The market worth of immigrants' educational credentials

Despite academic and policy interests on immigrants' credentials, their pre cise market worth is unclear. This study uses the 1996 Canadian Census micr odata to compare the earnings for four groups: native-born Canadian degree- holders; immigrant Canadian degree-holders; immigrant mixed education degre e-holders; and immigrant foreign degree-holders. The findings indicate that immigrants' credentials carry a penalty compared to those of native-born C anadians, and that a foreign degree affects visible-minority immigrants, wo men and men, more adversely than white Canadians; as well, credential holde rs' gender and race are also being evaluated. Policies to recognize foreign credentials will bridge some income disparities, but inequality premised u pon gender and race will likely remain.