Unpaid Caregiving by Immigrants in Canada


Parveen Nangia, Laurentian University; Lima Nizami, Laurentian University

Although important, the work carried out by informal caregivers is often overlooked or characterized as “invisible”. Unpaid caregiving is strenuous for immigrants who have limited resources and networks to depend upon and struggle to settle down in a new country. This study examines the characteristics of immigrants who provide care to their loved ones (family members and friends) suffering from a long-term health condition, a disability or aging-related problems, the type of care provided, time spent in providing such unpaid care, additional sources used for support, and the effect of caregiving on family life and career of care providers. It also attempts to predict the likelihood of a person providing such care from one’s socio-demographic traits. Data for this study are derived from the General Social Survey (GSS), 2018 (Canada): Cycle 32, Caregiving and Care Receiving. The Survey was conducted in 2018 (April-December) and collected data from 20,258 Canadians, including 3,525 landed immigrants. Researchers obtaineddata from the Public Use Microdata File (PUMF). Preliminary results of the study show that, in general, caregiving was seen more as a rewarding experience by the immigrants than a stressful experience even though it affected their physical and emotional health, and family and social life. For performing their caregiving duties, largely they received support from their families and to a small extent from the government. The analysis also shows that older immigrants, married or previously married, and those with higher family incomes were more likely to provide unpaid care to their family members and friends.

This paper will be presented at the following session: