The Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement is a consortium of Toronto-area universities, immigrant service agencies, other community groups and planning councils. Its Management Board includes representation from Ryerson Polytechnic University, the University of Toronto, and York University, as well as the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, the Community Social Planning Council of Toronto, the United Way of Greater Toronto and CERIS’ Partnership Advisory Council (PAC). It also includes ex officio representation from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and CERIS’ Partnership Advisory Council.

The Centre's goals include: (a) the promotion of research about the impact of immigration on the Greater Toronto Area and on the integration of immigrants into Canadian society; (b) the provision of training opportunities; and (c) the dissemination of policy - and program - relevant research information. Its research agenda is organized into six Domains: Community, Economics, Education, Health, Housing and Neighbourhoods, and Justice (see Appendix 1 for a description of each Domain.)

CERIS is now requesting research proposals for each Research Domain and has identified four priority or Theme Areas:

1. Societal change

2. Access to services

3. Settlement processes

4. Immigrant children and children of immigrants and refugees

(See Appendix 2 for a description of each Theme Area.)

Research funds will be allocated to support worthwhile research projects on immigration and settlement issues that involve a Greater Toronto Area component. Proposals will be evaluated according to scholarly merit and policy implications within the six Domains. A proposal’s relevance to one of the four designated Theme Areas will also be considered, though proposals may fall outside the Theme Areas. Interdisciplinary approaches are favoured, but no preference will be given to particular research methodologies. In addition, research that involves temporal or spatial comparisons, or comparisons between different immigrant communities, is encouraged. Research proposals should involve research collaboration with community partners or support by community groups where appropriate.

At least 70 percent of CERIS’ total budget for funded projects will be dedicated to the support of undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students who will be involved with the proposed project as university-based research assistants. As well, at least 10 percent of total research monies will be devoted to community-based researchers who will function as community-based research assistants. Although most applications will be expected to follow these budgetary guidelines, there may be exceptions. Project time frames may be one or two years. Funding for a second year is subject to review and is contingent on satisfactory progress during the previous year. There is no restriction regarding the submission of related and mutually supportive projects from separate research teams. Although there is no limit set for the annual or total budget of each proposal, CERIS intends to allocate a total of $200,000 from the 1999/2000 fiscal year budget via this funding competition.

Proposals must include the following:

Title of the proposed research project

Proposal abstract (maximum 100 words) suitable for a general audience, including a statement of policy relevance

Indication of the relevant Research Domain

Indication of the relevant Theme Area, if applicable

Name and signature of the lead researcher. Note that the lead researcher must hold an academic appointment at a Canadian university and be eligible for Principal Investigator status at that university.

Names, postal and e-mail addresses, phone and fax numbers of all members of the research team

Legal name of the university which will receive and administer granted funds, accompanied by the name and signature of the Department Chair or Head of the lead researcher’s administrative unit

Approval from the appropriate Office of Research Administration/Services

Statement of the research issue to be investigated and summary of its policy and/or practical significance

Relevant literature review

Description of the research to be carried out, the methods and tools to be employed, and the types and forms of data and publications that will be produced

Specification of any and all forms of collaboration planned within this research project, within and among universities, community organizations, and other interested parties

Explanation of the respective roles of the individual participants involved in the research project

Explanation of the types of training opportunities for students within the research project and of the means by which this training will be monitored and evaluated

Research work schedule and time line

Plans for dissemination of research findings

Relevant bibliographic references

An outline of all proposed expenditures by category. Proposed research expenditures must be in keeping with the following SSHRC category guidelines: personnel costs, research-related transportation and subsistence costs, professional/technical services/contracts, computer hardware and software, other non-disposable equipment, and other supplies. Additional guidelines specific to CERIS' institutional grant also apply. Potential applicants are advised to address specific questions directly to CERIS’ Academic Coordinator.

A separate explanation of the purpose of these expenditures by category. Expenditures relating to undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate student involvement must be made explicit. Justification should be made of any request for computer hardware commonly available to academics.

Names, degrees, prior research experience, and list of relevant publications of all researchers involved

Relevant background information regarding collaborative partners

Letters of support from community partners, where applicable

Letters of support or descriptions of communication with all levels of government, where appropriate

 

 

 

 

Project researchers must submit a final report which includes a summary of research results as well as a financial report within three months of the completion of the funding period. Two year projects are also required to submit annual reports.

The guidelines for this research correspond to general SSHRC policies with the following exceptions: (a) applicants are not required to budget for disseminating the research results, since this will be done through CERIS; (b) travel expenses for participation in professional meetings are ineligible; and (c) the adjudication process, which is as described below. Interested applicants are encouraged to review SSHRC guidelines (available from university funding officers), particularly with regards to eligible expenses, remuneration for students, Access to Information and Privacy Acts, and integrity policy and ethics guidelines.

Grant applications must be typed or word processed in black ink so that they can be legibly photocopied. Text should be single-spaced with no more than six lines per inch and type size should be no smaller than 12 characters per inch. The length of the total grant application must be in accordance with the guidelines outlined above and be fully page-numbered. Researchers may submit one additional supporting document of up to 10 pages, such as a sample questionnaire or interview format, or an extract from a previous study or published article. Grant applications and/or supporting documents longer than this will not be accepted. Applicants should submit the original of their proposal, plus seven complete copies, to:

Dr. Morton Beiser, Director

CERIS

246 Bloor Street West (5th floor)

Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1V4

Proposals must be received at CERIS’ main office no later than Friday, January 14, 2000 at 4:00 pm. Incomplete, late, or lengthy submissions which exceed the specified guidelines, will not be accepted.

