Section 11. Immigrant Youth
Many young people immigrate to Canada as dependants, accompanied by their families or they have come on their own to attend school or for work. Whether they came by themselves or with their families, these children and youth left behind friends and relatives, and a familiar social system. Compared to adults, immigrant children and youth face unique challenges - most notably, getting used to the school system in Canada and balancing the cultural values and behaviour expected of children and youth in their home country with those of their new country.
In 2002, approximately 230,000 immigrants arrived in Canada1. Citizenship and Immigration Canada reported that just over 31,000 of these immigrants were youth2. The rates of immigration for youth in Canada have remained relatively stable since 2000, with a net change of -3%3.
11.1 Demographics
The 2001 census reports that there were approximately 470,000 immigrant youth aged 15 to 24 residing in Canada4. This accounts for approximately 9% of the total immigrant population that is currently residing in Canada. Of immigrant youth, there is virtually an equal distribution of males and females, with 51% and 49% respectively5. Figure 11.1 shows the immigrant population in 2001.
Figure 11-1: Immigrant Population in Canada by Gender, 2001
Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 95F0357XCB01003
The majority of immigrant youth in Canada have come from regions outside of North America, and in 2001 the majority cited their place of origin as Asia6 (52%)7. A significant number of youth, 21%, immigrated from Europe and the United Kingdom. 9% came from South and Central America, and 7% came from Africa.
Figure 11-2: Youth Immigrant Population by Place of Origin, 2001
Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 95F0357XCB01003
The large majority of immigrant youth are single (91%)8. Of those aged 15 to 24, 8% were legally married and 1% were separated, divorced or widowed. Nearly 80% of all immigrant youth were children in family households, and 10% were living in non-family households9. Approximately 8.4% were living as spouses or common-law partners and 1.5% were lone-parents.
The majority of immigrant youth live in urban areas. Among all immigrant youth in Canada in 2001, over two-thirds live in Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal10. 65% of immigrants aged 15 to 24 noted that they had changed residence in the past five years since being in Canada: 76% moved to a different province while 24% moved intraprovincially11. Immigrants were attracted to urban cores areas for two main reasons. First, following decades of immigration, many ethnic groups established their social and economic networks in these cities. These networks provide a vital link for the newcomers with the local community. Second, there were more opportunities for work and recreation in these large cities. In return, these urban centres had become more culturally vibrant as a result of the influx of immigrants12.
11.2 Language
One of the major challenges immigrants face when coming to live in a new country is a lack of communication skills. Of all immigrants to Canada, 46% report that they could not speak either English or French13. Immigrants under the age of 15 were the least likely to understand either English or French when they arrived in Canada. However, recent immigrants between the ages of 15 and 24 were more likely to know English when they arrived because English is part of the primary and secondary school curriculum in many countries. Most young people had some language training prior to immigrating to Canada14.
The 2001 Census data shows that only 2% immigrant youth do not have knowledge of either official language15. 78% have knowledge of English, 3% have knowledge of French and 18% are bilingual. 73% of all immigrant youth have a non-official language mother tongue. The proportion of immigrant youth who understood French was higher among those living in Montreal than among those in Toronto or Vancouver16.
11.3 Education
The majority of immigrant youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are attending school either full or part-time (70%)17. The level of education for immigrant youth is fairly similar to Canadian youth, with 39% having incomplete high school and 17% having graduated. 25% note that they have some post-secondary and 8% have college or trade diplomas and 7% hold university degrees. Canadian youth had higher rates of completion for post-secondary education than did immigrant youth18. Figure 11.3 shows the level of education completed for immigrant youth in 2001.
Figure 11-3: Highest Level of Education for Immigrant Youth aged 15 to 24, 2001
Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01041
Immigrant youth are less likely to combine work and school. Immigrant youth aged 15 to 19 are just as likely as Canadian-born youth to stay in school. However, immigrants aged 20 to 24 are more likely to be in school than are their Canadian-born peers19. Combining school and work is far more prevalent among Canadian-born youth aged 15 to 19 than it is among recent immigrants of that age. More than half of Canadian-born teens hold a job while going to school full-time or part-time, compared to one-quarter of immigrant teens that have lived in Canada for less than 10 years20.
The pattern is similar for youth aged 20 to 24. Among this group, 79% of Canadian-born students and 80% of foreign-born students who have been in Canada for 10 years or more work while continuing to study full-time or part-time, but less than half of those who have been in Canada for less than 10 years do so. Again, these differences in lifestyle behaviours converge as foreign-born youth become more integrated into their new country21.
11.4 Employment and Income
Over half of immigrant youth aged 15 to 24 are participating in the labour force (55%)22. Of those, the vast majority hold jobs, and the unemployment rate was 14.8% in 200123. Almost all are paid employees, with just under 3% being self-employed. The most common occupation for immigrant youth is sales and service (44%). Occupations held by immigrant youth are highlighted in Figure 11.4.
Figure 11-4: Occupation by type for Immigrant Youth (15-24), 2001
Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01042
All data regarding income of immigrant youth is based on Statistics Canada census data for 2001 which are based on the income earnings for 2000. Just under half of all immigrant youths did not work in the year 2000 (42%), and of those that did work, 11% were employed full-time for the entire year of 2000 while 47% worked part-time24.
The average employment income for immigrant youth was $9,4542525, and income from employment made up 88% of all income sources. 12% of income came from government or other sources. Figure 11.5 illustrates the income distribution for those immigrant youth with income in 2000.
Figure 11-5: Income Distributions for Immigrant Youth (15-24) with Income in 2000
Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01043
Immigrants who have been in Canada for less than a decade are more likely to live in lower-income families than are those who have been in Canada for 10 years or more. According to the 1996 National Population Health Survey, over one-third of immigrants who had been in Canada for less than 10 years reported that their household income was under $20,000, compared to 16% of those who had been in Canada for more than 10 years, and 17% of people who are Canadian-born26. Over half (56%) of Canadian-born children and youth lived in households with incomes of $40,000 or more, while only 36% of recent immigrant children and youth did so.
Other research has shown that it generally takes newcomers to Canada 10 years to become fully comfortable in their new country and for their income to reach the average level27. Recent immigrants - especially those who have been in the country for five years or less - often experience a difficult adjustment period as they look for jobs and settle into a new culture. This partly explains lower than average incomes.
11.5 Substance Abuse28
Immigrant youth are less likely to smoke or drink than Canadian-born youth. However, as they adapt to Canadian society, immigrant youth begin to adopt the same patterns of alcohol and tobacco use as their Canadian-born peers. Over one in 10 youth aged 12 to 24 who had been in Canada for less than 10 years smoke, but these figures increase to two in 10 for Canadian-born youth.
The trend towards alcohol consumption is similar to that of smoking. Alcohol use is most prevalent among Canadian-born youth, followed by young immigrants who have lived in Canada for 10 years or more. Young immigrants who have lived in Canada for less than 10 years are the least likely to drink. Among youth who drink alcohol, Canadian-born youth are more likely to drink regularly than are immigrant youth, and Canadian-born youth are more likely to drink more heavily. In 1996, six in 10 Canadian-born youth reported that they had had at least one heavy drinking episode in the previous year - consuming five or more drinks at one sitting. This compares to only three in 10 among immigrant youth.
Many immigrant youth probably do not have many friends or acquaintances who smoke or drink, but as they become more integrated into Canadian society, they are more likely to adapt to the lifestyles and habits of the local youth. They will also have more friends who smoke or drink. More than one-third of immigrant youth have no friends or acquaintances who smoke, compared to 20% of youth born in Canada. One in five Canadian-born youth say that almost all of the people with whom they socialize are smokers. Only one in 10 immigrant youth make this claim. Among foreign-born high school students, research shows that the probability of alcohol use increases along with the number of years that they have lived in Canada. Compared to recent immigrant youth, Canadian-born youth and immigrant teens that have been in Canada for more than 10 years are more likely to have friends or acquaintances that drink too much29.
1 Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002 Facts and Figures: Immigration Overview. Available: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2002/immigration/immigration_7.html.
2 Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002 Facts and Figures: Immigration Overview. Available: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2002/immigration/immigration_7.html.
3 Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2002 Facts and Figures: Immigration Overview. Available: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2002/immigration/immigration_7.html and Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0357XCB01003.
4 This includes recent immigrants as well as all those immigrants who have retained a residence in Canada at the time of the census but were born in another country. Sourced from Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 95F0357XCB01003.
5 Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0357XCB01003.
6 Defined by Statistics Canada, Asia includes the following: Cyprus and the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Since the 1996 Census, the subcontinental region formerly known as Western Asia and the Middle East has been redefined to include Cyprus and the former Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
7 Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 95F0357XCB01003.
8 This paragraph has been sourced by: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01040.
9 Non-family persons are defined by Statistics Canada as household members who do not belong to a census family, or those living alone.
10 Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 95F0357XCB01004.
11 Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01040.
12 Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/index.htm .
13 Citizenship and Immigration. 2000 Facts and Figures: Immigration Overview. Available: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2002/immigration/immigration_9.html.
14 Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/index.htm.
15 This paragraph has been sourced from: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01040.
16 Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/index.htm.
17 This section has been sourced by: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01041.
18 Refer to Section 3.0: Education for further details.
19 This paragraph has been paraphrased from: Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/lifestyl.htm.
20 Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/lifestyl.htm.
21 Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/hl.htm.
22 Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01042.
23 Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01042.
24 All data sourced from: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census: 97F0009XCB01043.
25 Statistics Canada notes a standard error of income average of $40 (97F0009XCB01043).
26 This paragraph has been taken from: Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/lifestyl.htm.
27 Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/index.htm.
28 This section has been largely paraphrased from Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada (Available: http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/index.htm). Sources are listed where possible.
29 This paragraph has been taken from: Canadian Council on Social Development. 2000. Immigrant Youth in Canada. http://www.ccsd.ca/subsites/cd/docs/iy/index.htm. Data prepared by CCSD and the National Population Health Survey, 1996.
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