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Marshia Akbar is the Director of the BMO Newcomer Workforce Integration Lab and Research Lead on Labour Migration at CERC Migration. Her interdisciplinary research bridges policy, practice, and lived experiences to address pressing issues in international migration, employment integration, and social equity.

She examines employment challenges faced by immigrants and migrants with temporary status, including international students, post-graduates, and high-skilled temporary workers. Using a multi-sectoral, collaborative approach, she highlights the roles of diverse stakeholders in fostering equitable integration pathways. With expertise in both statistical analysis and qualitative methodologies, her work combines analytical rigor with contextual sensitivity, emphasizing gender, class, race, and intersectionality in migration.

Under her leadership, the BMO Lab conducts action-oriented research to help employers effectively recruit and integrate skilled immigrants by bridging research with practice. She actively contributes to public discourse through conferences, publications, and collaborations with policymakers and practitioners.

Marshia has secured several research grants, including the SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2022), SSHRC Insight Grant (2023), funding from the Intergovernmental Committee for Economic and Labour Force Development (2022), and grants from World Education Services (2024, 2025).

Beyond research, she teaches in the Department of Sociology and The Chang School of Continuing Education at ³ÉÈË´óƬ. Marshia received the Faculty of Arts Teaching Award in 2022 for her course "Immigration, Borders, and Belonging".

Journal Articles and Research Reports

(2025).  (PDF file) Addressing Gender Disparities in Employment and Wages: Key Trends Among Immigrant Women in Canada.

(2023). , Intergovernmental Committee for Labour Force Development (ICE) Report.

With Deegan, H. and Aziz, A. (2023). , PICUM - the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants, Belgium. 

With Perzyna, M., Ellis, C., Monteiro, S., Nalbandian, L., & Smith, C. D. (2022). . Working paper.

With Niraula, A. & Triandafyllidou, A. (2022). Canadian Public Policy.

(2022). . Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 1-18.

(2022) . International Migration,&²Ô²ú²õ±è;00,&²Ô²ú²õ±è;1–&²Ô²ú²õ±è;13.&²Ô²ú²õ±è;

With Preston, V., & Shields, J. (2021).  Journal of International Migration and Integration, 1-21.

With Preston, V. (2021). . Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 1-20.

With Preston, V.  (2020/10). . CERC-RCIS Working Paper No, 10,  September 2020.

With Ray, B., Rose, D., & Preston, V. (2019) , BMRC Report 2.

With Preston, V. (2019) , BMRC Working Paper.

(2019). , South Asian Diaspora, 11(1), 67-87. 

With Ray, B., & Preston, V. (2018) , BMRC Report 1. 

With Preston, V., Phan, M., Park, S. and Kelly, P. (2011)  TIEDI Analytical Report 25.

With Preston, V. Phan, M., Park, S. and Kelly, P. (2011) , TIEDI Analytical Report 24.

With Kelly, P., Park, S. (2011) , TEIDI Analytical Report 26.

Chapter

Akbar, M. (2025). . In A. Jamal et al. (Eds.), South Asian Feminisms in Diaspora: Critical Perspectives from Canada (pp. 185-202). University of Alberta Press.

Akbar, M. (2024). . In S. Irudaya Rajan (Ed.), India Migration Report 2023: Student Migration (pp. 138-160). Routledge.

Preston, V., & Akbar, M. (2025). Gender, Immigration, Essential Work, and Resilience. In V. Preston et al. (Eds.), Resilience and Integrating International Migrants in Cities in Canada. McGill-Queen's University Press.

Preston, V., and Shields, J., (2025) In V. Preston, J. Shields, & T. Bedard (Eds.), Social resilience and international migration in the Canadian city (pp. 24–40). Montréal: McGill‑Queen’s University Press.

Policy Brief

With Deegan, H. and Aziz, A. (2024). , Picum, March. 2024.

With Alboim, N. and Cohl, K. (2024)  (PDF file) Ontario Colleges and international students: A pivotal time, CERC Migration Policy Brief 18, Feb. 2024.  

(2022).  (PDF file) Ensuring the Success of International Students: A collaborative model between governments, post secondary institutions and the settlement sector. CERC Migration Policy Brief 08, Aug. 2022.

Policy Reviews

With Preston, V., Bedard, T., Hutfless, I. and Wayland, S. (2020) .  

With Preston, V. (2020) , BMRC.

With Preston, V. (2020) , BMRC. 

Blogs and Op-eds

(2025). , The Conversation, April 3, 2025.

With Triandafyllidou, A. (2025) . TheFutureEconomy.ca. March 19, 2025.

(2025). , The Conversation, March 15, 2025.

With Triandafyllidou, A. (2025) , The Conversation. February 17, 2025.

(2023). , Migration Policy Centre Blog, European University Institute, Florence, Italy. 

(2020). 

With Charles, N. (2019).  BMRC.

Projects

Navigating the Identity Spectrum: South Asian Diversity in Canada and its Impact on Employment Integration (SADIE), funded by SSHRC Insight Grant (2024-2027).

Employer Engagement Initiatives (EII): Strategies for supporting immigrant workforce integration, funded by BMO (2024-2026).

Improving International Student Success: Examining College Policies and Strategies for Recruitment and Employment Support in Ontario and British Columbia (IREC), funded by Mitacs Accelerate Grant (2024-2025).

International students’ lived experiences in Canada (ISX), funded by SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2022-2025).

Media

, Toronto Star, May 28, 2025.

, Toronto Star, May 6, 2025. 

, The New Canadian Media, January 22, 2024.

‘, Toronto Star, June 11, 2023.

CBC News, January 12, 2022.

TVO, February 24, 2021.

, TVO, September 23, 2020.