Tazeen Nuwari Anwar

Canadian integration policy is often framed as a “two-way” process in which newcomers adapt while the receiving society also changes. In practice, however, most policy and program attention remains focused on migrants, while much less is known about how receiving communities interpret immigration and how those interpretations shape inclusion in everyday life. My proposed research examines integration as a relational process shaped by migrant experience, local perceptions, and institutional narratives. Rather than reducing resistance to immigration to racism alone, this project explores how material pressures, misinformation, political discourse, social trust, and competing ideas of fairness influence receptiveness within receiving communities. Using a qualitative, multi-method approach in selected Ontario communities, the study will investigate how immigrants define meaningful integration, how long-term residents understand immigration and local change, and how institutions mediate the relationship between them. The project speaks most directly to Bridging Divides themes of Citizenship and Participation and Place and Infrastructure by examining the social conditions under which more inclusive communities can be built.