Contemporary issues in Korean immigration

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Contemporary issues in Korean immigration
Advancing a research agenda
Ann H. Kim, Department of Sociology, York
University Metropolis Brown Bag Series
Citizenship and Immigration Canada 16 December
2008 Ottawa
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A framework
Sending country - Politics - Economics -
Culture - Social welfare
Receiving country - Politics - Economics -
Culture - Social welfare
Bilateral linkages between states
Transnational ties

• Modes of incorporation
• Governmental
• Societal
• Co-ethnic community
• Institutional determinants

Individual/family traits

• Dimensions of integration
• Spatial
• Economic
• Social
• Cultural

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Todays presentation

• History of immigration
• Settlement patterns and emerging gateways
• Current community profile and transnationalism
• Economic integration and entrepreneurship
• Additional areas for investigation
• The second generation
• Immigrant seniors
• Religious organizations
• Data needs
• Summary of research priorities

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A 45-year history?

• Diplomatic relations began in 1963
• First Canadian embassy in Korea in 1973
• Canadas military presence during the Korean war,
  1950-1953
• Official Canadian involvement in Korea in 1947
• Christian missionaries, late 19th century

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Migration flows 1973-2006
Pre-1963 Missionary students
1997-2003 Asian financial crisis
2004- Emerging gateways
1987-1996 The business class
1963-1986 Permanent settlers
Sources Landed Immigrants, CLPR, Immigration
Statistics Years 1973 to 1996 (Employment and
Immigration Canada), 2006 Facts and Figures (CIC)
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Recent destinations, CMAs
Source Intended Destination, 2006 Facts and
Figures (CIC)
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Korean immigrants in Canada, CMAs ()
Source Landed Immigrants, 2006 Census
(Statistics Canada)
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Recent arrivals

• Gradual dispersion to emerging gateways
• Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Hamilton,
  Abbotsford, Atlantic Canada
• PNP ? Winnipeg
• Research questions
• Impact of PNP
• Adjustment for both immigrants and local
  communities
• Attraction and retention

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Ethnic Koreans by region
Source Ethnic Origins, 2006 Census (Statistics
Canada)
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Ethnic Koreans, temporary residents

Source Ethnic Origins, Immigrant Status, 2006
Census (Statistics Canada)
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Foreign student flows
Source Annual Flow, 2006 Facts and Figures (CIC)
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Foreign students

• Growth facilitated by
• Access to money
• Governmental/non-governmental interventions
• Student visa exemption in 1994
• Canadian Experience Class in 2008
• Increasing contact between educational systems
• Export education industry

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Foreign students, transnational families

• Transnationalism and the global economy
• Two types kirogi families, parachute children
• Research questions
• Quality of care under legal guardians
• Access to programs and support
• Settlement, adaptation, health, reluctance to
  return
• Temporary versus permanent streams
• Integration in existing Korean communities

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Education and income
Source Ethnic Origins, Completed Education, 25
yrs, Mean Income, Full Time/Year, 2001 Census
(Statistics Canada)
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Ethnic entrepreneurship
Source Ethnic Origins, 25 yrs, 2001 Census
(Statistics Canada)
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Korean entrepreneurs

• Earliest immigrants worked in factories then
  turned to self-employment
• Ethnic niche for recent immigrants
• Research questions
• Determinants of self-employment
• Consequences of self-employment status loss,
  work-stress, family life, social engagement
• Impact of policy changes Sunday shopping
  legislation, tax policies, trade and the big box
  stores, Business Class Program

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The 2nd generation

• 19 of ethnic Koreans
• High levels of education (60 university degree)
• Low levels of self-employment (lt10)
• Research questions
• Intergenerational mobility - upwardly mobile or
  expectedly mobile given parents education?
• Determinants of mobility of the second generation

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Korean seniors

• Two groups
• Immigrants who become seniors
• Seniors who become immigrants
• Research questions
• How the age at arrival affects the aging
  experience
• Implications of sponsorship provisions
• Access to culturally- and linguistically-relevant
  services

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Religion and religious organizations

• 70 Protestant or Catholic
• 80 members of religious organizations
• 300 churches, 10 temples
• Research questions
• Under what conditions do Korean religious
  organizations facilitate the settlement and
  integration process of immigrants?
• Role of religious organizations in community
  development

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Data needs

• Landed data, prior to 1973
• PRDS data, prior to 1980
• Temporary resident data, disaggregated
• Foreign student data by level of school
• Temporary to permanent status
• Oversampling of smaller immigrant groups in
  national surveys

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List of research priority areas

1. Recent arrivals and emerging gateways
2. Foreign students and transnational families
3. Economic integration and self-employment
4. The second generation
5. Immigrant seniors
6. Religious organizations