Advanced digital technologies and migration industries in Canada
Project Lead
Team Members
Phil Triadafilopoulos, Colin Scott, Estefania Perez La Torre, (external link) Kriti Sharma, Sivakamy Thayaalan, Mylene Coderre
Sub-theme
The role of ADTs in mediating migration decisions and their impact on expectations about life in Canada
Projects in this sub-theme explore how ADTS such as online platforms, social media, and AI influence migration decisions by shaping information infrastructures, impacting mobility aspirations, and altering settlement experiences for immigrants.
Objective
The Government of Canada and a growing number of non-governmental actors are involved in promoting Canada as a destination for temporary and permanent settlement. This includes professional recruiters, mobility agencies, lawyers, public and private employers as well as universities. In the past, much of this work was done through in-person activities such as fairs and recruitment events and using print or traditional media.
This project seeks to document the impact of Advanced Digital Technologies (ADTs) on the migration industry in Canada.
Research question(s)
- How do ADTs shape the organization of Canada's migration industry?
- How do the actors involved in migration promotion use ADTs?
- How do migration industry actors produce different representations of life in Canada for aspiring migrants?
Methodology
This project uses interviewers, online ethnography, and qualitative/quantitative content analysis.
Status
This project is active and research activities are currently ongoing. A number of publications are in the work, with the project being heavily featured in different outputs.
Expected completion: December 2026
Outcomes
Past events and conferences:
- Early results presented at the 27th Metropolis Canada Conference (external link) in Toronto, Ontario, in March 2025.
Publications and media:
Indispensables, les consultants et les avocats en immigration?, Magazine Protégez-Vous, https://www.protegez-vous.ca/argent/consultant-immigration (external link) , December 16, 2024
M. Coderre, M. Paquet and M-J. Blain, Le Québec comme terre de précarité migratoire, La Presse : https://www.lapresse.ca/dialogue/opinions/2025-01-20/le-quebec-comme-terre-de-precarite-migratoire.php (external link) , 20 janvier 2025
Publications in progress:
Coderre, M. Les experts de la bureaucratie de la migration : l’industrie migratoire et le recrutement des travailleurs migrants guatémaltèques pour l’agriculture québécoise. Politiques et Sociétés. Numéro spécial: La politique et les politiques de l’immigration au Québec. Accepted, in progress.
Coderre, M. Migration Inc. : les intermédiaires privés qui font tourner les rouages de la migration de travail temporaire au Québec. Possibles, Accepted, in progress.
Keywords
ADTs; advanced digital technologies; Canadian migration industry; migration industry; mobility agents and recruiters
