How Refugees Become One of "US"

Aryan Karimi, Ph.D., Banting Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Sociology, UBC has contacted the folks at the Diocesan Refugee Unit (DRU) with a request that they assist in getting the word out about a research project that examines the case of the Canadian private sponsors of refugees in Vancouver area. Aryan Karimi's goal is to seek to understand private sponsors' reasons for participation in the sponsorship program, their expectations from the program, their experiences with the immigration system, and their daily interactions with their sponsored refugees. 

Please find below the Project Description:

During the recent years Canada has shown international leadership in welcoming refugees and the Canadian government and many Canadian citizens and residents have pursued a more humanitarian approach to refugee protection through the Private Sponsorship of Refugee programs. In this study, I focus on private refugee sponsorsí initiatives of including newcomers into local communities. I will explore the effectiveness of the Private Sponsorship of Refugee programs.

I will interview Canadian private sponsors of refugees to explore how Canadian private- sponsors perceive and interact with refugee groups. My aim is to understand the dynamics of including newcomers and the process of refugee integration in Canada from the sponsorsí point of view. What are the motivations, attitudes and values that sponsors have had when they started and whether and how these have changed through participation and interaction with refugees.

The findings of this study will provide policymakers and academics with the much needed insights and experiences of the private sponsors with the current sponsorship program. I will use the findings of the interviews to write academic papers and a policy report that I will share community stakeholders and the members of the Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada. To facilitate sponsorsí future participation in the sponsorship programs, I will use my study findings to work with community members and policymakers to improve the current sponsorship bureaucracies and regulations.

Study format:

As a research participant you will participate in an approximately one-hour interview. The interview is based on questions that examine topics such as why you decided to sponsor refugees to come to Canada, what were the networking and planning stages that you went through in order to participate in the sponsorship program, and how you manage your interactions with you sponsored refugee before and after their arrival in Canada.

Responsible Investigator: Dr. Aryan Karimi, Department of Sociology, UBC, Vancouver Contact: aryan.karimi@ubc.ca
Project supervisor: Dr. Rima Wilkes, Department of Sociology, UBC, Vancouver Contact: wilkesr@mail.ubc.ca
Please contact Dr. Karimi to express your interest to participate in the study.

Department of Sociology

6303 NW Marine Drive.

Vancouver, B.C., Canada V6T 1Z1

Tel: (604) 822-6683

Fax: (604) 822-6161
schedule a time for a meeting and an interview at your convenience.

We have included a downloadable .PDF of the Project Description.

Here is a link to Aryan's bio on the UBC Department of Sociology website.

IMAGES

• 1 and 2 - Newcomers sponsored through the diocese arriving at YVR
• Aryan Karimi, PhD.