By
Andy Semotiuk

Children Who Immigrate to Canada Before Teen Years More Likely To Finish School

May 15, 2014

Immigration lawyer Andy SemotiukToronto immigration lawyer Andy Semotiuk: I read an interesting story today from the Vancouver Sun on immigrant children and education:

Children who immigrate to Canada as teenagers are much less likely to finish high school than those who come when they are younger, according to a CD Howe Institute report released today.

High school completion rates, an important indicator of future success, drop dramatically for children who arrive in Canada after the age of nine. Dropout rates are about 20 per cent for those who arrive in secondary school, compared with about 15 per cent for boys who arrive before the age of 10 and 10 per cent for girls, according to the findings.

Colin Busby and Miles Corak, authors of the report Don’t Forget The Kids: How Immigration Policy Can Help Immigrants’ Children, take particular aim at the controversial Temporary Foreign Worker program, which they say “needlessly separates children from their parents for long periods, and delays their arrival to the country, raising the risks that they will not reach their full potential in Canada.”…

“The risk of not completing high school for American children coming to Canada – for whom language skills should not be a major concern – is, roughly speaking, similar to those coming from non-English-speaking countries,” the report says, noting that factors other than language acquisition, such as strength and values of family, must be at play.

Apart from the aberration about American immigrant children, which doesn’t seem to make sense, this study supports the principle of family unification and unity embedded in Canada’s immigration legislation.

The theory of family unification is sound, but problems can arise with how the theory is implemented by those processing immigrant applications. Every effort should be made to keep immigrant families together as they go through immigration channels and, as this article points out, the sooner children are allowed to come to Canada with their parents, the better.
Andy Semotiuk is a Canadian and US immigration lawyer with immigration law firm Pace Law Firm. You can learn more about Andy at My Work Visa.
Share This Post
Email
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
Trending Posts
Read More Insights
Wills And Estates
By
Angela Barrientos
A will is a legal document that clearly states how a person’s property and belongings will be divided after their passing.
Immigration
By
Angela Barrientos
Since its introduction in 2013, the program has been a huge success in assisting Canada in luring and keeping outstanding entrepreneurs who can contribute to the expansion and prosperity of the country’s economy.
Corporate and Personal Law
By
Angela Barrientos
In 2022 the Government of Canada passed new amendments that expanded the Scope of the Competition Act. In this article, we look back on some of the changes that took place.
Corporate and Personal Law
By
Angela Barrientos
The term “mergers and acquisitions,” also known as M&A, refers to the merging of businesses or their essential business assets via business-to-business monetary operations.
Wills And Estates
By
Angela Barrientos
A will is a written statement that represents you after death. It specifies how you intend on allocating your assets and property.
Events
By
Pace Law
Pace Law Firm is always looking to expand our business and elevate it to the next level. On Thursday November 24th, Pace Law Firm attended the Canadian Mortgage Summit (CMS) to hear from the industry’s top mortgage brokers, lenders and solution providers.

Get in Touch

Call us now or fill out the form to discuss your case with an experienced legal professional.

Our Locations

Office Location

191 The West Mall, Suite 1100
Toronto, ON M9C 5K8
Phone: 1-877-236-3060
Fax: 416-236-1809

Office Location

191 The West Mall, Suite 1100
Toronto, ON M9C 5K8
Phone: 1-877-236-3060
Fax: 416-236-1809

Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top