Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Purpose: Today in North America, the idea of complete assimilation of immigrants no longer seems relevant; rather, the goal of social work with immigrants is now integration into the host society (Li, 2003). However, some scholars argue that the idea of immigrant assimilation continues to lurk behind social policies and social services for immigrants, in that the successful integration of immigrants is prompted by their conformation to the dominant culture (Balgopal, 2000). While a growing body of literature on social work with immigrants (e.g., Potocky-Tripodi, 2002) has resulted in an increased understanding of this diverse population and its needs, the literature as a whole still lacks coherent theoretical and ideological frameworks necessary to inform effective models of service delivery. Then, are social work practice models used with immigrants effective despite rapidly changing demographics? The proposed paper will examine the experiences of Mainland Chinese skilled immigrants in Canada, a rapidly increasing immigrant group to many of the industrialized nations (including the US) in the past decade. Have skilled immigrants found settlement process to be successful? What roles did social services play? How are social service agencies coping with rapidly changing demographics of service users? Methods: A grounded theory study (Charmaz, 2000) was conducted using in-depth interviews (n = 29) and four focus groups (n = 29) with Mainland Chinese skilled immigrants living in Canada for 4-10 years, and 13 key informant interviews with service providers. Questions explored life in Canada, service utilization, and factors affecting their settlement. All interviews and focus groups were audio-taped and transcribed for data analysis using NVivo. Three research assistants who themselves were recent Mainland Chinese immigrants conducted interviews and translated the data linguistically and culturally, and a community partner agency helped with member checking, prolonged engagement, horizontization and consultation. Results: Employment-related difficulties were by far the most commonly mentioned challenge pointed out by immigrants and service providers. Almost all the immigrant participants in our study were underemployed or unemployed, if not attending universities or colleges. To cope with employment challenges and other inter-related issues (e.g., poverty, language barrier, depression), most participants had accessed social service programs specifically designed for new immigrants, such as initial settlement programs, English training, and employment counselling. However, most also agreed that these services were too basic for them to access gainful employment. Immigrants' dissatisfactory experiences with social services were juxtaposed with the tremendous efforts that social service agencies demonstrated to meet the needs of skilled immigrants (e.g., consorted efforts in hiring Mainland Chinese staff), pointing to a disjuncture between immigrants and service agencies. Implications for practice and policy: To address multiple factors impacting the employment difficulties of immigrants coupled with limited success in employment services, this author promote the re-examination of assumptions behind immigrant service provision in general (notion of acculturation; Berry, 1997). Based on the research findings, an anti-oppressive approach to social work with immigrants is proposed, which highlights structural issues affecting immigrants' lives, and offers an analytic linkage between social work practice and social justice, while promoting immigrant empowerment.