Civic and political participation and citizenship - understood both as a legal status and as the lived experience of membership, rights and belonging - are fundamental to the success of resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities. If immigrants are kept as outsiders and excluded from full participation in social and political life, immigration ceases to be socially sustainable.

This research program focuses on migrants, immigrants, newcomers, and refugees, notably people born outside of Canada who live in Canada with temporary or permanent status, regardless of legal category of entry (family, economic, or humanitarian) and length of stay. In this research program, we mostly use the term 'immigrant' but acknowledge that all these terms are racialized and that individual and community experiences vary greatly - and any single term refers to an internally diverse population. In addition, we acknowledge that all peoples in Canada, except Indigenous peoples, are settlers/immigrants.

This research also adopts a working definition of 'integration' as a process, (of becoming 'integrated'), that involves phases of personal and social change among individuals, communities, and institutions (Spencer & Charsley, 2016, 2021). It builds on contributions of all of society and by all communities (not just immigrants), is multi-faceted (has physical, socio-economic, cultural, civic and identity dimensions), is spatially defined (happens locally but involves (trans)national linkages) and evolves with time (at different paces in different spheres) (Dahinden, 2016; Triadafilopoulos, 2022).

The rise of ADT has critical impacts on and opens new possibilities for migrant integration in different spheres of social, economic and political life including civic and political participation. For example, connecting with informal groups and expanding one's social networks. Likewise, they facilitate access to formal structures of political participation through online policy consultations or townhalls. ADT may play an important part in immigrants' access to and experience of citizenship. In addition, having access to the accurate history of Canada, i.e., understanding being an immigrant on Indigenous land and relationship building with Indigenous peoples, is critical to achieving integration and reconciliation.

Research on immigrants' civic and political participation and their sense of belonging has shown that participation patterns, experiences of substantive citizenship, and even the propensity to acquire citizenship are shaped as much by contextual dynamics (such as naturalization regulations and community welcome (Bloemraad, 2006; Dronkers & Vink, 2012; Janoski, 2010; Paquet, 2012) as by immigrant individual socio-economic characteristics (Hou & Picot, 2019; Picot & Hou, 2011).

Similarly, comparative participation research across the social sciences has pointed to the importance of considering both formal (e.g., the right to vote) and informal mechanisms (e.g., protests or artistic performances) when capturing the full extent of immigrants' civic and political integration.

As with previous technologies - e.g., the internet, social media, e-commerce - ADT reorganize the context in which individuals participate in their surroundings and societies, while also supporting new mechanisms of participation.

ADT offer multiple pathways for participation that extend across time zones and state boundaries such as online mobilization through social media to demand change (Gruzd & Haythornthwaite, 2013; Gruzd & Mai, 2020; Monteiro, 2021); active search for information online (e.g., through Reddit communities (Kumar et al., 2018); or participation and voting in online townhalls through smart devices. There is a complex interplay between ADT-facilitated online social participation and real-world behavior and outcomes (Mirlohi Falavarjani et al., 2019, 2021), some of which is shaped by differences in (digital) literacy, access to technological tools as well as by previous experiences of repression. As with any form of participation, ADT-based participation is affected by the intersection of axes of oppression and privileges associated with gender, sexual orientation, language, experiences of colonialism and social class, amongst others. ADT present opportunities for immigrant participation but are not a panacea to existing and emerging barriers.

Within the Citizenship and Participation theme, we identify three+one broader sub-areas and several topics for research within them. Within each sub-theme we identify a list of research questions we want to ask and answer:
1. Citizenship and belonging
How is the meaning of citizenship and belonging evolving in a period of rapid (and disruptive) technological transformation and of ensuing socio-economic and geopolitical change? Are our conceptual frameworks fit for purpose?

Is citizenship acquisition losing its attraction in Canada and why is that? How does this compare with other advanced liberal democracies? What are the obstacles and how can we address them?

What are alternative narratives of Canadian national identity and how do they evolve in a context of Truth and Reconciliation? How can artistic approaches make novel and innovative contributions to promoting critical and self-reflexive narratives and giving voice to equity-seeking groups?

How is the geopolitical and international context affecting internal politics of citizenship and what is the role of Advanced Digital Technologies in shaping the context?

2. The digitalization of immigrant integration and of immigrant service provision
What are the major trends in terms of digitization and digitalization of immigrant and refugee services? How does Canada compare with other major migrant destination countries? What can we learn from one another?

What are the challenges and opportunities of digitization and digitalization for the broader settlement and migrant/refugee support sector?

How do Advanced Digital Technologies affect migrants' participation and attachment into Canadian society and with their countries of origin?

How do ADT mediate migration decisions through the faster, massive and interactive flow of information and knowledge about the migration experience?

How do ADTs shape immigration governance? In what ways have various modes of digital citizenship (including the use of digital forms of identification and biometrics) impacted immigration governance? What are the pitfalls and promises of this process? What issues do we need to be mindful of as regards data stewardship?

3. Social polarization, ADTs and impact on migrant integration
What kind of dominant and alternative narratives on immigration and the nation are emerging in Canada in the social media sphere?
What is the role of social media in promoting pro- and anti-social mobilisations?

Are immigrants using (and how?) new social media to find information and make connections on and offline?

What is the role of social media as vectors of transnational socio-political mobilisations whether pro- or anti-social?

4. + Horizontal topics
What are the privacy and ethics challenges today in working with and on migrant integration?

What are innovative methods of training and engagement that this program can promote?