After the Welcome

Traces the journeys of Syrian refugees who rebuilt lives in a nation divided over their welcome

Through Operation Syrian Refugee in 2015, tens of thousands of Syrians were granted resettlement, permanent residency, and, ultimately, citizenship in Canada. For many who had endured forced displacement, statelessness, and years in refugee camps, arrival in Canada represented the promise of safety, stability, and hope.

Yet these newcomers' optimism was often tempered by frustrations and disappointments. After an initially warm welcome, many faced significant barriers, including limited access to housing and health care and a lack of financial support. Racism, Islamophobia, and discrimination were also common, leaving refugees with the feeling of living "betwixt and between"--no longer displaced, but not yet embraced in their new home.

Based on transcribed interviews with 100 Syrian refugees, After the Welcome offers firsthand accounts of escape, life in exile, and the complex labour of building a new life. These stories reveal the everyday work of resettlement: learning a new language, navigating unfamiliar financial systems, pursuing education and employment, and putting down roots in a new country.

In an era of unprecedented global displacement and shifting immigration policy in Canada and beyond, After the Welcome invites us to reconsider what resettlement truly means, and what it takes for a "welcome" to grow into lasting belonging.