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Do Tied Movers Get Tied Down? The Occupational Displacement of Dependent Applicant Immigrants in Canada

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Abstract

In this study, we utilize both quantitative and qualitative data to examine the effect of dependent applicant status on the occupational mobility of married, professional immigrant men and women arriving in Canada through the skilled worker immigration category. Using longitudinal quantitative data, we find that dependent applicants, regardless of gender, experience a greater drop in occupational status after migration than principal applicants and they are unable to overcome this disadvantage over time. Qualitative interview data highlights the subtle, implicit relationship between dependent applicant status, traditional gender roles, and employment integration. In most cases, the women are designated as the dependent applicant during the immigration process because they have lower levels of the human capital that is valued for Canadian immigration than their husbands. Our findings suggest that within newly immigrated families, principal applicants are better able to reestablish their careers, while dependent applicants, disproportionately women, face more employment disadvantage, regardless of their professional background.

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Notes

  1. NOC codes classify occupations according to their skill level and skill type. Skill levels range from A to D, with level A representing occupations that require university education; level B those that normally require college education or apprenticeship; level C those that require secondary school; and level D representing those occupations in which on-the-job training is required. The job’s skill type is based on the type of work performed as well as the field or industry of the occupation. Examples of skill types within the NOC include management occupations; occupations in business, finance, and administration; occupations in natural and applied sciences and health occupations. Using this system of classification, the NOC outlines 520 different occupational titles. For more information on NOC codes, please see “National Occupational Classification Training Tutorial” provided by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) at http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/Tutorial.aspx.

  2. If there was more than one job at the time of interview, the main job was the one identified by the respondent.

  3. Regions are represented by dummy variables: (1) Northwest Europe, (2) Latin America/Caribbean, (3) Eastern Europe, (4) Southern Europe, (5) Africa, (6) Middle East/West Asia, (7) South Asia, (8) East Asia, and (9) Southeast Asia. Omitted reference category is Anglo countries (including US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand).

  4. Self-reported English/French language speaking ability ranging from (0) none to (5) fluent.

  5. No postmigration education = 0; participation in postmigration education = 1.

  6. Location of settlement is represented by dummy variables: (1) Toronto, (2) Montreal, and (3) Vancouver. Omitted reference category lives in a location other than Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

  7. No children in the household under age 14 = 0; children under the age of 14 = 1.

  8. In Canadian dollars.

  9. Before conducting the full growth curve model with all explanatory and control variables entered into the model, we constructed an “unconditional growth model”. An unconditional growth model includes wave as the only level 1 predictor and no substantive predictors at level 2 and helps to evaluate the baseline amount of occupational mobility in the population, as well as the between-person heterogeneity in this mobility. It is important to establish that there is enough change in the outcome variable over time and that between-person heterogeneity actually exists before undertaking growth curve analysis. From the unconditional growth model, we found that there is indeed significant change in the outcome variable over time as well as significant heterogeneity in occupational mobility between individuals. Results of this analysis are available from the authors by request.

  10. CIC News Release Announcement, August 17, 2012 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-08-17.asp

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Lisa Deacon and Hila Taraky for excellent research assistance. This research was supported by a grant from CERIS—The Ontario Metropolis Centre.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada

    Rupa Banerjee

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Toronto, 12 Brookfield Street, Toronto, ON, M6J 3A9, Canada

    Mai B. Phan

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  1. Rupa Banerjee
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  2. Mai B. Phan
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Correspondence to Rupa Banerjee.

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R. Banerjee and M. Phan contributed equally to this work.

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Banerjee, R., Phan, M.B. Do Tied Movers Get Tied Down? The Occupational Displacement of Dependent Applicant Immigrants in Canada. Int. Migration & Integration 16, 333–353 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-014-0341-9

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