Melissa Kelly

Senior Research Associate, Mentorship Program Lead

EducationPhD, Uppsala University

Melissa Kelly’s research takes a comparative approach to understanding how migrants and refugees experience settlement, integration and belonging in different spatial contexts. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals such as the Canadian Geographer, Journal of International Migration and Integration, Population Space and Place, and Migration Letters.

Melissa is Project Director and Principal Investigator on a SSHRC-funded Partnership Development Project focused on international migration to small and mid-sized cities in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. She is leading a team of academics, NGOs and government organizations to understand the factors influencing immigrant attraction and retention in non-metropolitan communities.

Melissa was a Postdoctoral Fellow with the ‘Narrative Study of Lives Programme’ at the University of the Free State in South Africa and the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Carleton University. Currently, she is affiliated with the Borders in Globalization (BIG) network based at the University of Victoria.

In addition to her academic pursuits, Melissa has contributed extensively to the development of labour market and immigration policies and programs for the Government of Canada. She is also on the Welcoming Standard Content Advisory Board for Welcoming America.

Recent Publications

Books

With Triandafyllidou, A., Modhadam, A., and Sahin-Mencutek, Z. (Eds.).(2024) Migration and Cities: Conceptual and Policy Advances (external link) . Springer Nature.

With Carpenter, M., and Schmidtke, O. (Eds.).(2023) Borders and Migration: The Canadian Experience in Comparative Perspective (external link) . Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

With Konrad, V. (Eds.) (2021) Borders, Culture, and Globalization: A Canadian Perspective (external link, opens in new window) . Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

Journal Articles

(2024). 'We just fly by the seat of our pants sometimes here': Understanding the Provision of Settlement and Integration Supports in Rural Saskatchewan (external link) . Canadian Ethnic Studies, 56(3): 123-143.

(2024). Moving to find home: Emotion, imagination, and onward migration in the Iranian diaspora. Emotion, Space and Society, 50, 1-8.

(2023). Cultivating welcoming communities in a neoliberal era: Narrative meets practice in rural Saskatchewan (external link) , Journal of International Migration and Integration, 1-18.

With Niraula, A. (2023). Mobilizing to support those most in need: the importance of diasporic social capital during the COVID-19 pandemic. (external link) South Asian Diaspora, 1-17.

With Nguyen, M., & Triandafyllidou, A. (2023). Why do Migrants Stay? Migrant Retention in Small and Mid-Sized Cities in Canada, the United States, Austrailia and New Zealand (external link) . Journal of International Migration and Integration, in press.

With Nguyen, M. (2023). Choosing to Stay: Understanding Immigrant Retention in Four Non-metropolitan Counties in Southern Ontario. (external link) Journal of International Migration and Integration, 1-21.

(2023). Snowbirds and snowflakes: Mobility and aging across the Canada‐United States border. (external link) The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe Canadien, 67:2, 217-225

Reports

With Eimermann, M. (2024). The role of housing in attracting and retaining talent in EU regions.

With Jung, J. D. (2024). The Growing Indian Diaspora in Ontario's North (external link) . In India Migration Report 2024 (pp. 81-96). Routledge India

(2023). " (PDF file) Network of Excellence on Regional Liveable Diversity (external link) ."

With Nguyen, M. (2023). “Why Immigrants Stay in Small and Mid-Sized Canadian Cities: Report on Findings in Grey and Bruce Counties” Report Prepared for Welcoming Grey-Bruce.

With Nguyen, M. (2023). “Why Immigrants Stay in Small and Mid-Sized Canadian Cities: Report on Findings in Lanark and Renfrew Counties” Report prepared for Local Immigration Partnership/Partenariat local pour l’immigration- Lanark & Renfrew.

Book Chapters

With Carpenter, M., and Schmidtke, O. (2023) "Integrating Conceptual and Comparative Perspectives on Borders and Migration" in Borders and Migration: The Canadian Experience in Comparative Perspective (external link) . (Carpenter, M., Kelly, M. and Schmidtke, O., Eds.). Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

With Konrad, V. (2021) “Borders, Culture and Globalization: Some conclusions, more uncertainties, and many challenges” in Borders, Culture, and Globalization: A Canadian Perspective (external link) (Konrad, Victor and Kelly, Melissa, Eds.). Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

With Konrad, V. (2021), “Introduction: Culture, Globalization and Canada’s Borders" in Borders, Culture, and Globalization: A Canadian Perspective (external link) (Konrad, Victor and Kelly, Melissa, Eds.). Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.

(2021), “The Snowbirds: A cultural movement across borders” in Borders, Culture, and Globalization: A Canadian Perspective (external link) (Konrad, Victor and Kelly, Melissa, Eds.). Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press.