Global research on new immigrant destinations prioritizes the study of places experiencing rapid demographic change. Immigration is increasingly promoted, however, as a policy tool to encourage stability in peripheral regions, cities, and communities. This paper introduces the concept of the aspiring gateway to describe locations that attract few immigrants but proactively aspire to become welcoming communities. We make this case through an examination of the geographies of immigrant receptivity in Atlantic Canada. Our findings are based on 22 interviews with participants in the immigration sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Highlighting the powerful role of non-state actors and public discourses, our analysis considers the ambiguities and mixed messages of the place-based immigration policies of this region. We argue that a more pluralistic understanding of immigrant gateways must include peripheral spaces that are relatively isolated from international migration flows. Aspiring gateways require a rethinking of assumptions formed in and about new immigrant destinations. Keywords: immigration, immigrant receptivity, new immigrant destinations, urban, Canada. "What can Appalachia learn from Atlantic Canada?" asked a 2018 editorial in The Roanoke Times, referring to pro-immigration strategies in Canada's easternmost provinces and their Submitted version_Aspiring Gateways, Pottie-Sherman and Graham 2 potential to address economic challenges in Virginia's coal counties. Along similar lines, a recent proposal for a place-based visa-the Heartland Visa-calls for U.S. immigration reform to aid struggling regions, citing the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) as a model (Ozimek et al. 2019). Unlike the U.S., encouraging immigration to and supporting integration in non-traditional destinations have become some of the central goals of Canadian immigration federalism: the system of shared management of immigration by the provinces, territories, and federal government which emerged in the 1990s (IRCC 2018; Paquet 2019). Proimmigration proposals in America's coal counties stand out in a period in which anti-immigrant rhetoric is increasingly prevalent (Marrow 2020). At the same time, calls that celebrate Atlantic Canada as an immigration success story are surprising given the region has the lowest immigration levels in Canada (Statistics Canada 2017). These contradictions illustrate the need for migration studies in peripheral regions. How are international migration experiences transforming places and regions on the periphery, and conversely, how are such locations transforming themselves to encourage international migration? What, if any, approaches can be adapted? Writing from St. John's, Canada's easternmost city, our questions are inspired by calls to decenter urban studies to consider what takes place beyond major cities, on the periphery, and in unconventional urban spaces (e.g., Roy 2011; Derickson 2015). Global research on "new immigrant destinat...

There is growing interest in the dynamics of immigrant entrepreneurship in non‐traditional immigrant gateway cities in Canada. Encouraging immigrant businesses is a particularly pressing imperative for Atlantic Canada's small and medium‐sized cities, which struggle with aging labour markets, youth out‐migration, and difficulty attracting and retaining newcomers. Recent research on immigrant entrepreneurship highlights the geography of entrepreneurial benefits and challenges across Canadian cities. Our study contributes to this field by examining the experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs on the “edge”—working in Canada's easternmost city, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Our findings are based on 28 interviews conducted with immigrant entrepreneurs and key informants in St. John's. As a remote, peripheral city within Canada with a small immigrant population and an economy intimately tied to booms and busts in global oil markets, we found that St. John's presents a distinct set of challenges for immigrant entrepreneurs. Yet, a recent rush to encourage a start‐up ecosystem—through a university‐based incubator program and new provincial nominee streams—is also creating new opportunities for self‐employment and shifting the terrain of support towards white‐collar businesses. Ultimately, this study highlights the variegated experiences of a diverse set of immigrant entrepreneurs in St. John's.

This paper makes a case for post‐graduate international students as an increasingly important category of immigrant entrepreneur in Canada. We draw our findings from an analysis of new provincial immigrant entrepreneur programs and interviews with international student entrepreneurs in a mid‐sized city in Atlantic Canada. We argue that three forces have become increasingly relevant in shaping immigrant entrepreneurs' opportunity structures: (1) the internationalization of higher education institutions (HEIs), (2) the corporatization of HEIs, and (3) the regionalization of immigration. We show how public policy shifts in immigration and education have expanded the opportunity structure for international student start‐ups. These entrepreneurs are navigating multiple dimensions of risk that stem from being both temporary migrants and business owners.

Global research on new immigrant destinations prioritizes the study of places experiencing rapid demographic change. Immigration is increasingly promoted, however, as a policy tool to encourage stability in peripheral regions, cities, and communities. This paper introduces the concept of the aspiring gateway to describe locations that attract few immigrants but proactively aspire to become welcoming communities. We make this case through an examination of the geographies of immigrant receptivity in Atlantic Canada. Our findings are based on 22 interviews with participants in the immigration sector in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Highlighting the powerful role of non-state actors and public discourses, our analysis considers the ambiguities and mixed messages of the place-based immigration policies of this region. We argue that a more pluralistic understanding of immigrant gateways must include peripheral spaces that are relatively isolated from international migration flows. Aspiring gateways require a rethinking of assumptions formed in and about new immigrant destinations. Keywords: immigration, immigrant receptivity, new immigrant destinations, urban, Canada. "What can Appalachia learn from Atlantic Canada?" asked a 2018 editorial in The Roanoke Times, referring to pro-immigration strategies in Canada's easternmost provinces and their Submitted version_Aspiring Gateways, Pottie-Sherman and Graham 2 potential to address economic challenges in Virginia's coal counties. Along similar lines, a recent proposal for a place-based visa -the Heartland Visa -calls for U.S. immigration reform to aid struggling regions, citing the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) as a model (Ozimek et al. 2019). Unlike the U.S., encouraging immigration to and supporting integration in non-traditional destinations have become some of the central goals of Canadian immigration federalism: the system of shared management of immigration by the provinces, territories, and federal government which emerged in the 1990s (IRCC 2018; Paquet 2019). Proimmigration proposals in America's coal counties stand out in a period in which anti-immigrant rhetoric is increasingly prevalent (Marrow 2020). At the same time, calls that celebrate Atlantic Canada as an immigration success story are surprising given the region has the lowest immigration levels in Canada (Statistics Canada 2017). These contradictions illustrate the need for migration studies in peripheral regions. How are international migration experiences transforming places and regions on the periphery, and conversely, how are such locations transforming themselves to encourage international migration? What, if any, approaches can be adapted? Writing from St. John's, Canada's easternmost city, our questions are inspired by calls to decenter urban studies to consider what takes place beyond major cities, on the periphery, and in unconventional urban spaces (e.g., Roy 2011; Derickson 2015). Global research on "new immigrant destin...