Social Mobility of Immigrants to Peel Region
Just over 1.3 million people live in Peel Region; more than half of these people are immigrants, representing at least 225 ethnic groups. Almost two-thirds of its residents are racialized minorities (Statistics Canada Census Data, 2016). One third of Peel’s immigrant population lives in poverty. This information is critical to understanding the observations of this social mobility report and the reasons for any resulting recommendations.
Our study examines the perceptions of immigrants and their children living in Peel Region about their arrival and settlement here and how their experiences influence their own notion of social mobility. This study has implications for policy and practice, and identifies a number of barriers and challenges facing immigrants and their children.
Our method consisted of a two phased survey developed in 2015 and conducted in 2016. Phase One surveyed 488 first generation immigrants and 182 second generation Canadians of which 37% were men and 63% were women. Of the first generation, 89% were racialized minorities and 88% had at least a post-secondary education. Of the second generation respondents, 64.2% were racialized minorities and 60.4% had post-secondary education. Phase Two consisted of workshops with 49 immigration stakeholders from Peel Region, including employers, settlement workers, and policymakers.