The session aims to address the profound transformations in migration dynamics and governance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating geopolitical conflicts, and intensified migration controls worldwide. These uncertain times have disrupted traditional migration patterns while also deepening the complexities of migrant trajectories, reshaping governance frameworks, and amplifying public debates around migration. The session seeks to unpack these intertwined processes by examining how intersecting drivers—ranging from economic inequalities and climate change to political instability—are reshaping global mobility.

• 10:15 AM
  The Neglected Irregular Migrants: Can Irregular and Low-Skilled or Semi-Skilled Migrants Be a Catalyst for Local Development through Brain Gain?
  Anil Dhakal, Toronto Metropolitan University

• 10:30 AM
  Rural Economic Development and the Role of Daycares: A Case Study from Norris Point, Newfoundland
  Roza Tchoukaleyska, Western University

• 10:45 AM
  The Impact of Counterurbanites in Heritage Tourism Development in the Central Region of Ghana: Exploring the Evolutionary Economic Geography Perspective in Post-Colonial Africa
  Faiza Omar, University of Ghana

• 11:00 AM
  Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Immigrant Academics as a Highly Skilled Precariat in Canada’s Higher Education Sector
  Amrita Hari, Carleton University

• 11:15 AM
  Surviving the Pandemic and Facing Post-Pandemic Realities: International Students and Graduates in Canada
  Marshia Akbar, Toronto Metropolitan University

• 11:30 AM
  Skilled Immigration in Uncertain Times – Dynamics Shaping Retention and Onward Migration in Canada’s Ottawa-Gatineau CMA
  Ayshan Mammadzada, University of Ottawa