Children who immigrate to Canada after the age of nine are less likely to complete high school and have future success in the work force, according to a report by a right-leaning think-tank, the CD Howe Institute. In Canada, those who do not finish high school or get higher education have fewer job opportunities and are likely to earn less.
“This was a pretty significant concern for us,” says Colin Busby, co-author of the report entitled Success of Immigrant Children Overlooked by Government Policies.
The dropout rate for children born in Canada is about 10 per cent and is similar for children who immigrate to Canada before the age of nine. Among boys who arrive when they are older, about 20 per cent do not complete high school and the older they are, the less likely they are to finish school.
Language is factor
Children who were older when they arrived but were able to speak English were more likely to finish high school. Busby concludes that among those who don’t speak English, it is easier for the younger ones to acquire the language. Older ones may have more trouble with that, as well as the normal difficulties of being a teenager and a possible clash between parents’ traditional expectations and the teens’ need to fit in with the new society.
Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program is cited as an example of the problem. It has become a way for people to attain permanent residence, but the way it is structured means people are separated from their children for long periods. That delays the children’s arrival, increasing the risk they will not finish school or be as successful in the working world.
Immigrants are important to Canada’s future, notes Busby. He concludes the government would do well to change immigration policy to take into account not just the people applying to come here but their children as well.
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