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Forms of Capital in the Economic Integration of Immigrants in Canada

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Abstract

Immigration policies in Canada draw from the human capital model. Yet, many individuals admitted under this policy face barriers to actualizing their capital in the Canadian labour market. As a result, in the face of economic struggle, newcomers might choose alternative pathways to attaining employment, drawing both resources and opportunities from co-ethnic ties rather than integrating into the mainstream labour market. Using the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) linked to the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), we examine the short-term effectiveness of these varying integration pathways and their long-term implications through an analysis of income trajectories. Our overall findings suggest the importance and transformability of human and social capital in the economic integration of immigrants in Canada.

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Fig. 1

Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) linked to the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB)

Fig. 2

Source: Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) linked to the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB)

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Notes

  1. As one reviewer pointed out, our choice to use a bachelor’s degree as being indicative of someone that is highly skilled may be too low of a threshold. This is certainly possible, but we experimented with different definitions (including admission category and occupational prestige), and found the results to be largely robust to the definition used.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Ottawa, Canada

    Georgina Chuatico

  2. Western University, London, Canada

    Michael Haan & Lindsay Finlay

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  1. Georgina Chuatico
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  2. Michael Haan
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Correspondence to Michael Haan.

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Chuatico, G., Haan, M. & Finlay, L. Forms of Capital in the Economic Integration of Immigrants in Canada. Int. Migration & Integration 24, 587–610 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-022-00965-y

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