Shruti Kalyanaraman

As a feminist diasporic researcher, my goal is to understand the intersections of Canadian economic immigration policy (recently re-introduced as express entry) and relational privilege of transnational immigrant settlers in the ongoing colonial domination. l argue that besides economic disparities, a social hierarchy in Canada exists based on complex variables that include gender, race, religion, ability, sexuality, citizenship status, inter-religion and inter-ethnic tensions that govern the everyday lives and interactions of both the dominant groups and marginalized sections of the Canadian ongoing colonial fabric. Where do economic migrants, specifically, professional immigrant women settlers in “white collar jobs,” fit in this scenario? How do they acknowledge, navigate and come to terms with their relational privilege and situational marginality? Does the image of “Canada” alter once they understand the history of colonial domination? How does it affect the “multicultural” narrative that governs their lives through health, social and economic policies?
Keywords: Settler colonialism; economic immigration policy; labour market integration; immigrant women