Proposals will be adjudicated by CERIS Research Domain subcommittees consisting of academic and community representatives with expertise in relevant research areas, according to the direction of CERIS’ Management Board. Recommendations for funding will be made to the Management Board which will be responsible for the final allocation of grants. Successful applicants will be informed on or about April 1, 2000. All lead researchers will receive their notification of adjudication results via official letter. The release of funds is contingent upon receipt of institutional ethics approval.

Phone: (416) 946-3113

E-mail: ceris.office@utoronto.ca

Learning is central to the successful adaptation of immigrant and refugee children and to their participation in Canadian society. As the only mandated service for young immigrants, the school system is responsible for ensuring language proficiency and the acquisition of employment skills. For adult immigrants and refugees, learning about Canadian culture and how to survive in it calls for life-long learning. CERIS encourages research about both formal and informal education, immigrant adjustment and government supports for adaptation.

The economic contribution of immigrants has always been a driving force of Canadian immigration policy. Most immigrants have economic aspirations as well, and the success of settlement is affected critically by economic integration. Research on the economic contributions of immigrants is vitally important along with examining the costs of services used to acquire linguistic and employment skills. Policy issues must include the means to help immigrants integrate by taking into account the resources they bring, as well as the optimal numbers and selection criteria for newcomers.

The health domain has two principal thrusts: (1) the study of the pre-migration and post-migration (resettlement) determinants of immigrant health; and (2) the study of the health system's response to immigrant health needs. The first thrust will contribute to theory about coping with the stresses of resettlement, and will provide information useful for creating programs to prevent illness and to promote health. The second thrust focuses on: (a) whether immigrants have equitable access to care, as the Canada Health Act and other legislation decree; (b) factors affecting the quality of care immigrants receive within the health care system; and (c) formal and informal systems of care, including so-called "traditional" health practices and their effect on immigrant health.

The housing and neighbourhoods domain focuses on the residential patterns and housing conditions of immigrants and on the social and built aspects of the neighbourhoods where they live. Emphasis is placed on the changing residential locations of immigrants, the nature of residential or housing segregation, and immigrants' involvement in neighbourhoods with all their implications for integration and access to appropriate and affordable shelter. The effects of immigration on housing demand, housing stock, local planning issues, and neighbourhood social and political life are of interest.

The community domain seeks to identify those factors which facilitate or impede the social integration and civic participation of immigrants in contemporary urban societies. The experience of immigrants and the receiving society, and the service-providing agencies of both, are appropriate foci, with emphasis on those elements of welcome, service, and integration (or the absence thereof) that are legitimate concerns of public policy in an urban area.

Justice is a core component of successful settlement and social cohesion in democratic societies. Creating a just society that respects the rights not only of its citizens but of all within it is a particular challenge for nations of immigrants. The link between law and justice needs to be clear in the lived experience of immigrants and refugees. Research conducted in this domain will focus on the development and administration of Canadian law and policy, and the impact they have on settlement and cohesion. It will include research on the current tensions between Canadian ideals and actual experiences in this area; the contributions of immigration and immigrants to Canada’s system of laws; the treatment of immigrants and immigrant groups by Canada’s legal institutions; immigration policies and practices and their interaction with other legal systems; the outcomes of laws, settlement policies and practices on successful settlement; crime related to migration, such as trafficking in human beings; and the differential impacts of law and policy on diverse populations.

CERIS welcomes historical, comparative and empirical research that addresses any of the four themes outlined below.

Immigration is changing Canada, and the changes create challenges as well as opportunity for the economy, for neighbourhoods, for the education, justice and service systems, in governance, and in the arts. Immigration has also affected our value system. Research in this theme should address the challenges and opportunities resulting from immigration.

Access to various services enhances the immigrant settlement process. These services cover a variety of sectors, including education, health, recreation and employment related services. Research in this theme will examine: the role played by social services in promoting successful immigrant settlement; equality of access to services and equality of outcomes for various immigrant populations and native-born Canadians; and whether the supply and type of service provision are appropriate to enhancing the immigrant settlement process. Research in this theme may also examine the impact of diminished government financial support on community and non-profit organizations that offer various immigration and settlement services, and how these organizations have responded to government cutbacks in recent years.

Settlement processes

Although there is widespread agreement that integration is the goal of successful resettlement, there is far less agreement about how to conceptualize integration. Governments, settlement agencies, and immigrants themselves use terms such as "engagement," "sense of belonging," and "productivity," but often define these terms very differently. For some immigrant groups, engagement might mean voting or joining an established political party. For others, engagement might mean participating in front line advocacy directed at changing societal institutions. This theme encourages the exploration of new perspectives on immigrant integration. Research on this topic will contribute to the task of evaluating the success or failure of programs and policies designed to promote integration. For example, what roles do formal programs and/or existing ethno-cultural communities respectively play in facilitating or retarding integration? Research that identifies specific indicators of integration is also germane to this theme.

Immigrant children and the children of immigrants and refugees