A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF IMMIGRANT AND NON-IMMIGRANT FAMILIES IN CANADAWITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO INCOME, 1986

A comparison of immigrant and non-immigrant families in Canada based o n unpublished data from the 1986 Census of Canada indicates that immig rant families have stronger family ties and higher income than their n on-immigrant counterparts. This could be partly because immigrant fami lies contain higher proportions of their members at prime working ages , higher proportions with three or more employment income recipients a nd higher proportions working full year full time. As the period of re sidence in Canada of immigrants increases, the difference in income be tween immigrant and non-immigrant families increases. However, the inc ome difference is smaller for husband-wife and male lone-parent famili es than for female lone-parent families. The multivariate analysis of family income indicates that age and family type have overwhelming eff ects and that place of birth is third in importance. Immigrant familie s from the US, UK, Europe (excluding Southern Europe) and Africa have higher incomes than families from other places of birth. Both non-immi grant and immigrant husband-wife and male lone-parent families derive about 75 per cent of their total income from wages and salaries, where as non-immigrant and immigrant female lone-parent families derive abou t 62 and 68 per cent respectively. Non-immigrant female lone-parent fa milies derive about 24 per cent of their income from government transf ers, whereas immigrant female lone-parent families derive about 16 per cent. With the exception of Old Age Security payments and Guaranteed Income Supplement, government transfers such as Canada and Quebec Pens ion Plan payments, unemployment insurance benefits, family allowances, worker's compensation, provincial income supplements and tax credits are smaller for immigrant families both in dollar amounts and as propo rtions of their total income than for the non-immigrant families.