Social Locations – Newcomer Communities
Equity Framework > Social Locations > Newcomer Communities
Toronto is home to the largest number of recent immigrants of any Canadian city. According to Census information, 47% of Torontonians are immigrants [2]. Newcomer is an umbrella term to describe people who are settling in a new place. Statistics Canada defines newcomers as immigrants who arrived in Canada within the last five years, though some definitions use a timeframe of ten years [2]. The term “newcomer” may represent:
- immigrants
- refugees
- permanent and temporary residents
- and persons with precarious migration status.
Settlement experiences for each of these groups can vary, in part because newcomers to Canada represent many different social groups and identities [2,4]. Settlement can be influenced by:
- circumstances of departure and arrival,
- knowledge of official language,
- length of time in Canada,
- availability of and access to appropriate services,
- readiness of community to welcome immigrants,
- and other important factors [4].
Every family is unique, and experiences settlement differently; however, migration-related stressors significantly impact health, wellbeing, and access to services. Systemic barriers contribute to newcomer families being vulnerable to experiencing poverty, core housing need, and unemployment [5,6].
To learn more about to child and family well-being disaggregated by parental and student birthplace, please visit the Equity Analysis Toolkit page on Raising the Village.
References
- City of Toronto. (2022). 2021 Census: Citizenship, Immigration, Ethnic Origin, Visible Minority Groups (Race), Mobility, Migration, Religion. Retrieved from https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/8f69-2021-Census-Backgrounder-Immigration-Ethnoracial-Mobility-Migration-Religion-FINAL.pdf
- City of Toronto (2017). Refugees, Refugee Claimants and Undocumented Torontonians – Recent Trends and Issues, Report for Action. Retrieved from https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2017/cd/bgrd/backgroundfile-102520.pdf
- The Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies. (2017, September). Intersectionality and Settlement. Migration Matters, Issue 41. Retrieved February 19, 2020 from https://www.amssa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/InfoSheet41_Intersectionality_Sept2017.pdf
- City for All Women Initiative (CAWI) and City of Ottawa. (2017). Equity and Inclusion Lens Snapshot: Immigrants. Retrieved February 19, 2020 from https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/immigr_ss_en.pdf
- The Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies. (2018, April). Young Children of Newcomer Families. Migration Matters, Issue 45. Retrieved February 19, 2020 from https://www.amssa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/InfoSheet-Young_Children_of_Newcomer_Families.pdf
- The Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies. (2016, May). Newcomer Housing: Barriers, needs, and experiences. Migration Matters, Issue 31. Retrieved February 19, 2020 from https://www.amssa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/InfoSheet31-Housing.pdf