Canada’s Sub-Saharan African migrants: A scoping review

Abstract

Despite the recent increase in Sub-Saharan African newcomers to Canada, little is known about their experiences, specifically the challenges they face rebuilding their lives and the strategies they adopt to tackle these challenges. This scoping review of 48 articles provides a critical basis for further research on Sub-Saharan African international migration to Canada. Five themes emerged from the extant literature: 1) structural barriers to rebuilding self, family, and community; 2) limited support systems available in the transition period; 3) transnational ties and commitments as a recurring mediator of migrant life; 4) mechanisms for navigating transition and integration; and 5) changing gender relations and roles. Findings across these themes strongly project gender relations as a crucial engine of migrant life, yet studies do not extensively probe the nature and dynamics of key facets of post-migration gender relations. While transnational linkages could provide some support and sense of identity, the demands of and commitments to extended family members and other entities could stall or undermine efforts to rebuild lives and community in a new homeland. The coping mechanisms identified here appear to relieve or postpone the consequences of Sub-Saharan African migrants’ adaptations to the realities of life in Canada. Our review also underscores the need for strength-based approaches, such as resilience, in exploring the experiences of Sub-Saharan African migrants as newcomers in advanced Western nations like Canada. Future studies should consider that international migration presents complex challenges to both migrant sending and receiving countries, traceable to both localized and transnational historical and social linkages.