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Problems faced by Canadian immigrants during their adjustment in the light of their observations : social work practice and policy implications

University of British Columbia

The process of adjustment of immigrants into Canadian society is an important economic, social, political and cultural issue; politicians, researchers and practitioners are trying to coordinate their efforts into making this process smoother and easier for the immigrants. The present study which employed exploratory, qualitative methods solicited the perceptions of immigrants regarding their adjustment process and also the perceptions of multicultural/resettlement workers as part of the process. Eighteen immigrants ( male, female ), from diverse continents, countries, age, sex, professions and education were interviewed and asked to fill out 2 Hudson scales (GCS and ISE). Ten multicultural/resettlement workers had answered a 23 item questionnaire. Major psychosocial aspects related to adjustment are described as elicited from the data and literature research. Implications for social work practice are outlined. It was found that attention to a systems framework for viewing the individual multidimensional problems/interactions is important when considering the adjustment process (which is a difficult process as the interviewers described it). The interviewed people manifested grateful consideration of the government efforts toward the distribution of benefits and opportunities to newly arrived immigrants in Canadian society. The interviewed people who had had the opportunity to have a host expressed their appreciation to the Host Program offered through Immigrant Services Society. Implications for the social work profession, issues related to an ethnic sensitive approach at the micro and the macro level are presented.

Text

2010-06-30

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26120

Social Work

University of British Columbia

Graduate