Drawing on both empirical research and theoretical arguments, this book assesses the historical, social, demographic, and economic merits of Canada's immigration policies, arguing that scaling back Canada's immigration program jeopardizes its national and international interests.

List of Tables and Figures ; Preface ; Chapter 1 Questions of Immigration ; Globalization and Migration ; Scope of the Book ; Canada as an Immigrant Nation ; Old-timers and Newcomers ; The Immigration Question ; Conclusion ; Chapter 2 Immigration and Canada ; Immigration and Nation Building ; Immigration Policies in Historical Periods ; Changes in Post-War War II Canadian Immigration Policy ; Canada's Business Immigration Program ; Postwar European Immigration to Canada ; Emergence of 'Visible Minorites' in Canada ; Conclusion ; Chapter 3 The Social Construction of Immigrants ; The Amibiguity of the Term Immigrants ; The Bureaucratic Definition of Immigrants ; The Folk Version of Immigrants ; Immigrant as an Analytical Concept ; Expectations about Immigrants ; The Science of 'Benchmarking' Immigrants ; Ideological Biases in Benchmarking Immigrants ; Conclusion ; Chapter 4 Immigration and Canada's Population ; The Nature of the Debate ; Conflicting Assessments of Immigration ; Immigration and Population Growth ; Demographic Trends in Canada ; Projections of Population Change ; Population Size and Absorptive Capacity ; Conclusion ; Chapter 5 Economic Benefit of Immigration ; Objectives of the Immigration Program ; Difficulties in Estimating Benefit of Immigration ; Immigration and Aggregate Productivity ; Immigrants' Tax Contribution and Tax Burden ; Immigrants' Earnings ; Immigrants' Costs and Benefits ; Immigrants and Canada's Labour Force ; Conclusion ; Chapter 6 Human Capital of Immigrants ; Human Capital and Other Forms of Capital ; Human Capital as Immigrant Selection Criterion ; Earnings Disparities ; Social Inequality ; Devaluation of Immigrants' Educational Credentials ; Gauging the Market Worth of Immigrants' Credentials ; Types of Degree Holders and Their Gross Earnings ; Net Market Worth of Immigrant Degree Holders ; Human Capital and Earnings ; Conclusion ; Chapter 7 Immigration and Diversity ; The Demographic Reality of Ethnic Diversity ; Cultural Diversity and Social Cohesion ; Multiculturalism and Conformity ; Linguistic Diversity and Language Loss ; Cultural Diversity and Globalization ; Conclusion ; Chapter 8 Immigrants and the City ; Immigration and the Growth of Cities ; Immigrant Enclaves ; Schools and Neighbourhoods ; Affluent Areas and Prosperous Immigrants ; Conclusion ; Chapter 9 Immigration and Canadian Society ; The Immigration Question Revisited ; The Limits of Policy Development ; Biases in Public Discourse on Immigration ; Racialization of Immigrants in Academic Research ; Summary and Conclusion ; Appendix ; Notes ; References ; Author Index ; Subject Index ; Index

Provides an excellent introduction to and assessment of some of the central debates about immigration and immigrants in Canada. Comprehensive and balanced coverage of material. Key topics include: Social construction of immigrants (Chapter 3); Economic benefits of immigration (Chapter 5); Immigrant diversity (Chapter 7); Urbanization (Chapter 8). Arguments are supported with data, both descriptive and analytical. The author not only explains the context behind some of the cental debates about immigration, but also critically assesses the shortcomings and pitfalls of different arguments. Includes data on immigration flows, as well as statistical data on patterns of immigration settlement, the geographical distribution of immigrants, language loss, and the socio-economic performance of immigrants. Nine concise chapters makes this a good fit as a second text in a course.

Provides an excellent introduction to and assessment of some of the central debates about immigration and immigrants in Canada. Comprehensive and balanced coverage of material. Key topics include: Social construction of immigrants (Chapter 3); Economic benefits of immigration (Chapter 5); Immigrant diversity (Chapter 7); Urbanization (Chapter 8). Arguments are supported with data, both descriptive and analytical. The author not only explains the context behind some of the cental debates about immigration, but also critically assesses the shortcomings and pitfalls of different arguments. Includes data on immigration flows, as well as statistical data on patterns of immigration settlement, the geographical distribution of immigrants, language loss, and the socio-economic performance of immigrants.