The experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs in a medium sized Canadian city

Graham, Nelson (2019) The experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs in a medium sized Canadian city. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Traditionally, immigrant entrepreneurial research conducted in Canada has focused on major cities such as Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver (MTV). However, recent research on migrant economies highlights the need to examine immigrant entrepreneurship across all city types, including small to medium sized cities (SMCs). This thesis answers the call among the literature for qualitative studies to investigate immigrant entrepreneurship, by examining the experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs in the SMC of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL). Combining the rescaling approach with the mixed embeddedness theory, the opportunities and barriers that immigrant entrepreneurs face in this Canadian SMC are identified. More specifically, this project explores what entrepreneurial supports are considered to be the most comprehensive for newcomers operating a business. My findings underscore that immigrant entrepreneurs in the low-skill sector face a much different, less holistic support system than those in the high-skill sector. Moreover, while this Atlantic province has long struggled with the retention of newcomers, Memorial University of NL is playing a key role in the integration, retention, and facilitation of immigrant entrepreneurship.

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