Settlement and Integration Needs of Skilled Immigrants in Calgary: A Mixed Methods Study
Date
2020-10-23
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Abstract
There is a significant body of scholarship on the settlement and integration of immigrants in Canada. However, most knowledge in this domain comes from government and stakeholders’ reports that are based on input from immigrants in general. This information does not focus specifically on skilled immigrants, nor does it include those in the service sector responsible for service provision of this population. Importantly, there is limited academic research available in this domain. Currently, Alberta is experiencing a unique economic climate. Most economic indicators suggest that from 2015 to 2016, Alberta experienced the worst recession in a generation, caused by the steepest and most prolonged oil price shock in Canadian history. Broader economic trends show that the integration of immigrants is affected by the economic conditions they face in their host countries. Further, there is evidence that immigrants who arrive during unfavourable economic conditions experience a permanent disadvantage in integration. Therefore, the settlement and integration of skilled immigrants warrant explicit attention at this critical point in time. Calgary is the largest city in Alberta. Not only do many immigrants arriving in Alberta choose to settle in Calgary, it is also the fourth most sought-after destination for immigrants in Canada. With an increasing number of immigrants arriving in Calgary to work and live, there is a need to better understand how immigrant services in the city support skilled immigrants and contribute to create a positive environment for their settlement and integration in Calgary. The purpose of this study was to understand the settlement and integration needs of skilled immigrants in Calgary and to identify if there are any needs that are not addressed by the services offered by the major immigrant serving agencies in the city. Primarily, the focus of the study was (1) to understand the settlement and integration needs of skilled immigrants in Calgary and (2) to identify if there are gaps in the settlement and integration services for skilled immigrants in Calgary. The study employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design in which qualitative data provided an in-depth exploration of the settlement and integration needs of skilled immigrants in Calgary as understood by immigrant serving agencies in the city, and the quantitative data focused on gaining an understanding about the areas of unmet settlement and integration needs as experienced by skilled immigrants in Calgary. I conducted 10 interviews with immigrant services providers in Calgary to collect qualitative data and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. For the quantitative analysis, I collected 120 survey responses from skilled immigrants who were residents of Calgary and who came to Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker Program. I performed chi-square analysis to reveal any significant relationship between survey items. Findings enhance our understanding of challenges faced by skilled immigrants in Calgary, identify the needs experienced by skilled immigrants in facing those challenges, highlight the gaps in the existing social services, and inform the development and implementation of effective settlement services and programs for skilled immigrants in Calgary.
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skilled immigrants, settlement, integration, Calgary, Canada, mixed methods study, thematic analysis, welcoming community, social development theory, intersectionality, social work, immigrant serving agencies, pragmatism, settlement and integration needs, survey, federal skilled workers
Citation
Kaushik, V. (2020). Settlement and Integration Needs of Skilled Immigrants in Calgary: A Mixed Methods Study (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.