International Journal of Social Science Studies Vol. 3, No. 1; January 2015 ISSN 2324-8033 E-ISSN 2324-8041 Published by Redfame Publishing URL: http://ijsss.redfame.com 58 A Complicated Welcome: Social Workers Navigate Policy, Organizational Contexts and Socio-Cultural Dynamics Following Migration to Canada Marion Brown 1 , Annie Pullen Sansfacon ,2 , Stephanie Ethier 2 & Amy Fulton 3 1 School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Canada. 2 Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Canada. 3 Unviersity of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. Correspondence: Marion Brown, School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Canada. Received: October 29, 2014 Accepted: November 13, 2014 Available online: December 11, 2014 doi:10.11114/ijsss.v3i1.569 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11114/ijsss.v3i1.569 Abstract Canada prides itself on a reputation of being a welcoming and inclusive country, promoting a collective pride in upholding a multicultural mosaic wherein a rich diversity of ethnicities, cultures and religions co-exist. A priority of the Canadian federal government is the attraction and retention of skilled foreign workers into the labour market, and social workers have been targeted for this government initiative. Alluring though this ideal picture may be, the experiences of forty-four migrant social workers who undertook their social work education outside Canada and currently practice social work in Canada suggest significant barriers on the levels of policy, organizational context and socio-cultural dynamics. On the level of policy, participants navigated processes for immigration, recognition of foreign credentials, and licensure with the provincial regulatory body. On the level of organizational context, participants faced a range of challenges in securing social work employment. On the level of socio-cultural dynamics, participants detail the many interactive subtleties experienced as they sought to „fit in‟ in order to connect with their new colleagues and communities. Analysis draws on the concepts of institutional and embodied cultural capital as the means though which social status is differentially available for these migrant social workers, based on the ascribed value of their citizenship characteristics, educational preparation, and practice experience. These forms of capital facilitate mobility by enabling access to opportunities and the tools to acquire status and entry to a particular class, that of the social work practitioner in Canada. Keywords: acculturation, adaptation, migration, professional practice, social work 1. Introduction Canada is promoted as a land of opportunity, with its natural beauty purportedly matched by the generosity of its people. Since 1994, Canada has been ranked in the top ten places to live in the world, and in 2013 it placed third in the global „better life index‟, recognized for its comfortable standard of living, low mortality rate, solid education and health systems, and low crime rate (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2013). It is a promising option for migrant professionals looking to leave their home countries for a variety of reasons related to social, political and economic conditions. This paper reports on the experiences of forty-four social workers who undertook their social work education outside Canada and migrated to Canada with the intent of continuing to practice social work. We bring analysis to three key areas experienced as problematic: policy, including immigration, recognition of foreign credentials, and registration with the licensing body; organizational context, including issues related to the search for employment and process of hiring; and socio-cultural dynamics, the more subtle relations required to „fit in‟ and feelings of „difference‟ in relation to one‟s colleagues. The findings for each of these are discussed in detail below, drawing on Bourdieu‟s concept of cultural capital (Bour dieu, 1986). 2. The Context of Immigration to Canada Canada prides itself on a reputation of being a welcoming and inclusive country, promoting collective pride in a multicultural mosaic wherein a diversity of ethnicities, cultures, and religions co-exist. It is a country that often enjoys positive international assessment, with its reported comfortable standard of living, solid social programs, mix of urban and rural lifestyles, vast and spectacular natural beauty, and people often considered polite and consensus driven. It is