*In April 2022, the university announced our new name of Toronto Metropolitan University, which will be implemented in a phased approach. Learn more about our next chapter.*
The Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement (TMCIS) aims to be a leader in the transdisciplinary exploration of international migration, integration, and diaspora and refugee studies. In addition to supporting research in these areas, the Centre’s mission includes mentoring students and consolidating Toronto Metropolitan University’s reputation as the pre‐eminent site of knowledge development and exchange with governments, community organizations, and other academics.
Featured
TMCIS Lunch & Learn - Cities of Migration: Navigating Migration Challenges Across Canada’s Varied Urban Landscapes
Date: Wednesday April 2nd, 2025
Time: 12:00-1:30 PM EST
Location: Hybrid (Online via Zoom & In-person at the CERC Migration & Integration Office, located in the Toronto Eaton Centre Galleria Office at 220 Yonge Street, Suite 204)
Description:
This event will be hosted by the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement (TMCIS) and co-convened by Dr. Zhixi Zhuang, Academic Director of TMCIS, and the Honourable Ratna Omidvar, former Canadian Senator and Immigration Policy Fellow at Toronto Metropolitan University.
As Canada is experiencing significant and evolving changes to its migration policies, our panel discussion, "Cities of Migration: Navigating Migration Challenges Across Canada’s Varied Urban Landscapes," is more relevant than ever. Join panellists Doug Saunders, Mary Rowe, the Honourable Senator Paula Simons, and Dr. Zhixi Zhuang as they provide critical insights into the evolving socioeconomic and geopolitical landscapes. This session will explore how policy shifts are reshaping urban planning and impacting municipalities, employers, communities, and settlement agencies across gateway cities, smaller cities, and rural areas. Gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics at various geospatial scales, as our speakers discuss the immediate challenges and effective strategies for navigating them.
Light lunch and refreshments will be provided.
Moderator:
The Honourable Ratna Omidvar - Former Canadian Senator and Immigration Policy Fellow, Toronto Metropolitan University
Panellists:
Mary Rowe (external link) - President & Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) (external link) , leading urban advocate, and civil society trailblazer
Doug Saunders (external link) - International affairs columnist at The Globe and Mail and author of Arrival City: The Final Migration and Our Next World, The Myth of the Muslim Tide, and Maximum Canada (external link)
The Honourable Senator Paula Simons (external link) - Canadian Senator for Alberta and freelance columnist for the Alberta Views Magazine (external link)
Dr. Zhixi Zhuang, MCIP RPP - Associate Professor at School of Urban and Regional Planning, TMU, Academic Director of TMCIS, and Founder & Director of DiverCityLab (external link)
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hestitate to contact tmcis@torontomu.ca
CARFMS 2025: Canadian, Regional, and International Responses to Forced Migration
The 16th Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies (CARFMS) hosted in collaboration with the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement (TMCIS) will take place from May 26-29, 2025 at Toronto Metropolitan University.
The conference will explore Canadian, Regional, and International Responses to Forced Migration and aims to bring together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and people with lived experience of displacement. Through keynotes, plenaries, presentations, panels, and other activities, the conference aims to explore comprehensive approaches to address these pressing issues, to promote innovative research, and to encourage knowledge sharing in the field of refugee and forced migration studies.
Latest Publications
Working Paper No. 2025/02
Sanctuary Cities in Andean Countries: A Literature Review (2000-2022)
Marcela Tapia Ladino & Victoria de la Vega (Arturo Prat University)
Working Paper No. 2025/01
The Association Nationale des Villes et Territoires Accueillants: The Becoming of an Activist City Network
Anouk Flamant (Institut National Supérieur de Formation et de Recherche pour L’éducation Inclusive [INSEI], Institut Convergences Migrations) & Thomas Lacroix (Sciences Po Paris, Centre de Recherches Internationales [CERI], Institut Convergences Migrations)
Working Paper No. 2024/12
Between Privilege and Precarity: The Migration Journeys of Former International Students in Canada
Dominik Formanowicz (York University), Tingting Zhang (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign), Rupa Banerjee (Toronto Metropolitan University), Rezwana Ahmed (Toronto Metropolitan University), & Isaac Garcia-Sitton (Toronto Metropolitan University)
Working Paper No. 2024/11
1991: Narratives of (Non-) Return in the Ukrainian Diaspora in Canada
Elisa Lucente (University of Pavia)
Research Brief No. 2025/03
Examining the Role of Non-profit Organizations for Immigrant Settlement in a Neoliberal Age
John Shields & Ted Richmond
Research Brief No. 2025/02
Food diversity and aging well in a multicultural city: Japanese Canadian (Nikkei) seniors and community congregate dining
Dr. Yukari Seko, Dr. James Tiessen, Rayna Adachi, & Veen Wong, Toronto Metropolitan University
Research Brief No. 2025/01
Innovative approaches to community-based housing for precarious migrants and refugees: A policy report
Bridget Collrin & Nick Dreher, Toronto Metropolitan University
Affiliate Highlight No. 2024/03
Dr. Yukari Seko, Associate Professor, School of Professional Communication; Director, Centre for Studies in Food Security; Chair, Course-Based Research Ethics Committee, The Creative School)
Affiliate Highlight No. 2024/02
Dr. Areej Al-Hamad, Assistant Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing; Research Ethics Board Member, Toronto Metropolitan University
Affiliate Highlight No. 2024/01
Dr. Kateryna Metersky, Assistant Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing
TMCIS occupies space in the traditional and unceded territory of nations including the Anishnaabeg, the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, and territory which is also now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. This territory is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, as well as the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas.
