Huron-Perth Immigrant Survey 2023
Huron-Perth Immigrant Survey 2023
In 2023, the Huron County Immigration Partnership (HCIP) partnered with the Research Shop, part of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) at the University of Guelph, to conduct their 2023 Immigrant Survey. The Immigrant Survey is a collaborative project involving 12 Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) across Canada. Each LIP conducted a similar survey in their own region to better understand their community, the needs of newcomers, and the impact of their collective work. This survey also expands upon earlier research into broader community experiences of discrimination with a focus on immigrant experiences. The primary objectives of the Huron-Perth Immigrant Survey were to:
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Undertake the first of its kind survey of immigrants in Huron-Perth Counties
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Gain insights into the experiences of diverse immigrant communities (including newcomers and established immigrants, trends within and across counties, individual and family-level demographics, experiences among those of various arriving immigration statuses and countries of origin, and more)
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Analyze and interpret research findings to inform how local service providers, multiple levels of government, businesses, and the broader community may foster a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive spaces for newcomers and established immigrants
This study provides a more detailed and integrated overview of the experiences of immigrants in Huron and Perth Counties than is available through existing research and Statistics Canada data. The findings demonstrate that Huron and Perth Counties are home to diverse communities of immigrants. Immigrant communities tend toward being highly educated and yet face barriers to employment that matches their level of international education. Overall, immigrant communities indicated that their housing was suitable but faced significant challenges with housing affordability and household income levels. Newcomers who arrived in Canada less than five years ago accessed far more services than established immigrants who lived in the counties for six years or more. Overall, the majority of services were fairly well accessed and rated quite favourably by immigrants along with recommended changes for improved programming to find work or start a business, followed by access to public transportation, housing affordability, social integration, and education on the value and ways of hiring, retaining and promoting immigrants. The contexts in which immigrants experienced discrimination aligns with recent trends with some noted differences in the proportion of immigrants who experienced discrimination given the specific focus on the previous 12 months. While a significant proportion of immigrants felt a sense of belonging in their home communities, a notable proportion also experienced feelings of isolation and not yet feeling at home. It is our hope that this research provides baseline data to be built upon in future research and to better inform how service providers, government, businesses, and broader community may foster welcoming, inclusive, and supportive spaces in which diverse immigrant communities may thrive.