A new study from RBC and Ipsos Reid shows 82% of new immigrants are happy to be in Canada, and 84% are hopeful about their future, but 54% feel they are still in the process of settling into their new lives here.

“We initiated this study of immigrants who have been in Canada 10 years or less because we have many customers who have been through the immigration experience. We wanted to develop a deeper understanding of that experience and learn more about what makes newcomers feel settled into their new lives,” says Mark Whitmell, RBC’s director, Cultural Markets. “For instance, having a better appreciation of how important something like home ownership is to people going through this significant life transition, gives us a better perspective on how we can hopefully help make that goal happen faster.”

According to survey respondents, 19% still feel new to Canada, 54% feel they are getting settled, and 27% feel truly established. While length of time living in Canada can be a good indicator of feeling established, this is not always the case. One in 10 new immigrants who have been in Canada for less than three years already feels truly established, while one in 10 who have been here for five to 10 years still feels new to Canada.

“We have learned that regardless of a person’s country of origin, age or economic situation, most newcomers go through a common immigration experience — from feeling new, to getting settled, to becoming truly established,” explains. Whitmell. “Each stage has a different focus and each individual moves through those stages on their own unique timeline.”

For those respondents who already felt truly established, having a good job and owning a home were the top indicators that signified becoming settled in Canada. Twenty eight percent rank having a good job as their number one indicator, while 20% say it is owning a home. The third most popular indicator is getting citizenship (11%); followed by finishing their education (9%); and owning a business (8%).

The results are slightly different for those immigrants who don’t yet consider themselves established. Thirty-nine per cent rank having a good job as the primary signifier of being settled, while 14% say it is owning their own home. Next comes putting kids through school (11%); owning their own business (9%); and finishing their education (4%).

Interestingly, the survey pinpointed differences between Chinese and South Asian new immigrants who feel established in Canada as to what they consider important in order to feel settled. For South Asian new immigrants the key factor is owning a home (31%); conversely, Chinese new immigrants cite having a good job (43%) as the number one indicator of being settled.


“The survey results also illuminate the challenges of the immigration experience,” adds Whitmell. “Forty-five per cent of respondents told us they feel overwhelmed and 35% report being lonely.”

The findings are from an RBC /Ipsos Reid survey conducted between March 15 and April 30, 2007. The poll was based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 new immigrants who are 18 years of age or older and have been in Canada for 10 years or less.