Types of difficulties encountered

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New immigrants report facing many difficulties in the labour market

  • Four years after arriving in Canada, the majority of new immigrants reported encountering many difficulties or problems in finding work. In 2005, the most frequently mentioned difficulty was lack of Canadian work experience (49.8%), followed by lack of contacts in the job market (37.1%), lack of recognition of foreign experience (36.6%), lack of recognition of foreign qualifications (35.4%) and language barriers (31.9%). Some of these difficulties are similar to the ones encountered by young people, since both groups are often newcomers to the Canadian labour market. Other difficulties, however, are unique to immigrants.

  • Despite these problems, most new immigrants who remain in Canada for four years say that their decision to come here was the right one. They report that if they had to do it again, they would make the same decision, and the majority have already initiated the process to become Canadian citizens.

  • When new immigrants were asked to state the most important reason for settling permanently in Canada, the most prevalent responses were the quality of life here (31.8%), the desire to be close to family and friends (20.2%), the future prospects for their family in Canada (17.5%) and the peaceful nature of the country (8.7%). Less than 5% cited employment-related reasons.

Chart N.3
Types of difficulties encountered

Chart N.3  Types of difficulties encountered

Note: Among respondents aged 25 to 44 who encountered difficulties seeking employment. Four years after coming to Canada, respondents were asked to cite as many difficulties as applicable.
Source: Statistics Canada, Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, 2005.

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