There is a growing policy concern in Canada regarding the facilitation of foreign students' transition from temporary residents to permanent residents. Interestingly, academic attention to the issue is somewhat lacking. By focusing on the Chinese undergraduate student at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, this study attempts to identify the factors which influence their migration intentions. The findings confirm the important effects of students' demographic characteristics, premove traits, Canadian experiences, parental expectations, as well as related aspiration factors. In addition, we find that female and male students are different from each other in terms of the factors that determine their intentions to stay in Canada. In light of the findings, we suggest that, in spite of gender differences, social and emotional adaptations are as critical as economic adaptation in facilitating temporary residents' intentions to stay. Furthermore, we contend that changes in immigration policy to attract foreign students to stay do motivate their immigration intention to some extent, but we also recommend that extended research needs to be done to examine the effects of most recent policy changes on foreign students' intended or actual migration.Résumé Une préoccupation en matière de politique prend de l'importance au Canada; elle porte sur la facilitation de la transition du statut des étudiants étrangers, de résidents temporaires à résidents permanents. Fait digne de remarque, cette question n'attire pas beaucoup d'attention de la part du monde académique. Cette étude tente d'identifier les facteurs qui influencent les projets de migration des étudiants asiatiques du premier cycle à la University of Saskatchewan, au Canada.Les résultats confirment le rôle important des traits démographiques des étudiants, des caractéristiques de leurs vies avant leur arrivée au Canada, de leurs expériences au Canada, des attentes de la part des parents, ainsi que des facteurs liés aux souhaits pour l'avenir. De plus, nous avons trouvé que les facteurs qui influencent le désir de rester au Canada ne sont pas les mêmes pour les étudiants que pour les étudiantes. Compte tenu des résultats, nous proposons que, malgré les différences entre les hommes et les femmes, l'adaptation sociale et émotive est aussi critique que l'adaptation économique comme facteur qui contribue à faciliter la décision des résidents temporaires de rester. Nous affirmons également que les changements apportés aux politiques en matière d'immigration pour motiver les étudiants étrangers à rester ont, dans une certaine mesure, l'impact voulu. Toutefois, nous recommandons des recherches plus poussées pour déterminer l'effet qu'ont la plupart des changements de politiques sur les intentions de migration des étudiants.

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Traditional approach to the issue of “brain drain” and “brain gain” focuses on outflow and inflow of migration of academics and professionals between countries of origins and destinations. It is suggested that, in the international labor market, the developing countries have experienced the problem of brain drain while the developed countries have benefited from brain gain in the process of globalization and international mobility of talent. From this perspective, “brain drain” or “brain gain” is primarily measured by the number of talented people who have “moved in” or “moved out” of a country, but not the extent to which the “brain” has been utilized. This study redefines the notion of “brain drain” by focusing on the actual utilization of professional talents. Previous research findings show that despite attractive Canadian immigration policy and the increasing number of professional immigrants, Canada as a developed country has the problem of “brain waste” due to its systemic barriers such as the devaluation of foreign credentials and non-recognition of foreign work experience for professional Chinese immigrants. At the same time, China as a developing country has benefited from contributions made by highly educated professionals/students returning to their home country through its attractive and rewarding opportunities for those who have attained knowledge and skills from overseas. China has become a model of “brain gain” for developing countries by implementing a series of open and favorable policies to attract top-notch overseas Chinese and foreign talents to help promote the economic development and global competitiveness of the nation.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experiences of multiple forced migrations and resettlement among two refugee families in a mid-sized Canadian city. Design/methodology/approach – Case studies are located within the contingencies of the participants’ lives and the meanings they provide to the events. A postcolonial feminist perspective guided the data analysis to explore the micro-level of individual experiences that unfold within a raced, gendered, and classed reality. Open-ended interviews, participant observation, and field notes were used to collect participants’ perspectives. Data were collected until saturation occurred. Findings – An in-depth analysis of these two case studies revealed that lack of choice and lack of access to health and social services affect health through constant revival of traumatic past experiences prior to arrival to Canada. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: first, shared experiences of forced migrations; second, the past and present: construction of new identities; and third, resettlement challenges and opportunities. These themes overlap and intersect to shape the experiences of double forced migration. Research limitations/implications – This research has limitations related to the sample size but provides data on a topic that deserves more attention in the field of immigrant and health studies. The authors argue that health and social professionals must resist “finalizing” refugees into disempowered identities that undermine human agency. Originality/value – Research on resettlement experiences after forced migration is a burgeoning field in refugee studies. The originality lies in drawing on Bahktin to develop practical implications to guide health and social practice in this area marked by racialization and fundamentalism.