community-based
reasons for migration to a smaller city (as an immigrant perspectives at an exploratory level. Hence, the purpose
to Canada) and questions that were structured to facilitate of this study is not the generalizability or transferability
participants’ reflection on their perception and experience of the findings to similar contexts, rather this study
with living in a smaller city. To be included in the study, provides exploratory insights about experiences from
the immigrant participant must have met all of the the perspectives of immigrants from multicultural
following inclusion criteria: a participant is an immigrant backgrounds, a key informant who had expertise and
to Canada, over 18 years of age, identified as a “visible familiarity with the context of immigrant settlement and
minority” person, and resided in the municipality integration in their locality, and municipal officials who
(i.e., Brooks) at the time of the study. Recruitment of had a role in governance in a municipality of a smaller
immigrant participants was facilitated with the assistance city (non-metropolitan community). The characteristics
of a local immigration agency in Brooks, Alberta, Canada, of immigrant participants, municipal officials, and key
through social media posts on a local community informants are presented in Tables 1 and 2. The study was
page, and snowball sampling techniques that involved conducted between February 2021 and July 2021 during
participants who had completed an interview to share this the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the COVID-related
opportunity with their network through word of mouth. restrictions and social distancing enforcement at the
Interviews with key informants and municipal officials time of the study, the entire research process, including
involved questions to better understand the policies and recruitment and interviews, was conducted virtually
processes related to immigration to their municipality, as through Zoom or by telephone. All the research had been
related to demographic change and the management of approved by Toronto Metropolitan University’s (formerly
affairs related to immigrant settlement and integration in Ryerson University) Research Ethics Board.

Volume 11 Issue 6 (2025) 57 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.6309