Open Collections

Yan, Miu Chung; Lee, Barbara; Lauer, Sean; Ngai, Tsz Chung; Cabahug, Frankie; Kong, Capri

To further understand how Hong Kong residents who recently arrived or returned to Canada experience their settlement and integration process and how this process may have influenced their health and mental health conditions, we conducted a second wave of online surveys between September 8 and October 10, 2024. A total of 636 respondents completed the survey. As reported in this survey, this group of respondents are primarily middle-aged, highly educated, and fluent in English, consistent with the targeted population of the Canadian government’s special public policy, the Permanent Residence Pathways for Hong Kong Residents. The findings indicate that most respondents experienced difficulties searching for jobs that met their expectations, securing affordable housing, and accessing health care services; their settlement process was largely smooth. Many respondents established and maintained a relatively active social connection with families and friends in Canada and Hong Kong, who have been their significant social support and help. So far, their social circle has tended to be confined to other people from Hong Kong. Most respondents also demonstrated “healthy immigrant effects,” as most reported no major health and mental health concerns. Among all the stressors, over half of the respondents stated that their status and work problems were their significant sources of stress. These problems are interrelated and may be worsened due to the slowdown of their permanent resident application process. Indeed, nearly half of the respondents were unsure if they would stay in Canada for good. When encountering health and mental health issues, most did not receive formal support. They relied mainly on the support from their informal network, showcasing their impressive adaptability in navigating the challenges of settlement.

Text

2025-01-29

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90232

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/