(Mis)Givings in a Prairie City? Identity and Belonging of Filipina (Im)Migrants in Lethbridge, Alberta

Hiding for Survival: Highlighting the Lived Experiences of Precarity and Labour Abuse Among Filipino Non-status Migrants in Canada

“…Despite being labelled ‘low-skilled’, many TFW workers and in particular foreign caregivers, are professionals back in their home countries and possess post-secondary education (Francisco-Menchavez 2018 ). The TFWP has since been emblematic of the Canadian immigration regime, whose characteristics have transitioned from permanence to perpetual temporariness (Bonifacio 2017 ; Ellis 2015 ; Tungohan 2018 ). While the TFWP is ‘designed to help employers fill short-term gaps when qualified Canadian citizens or permanent residents are not available’ (Government of Canada 2012 ), in practice, it became an effective tool for employers to hire temporary foreign workers (TFWs) from underdeveloped countries who are desperate to alleviate poverty for themselves and their communities.…”

“…In 2019, 10,100 newly arrived TFWs originated from the Philippines (Statista 2020). Bonifacio (2013Bonifacio ( , 2017 offers a comprehensive assessment of Filipinos who chose settlement within Western, and particularly Prairies, provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Within the Prairies, TFW workers have become an important part of the labour market, where according to Foster and Luciano (2020), the number of TFWs has more than quadrupled to almost 400,000 within the last 12 years; with 77,000 migrant workers living in the province of Alberta.…”

“…According to migration scholars, most non-status migrants in Canada enter through legal channels (Bhuyan et al 2016 ; Bonifacio 2017 ; Kamal & Killian 2015 ). An estimated 95% have entered through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and have thereafter overstayed their permits (Ellis 2015 ).…”

Does Community Size Matter in the Settlement Process? The Experience of Syrian Refugees in Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada

“…The city of Lethbridge is the regional hub for economic, commercial, and public services in southern Alberta. As Bonifacio (2017) puts it, the city stands at the "crossroads of four major highways," (p. 80) connecting to the city of Calgary in the north, the U.S. border in the south, the nearby Trans-Canada Highway, and the regions of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan in east. Along with large stretches of prairie fields, the Lethbridge area includes many lakes, irrigation systems, and various landscapes and topographies.…”

“…Lethbridge is home to a substantial population of Indigenous residents and immigrant communities from across the country and around the world. Local educational institutions, such as the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College, also contribute to the city's population diversity by attracting over 15,000 domestic and international students each year (Bonifacio 2017).…”