Canadian Immigration And South Asian Immigrants

South Asian immigrants have made a significant contribution to the Canadian mosaic. However, their trials and tribulations and their successes and failures constitute a story that remains untold. To know of their arrivals, their struggles to beat the odds, as well as their successes, is to read a story of hard work, of tireless effort to 'make it' of the commitment to belong, and of ultimate success. This process not only re-shaped them from 'who they were' to 'who they are now', but also re-shaped Canada that we know today. Their influence can be felt in the arts and sciences, the humanities and in politics, community works and in social services. This book is an attempt to understand the 'what' and 'how' of that unfolding process, and also to know the real concerns about the conditions of Canada's ethnic minority population, South Asian Canadians and their children in particular.

The South Asian population in Canada, encompassing diverse national, ethnic, and religious backgrounds, has in recent years become the largest visible minority in the country. As this community grows, it encounters challenges in settlement, integration, and development. Accounting for only 1 per cent of the population in Quebec, the South Asian community has received limited attention in comparison with other minority groups. The Invisible Community uses recent data from a variety of fields to explore who these immigrants are and what they and their families require to become members of an inclusive society. Experts from Canadian and international universities and governmental and community agencies describe how South Asian immigrants experience life in French-speaking Canada. They look at how members of the community integrate into the job market, how they manage socially and emotionally, how their religious values are affected, and how their children adapt to French-speaking and English-speaking schools. The Invisible Community shares lived experiences of different subgroups of the South Asian population in Quebec in order to better understand wider social, political, and educational contexts of immigration in Canada.

This study has made use of historical records, census data, and in-depth interviews with 120 first-generation women to generate a detailed portrayal of the demographics of South Asian women immigrants and their lived experiences. The text begins with a discussion of the major theoretical issues in studying South Asian women in Canada and the impact of Canadian immigration policy on this group of women. It goes on to provide a profile of these women and their socio-demographic context of their everyday lives in three domains: work in the home; work outside the home; and participation in community organizations, notably religious and cultural organizations.