ABSTRACT
A distinguishing feature of immigration since the era of industrialization up to the late 20th century has been its urban orientation. Since immigrants settled mainly in metropolitan areas, research focused primarily on the characteristics of these urban immigrants, the integration challenges and opportunities they encountered, as well as the strategies they employed to overcome difficulties. In the 1990s, migration researchers developed an interest in the role of locality in migration processes, and the argument was advanced that much closer attention must be paid to the ‘city as context’ (Brettell 1999). Terms such as ‘global city’ and ‘gateway city’ have been used to focus analyses on the connections between cities and their migrant populations.
