Borders, Boundaries, and the Impact of COVID-19 on Immigration to Canada

Abstract

Although Canada has long been regarded as a global leader in immigration policies and practices (Esipova et al., 2020), the COVID-19 pandemic revealed and exacerbated existing challenges and vulnerabilities in Canada’s immigration system (Esses et al., 2021). Border closures restricted who was able to travel, favoring temporary foreign workers who were deemed essential, while also creating lost cohorts of international students (Brunner, this issue) and weakening refugee rights (Abu Alrob & Shields, this issue). Considering employment specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic created and amplified disparities between workers who are required to physically attend work versus those who can work remotely, and it highlighted the issue of who has access to safe working conditions, paid sick leave, alternative childcare options, and other work-related resources and benefits (Dobusch & Kreissl, 2020).