How do precarious legal status trajectories shape employment for precarious status migrants in the GTA?


Luin Goldring, York University; Marie-Pier Joly, Concordia University

The paper addresses literature on the role of legal status dynamics as a fault line of social inequality, focusing on Canada. We use a unique survey data set consisting of responses from people who arrived in Canada without permanent residence (n=1,266). The survey includes information on complex legal status trajectories that may include trajectories outside those expected in the prevailing two-step policy model, and on job quality at two points in time. This allows us to analyze the factors associated with employment precarity or job quality upon arrival, and at time of survey. Our analysis considers whether job quality improves with time and the acquisition of permanent residence, and identifies and discusses factors that contribute to long-term job precarity.

Non-presenting author: Patricia Landolt, University of Toronto

This paper will be presented at the following session: