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Immigration

The question:

At the hub, when youth are provided the sociodemographic questionnaire the question they receive related to their immigration is:

Rationale for this question:

• Immigration can have an effect on health status, access to health care and services, experiences with services, and health outcomes for youth.
• There is a strong and consistent association between immigration status and lower rates of mental health access. People who have recently arrived to Canada may also qualify for services and supports based on how recently they have arrived.
• This question is important in understanding the “healthy immigrant effect”: immigrants experience significant decline in health in terms of physical and mental health status within a two to five year period of arrival within Canada.

Important considerations: 

• Youth might be reluctant to answer this question fearing that our your site is trying to identify their citizenship status. They may believe that the health-care system will communicate with Immigration Canada in order to locate people who are not in Canada legally.
• Ensure that the young person is aware of your organization’s practices around sharing this information with their healthcare team.

Responding to youth asking why they are being asked this question:

• Asking this question can help us understand the experiences of newcomers to Canada, including what types of supports might be helpful.
• Many hubs have newcomer and settlement workers and programs specifically catered to newcomer and/or immigrant youth. We collect this information to be able to provide you with the best possible resources and care.