A Partnership Approach to Syrian Refugee Resettlement in Toronto and Mississauga

Headed by the Toronto Metropolitan Centre for Immigration and Settlement (TMCIS), this multi-year partnership project brings together researchers and community practitioners to jointly explore the settlement issues facing Syrian refugees in the City of Toronto and Mississauga.

The study objectives are to:

• Understand the settlement experiences of and outcomes for Syrian refugee families;
• Explore the gendered experiences of settlement for Syrian refugee women;
• Examine the relationship between social capital and the settlement experiences of Government-assisted refugees (GARs) and privately sponsored refugees (PSRs); and
• Provide 'actionable knowledge' for building social capital for community partners engaged in the settlement of Syrian refugees.

Using the theoretical frameworks of social capital and intersectionality, a mixed method study is proposed to achieve the objectives of the project. We will conduct 12 focus groups with approximately 100 PSR and GAR (50 men and 50 women) participants, and a structured survey with 150 GAR (75 men and 75 women) and 150 PSR participants. We will aim to recruit both PSR participants sponsored by organizations such as church groups and other non-profit groups and PSR participants sponsored by relatives in Canada. 

This research study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Boards at Toronto Metropolitan University, University of Toronto, and Sheridan College and received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada.