source: Xinhua
Immigrants to Canada are finding it hard to integrate into the society of their adopted country, facing various barriers ranging from credentials not being recognized to being undervalued in work, according to recent surveys. The failure for recognizing foreign credentials have prevented most skilled new immigrants from being employed on their expertise. A lot of doctors, nurses, and professionals end up with working as taxi-drivers, waiters or waitresses and laborers. This has resulted in a much higher poverty rate among the immigrants group than the local population. A Statistics Canada report released last month said although the government hiked the ratio of more highly educated immigrants since 1993 in a bid to improve the newcomers' financial situation, new immigrants continue to be one of the poorest groups of the country, whose low-income rates have risen to more than 3 times higher than local-born Canadians after 2000. The report examines the economic welfare of immigrant families and individuals and assesses their financial situation since 2000. It finds that in 2002, low-income rates among immigrants during their first full year in Canada were 3.5 times higher than those of Canadian-born citizens. Two years later, the low-income rates were 3.2 times higher. Both numbers are higher than that in the 1990s. Even if an immigrant enters into the workforce with his (her) foreign credential successfully, it is very often that he may not feel so valued as his local colleges, a new survey has found.
Nearly 50 percent of visible minority respondents with foreign educational credentials felt their employers did not recognize their credentials as being on par with Canadian equivalent degrees, diplomas or certificates, said a study by Catalyst Canada and Ryerson University which was released Wednesday. The survey is based on the response of 6,000 people working as professionals, managers or executives at Canada's 500 largest firms. Participants, who have an average of 20 years' work experience, included visible minority and white/Caucasian employees, both male and female. Visible minority professionals who felt undervalued were the least satisfied in their jobs and the most likely to consider leaving the country in search of other opportunities, the study also showed. The study warned that as within a decade, visible minorities will account for one-fifth of Canada's total available workforce, the findings raise serious concern for Canada's global competitiveness. "If our final research confirms that this group is most likely to seek opportunities outside of Canada, the implications for competitiveness, economic growth and productivity could prove to be significant," Catalyst Canada's executive director Deborah Gillis said Wednesday. In a bid to help new immigrants integrate into the society, the government announced Wednesday it would invest 3 million Canadian dollars (2.5 million U.S. dollars) to study why skilled immigrants have trouble finding the right jobs. The study will attempt to identify barriers encountered by immigrants and figure out strategies to overcome them, said Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Monte Solberg. "What is needed now is money to fund and expand these existing and proven programs and projects." The immediate creation of a central body to speed the recognition of foreign trained professionals' experience is also needed, said Olivia Chow, a parliament member from the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP).
Immigrants to Canada are finding it hard to integrate into the society of their adopted country, facing various barriers ranging from credentials not being recognized to being undervalued in work, according to recent surveys. The failure for recognizing foreign credentials have prevented most skilled new immigrants from being employed on their expertise. A lot of doctors, nurses, and professionals end up with working as taxi-drivers, waiters or waitresses and laborers. This has resulted in a much higher poverty rate among the immigrants group than the local population. A Statistics Canada report released last month said although the government hiked the ratio of more highly educated immigrants since 1993 in a bid to improve the newcomers' financial situation, new immigrants continue to be one of the poorest groups of the country, whose low-income rates have risen to more than 3 times higher than local-born Canadians after 2000. The report examines the economic welfare of immigrant families and individuals and assesses their financial situation since 2000. It finds that in 2002, low-income rates among immigrants during their first full year in Canada were 3.5 times higher than those of Canadian-born citizens. Two years later, the low-income rates were 3.2 times higher. Both numbers are higher than that in the 1990s. Even if an immigrant enters into the workforce with his (her) foreign credential successfully, it is very often that he may not feel so valued as his local colleges, a new survey has found.
Nearly 50 percent of visible minority respondents with foreign educational credentials felt their employers did not recognize their credentials as being on par with Canadian equivalent degrees, diplomas or certificates, said a study by Catalyst Canada and Ryerson University which was released Wednesday. The survey is based on the response of 6,000 people working as professionals, managers or executives at Canada's 500 largest firms. Participants, who have an average of 20 years' work experience, included visible minority and white/Caucasian employees, both male and female. Visible minority professionals who felt undervalued were the least satisfied in their jobs and the most likely to consider leaving the country in search of other opportunities, the study also showed. The study warned that as within a decade, visible minorities will account for one-fifth of Canada's total available workforce, the findings raise serious concern for Canada's global competitiveness. "If our final research confirms that this group is most likely to seek opportunities outside of Canada, the implications for competitiveness, economic growth and productivity could prove to be significant," Catalyst Canada's executive director Deborah Gillis said Wednesday. In a bid to help new immigrants integrate into the society, the government announced Wednesday it would invest 3 million Canadian dollars (2.5 million U.S. dollars) to study why skilled immigrants have trouble finding the right jobs. The study will attempt to identify barriers encountered by immigrants and figure out strategies to overcome them, said Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Monte Solberg. "What is needed now is money to fund and expand these existing and proven programs and projects." The immediate creation of a central body to speed the recognition of foreign trained professionals' experience is also needed, said Olivia Chow, a parliament member from the Opposition New Democratic Party (NDP).
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