Advanced Digital Technologies and Migration Industries in Canada
Project Lead
Team Members
Émile Baril, Mylene Coderre, Colin Scott, Phil Triadafilopoulos, Estefania Perez La Torre, (external link) Kriti Sharma, Sivakamy Thayaalan
Sub-Theme: ADTs Role in Mediating Migration Decisions and Expectations
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 Questions
- 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
Publications and media:
Coderre, M. C. Coustere, M-J. Blain. 2025. Temporary residence in Canada: A Patchwork of Rules, Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP). https://centre.irpp.org/research-studies/temporary-residence-in-canada/ (external link)
Coderre, M. 2025. Migration Inc. : les intermédiaires privés qui font tourner les rouages de la migration de travail temporaire au Québec. Possibles, vol. 49, no 1. Printemps 2025, 83-91
Coderre, M. (2025). Les experts de la bureaucratie migratoire : les intermédiaires de la migration guatémaltèque au Québec. Politique et Sociétés, 44(2).
Four ways Ottawa can throttle ‘Driver Inc.’, Policy Options, https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/08/driver-inc-trucker-exploitation/ (external link) , August 27, 2025
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
Indispensables, les consultants et les avocats en immigration?, Magazine Protégez-Vous, https://www.protegez-vous.ca/argent/consultant-immigration (external link) , December 16, 2024
Past events and conferences:
- Immigration, Work and New Technologies: Access to the Labour Market & Workforce Dynamics, presented by Baril, É., Coderre, M., Blain, M., Paquet, M., Pathways to Prosperity National Conference, 24 November, 2025
- Comparison of migrant food delivery riders in France and Canada, presented by Baril, É., IRMS Concordia University, On the Move: Migrant Workers and Food-Delivery Platforms in Italy and Canada, 7 November, 2025
- Early results presented at the 27th Metropolis Canada Conference (external link) in Toronto, Ontario, in March 2025.
Keywords
ADTs; advanced digital technologies; Canadian migration industry; migration industry; mobility agents and recruiters
