is equal opportunity a myth? the challenges immigrants face in canada.
Equal opportunity—it’s a phrase that’s frequently thrown around in discussions about success and fairness. On paper, it sounds great: everyone, regardless of their background, should have the same chances to succeed. But in reality, it’s more of an illusion, especially for immigrants. Despite Canada’s multicultural reputation, equal opportunity for immigrants often feels like a distant dream. The following might be contributing factors:
The Myth of Equal Opportunity
Let’s be honest: equal opportunity is a buzzword. Even for Canadian-born individuals, success is influenced by various factors such as:
Family background: Wealthy families have better access to education, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Geography: Opportunities vary depending on whether you’re born in an urban hub like Toronto or a rural area.
Social connections: “It’s not what you know but who you know” still applies.
Lived experiences: Mental health, access to resources, and personal hardships all shape your path.
For immigrants, these challenges are compounded by factors like cultural differences, foreign education credentials, and language barriers.
A Personal Perspective: Underemployment is Real
Many of my friends, who immigrated to Canada with advanced degrees—including double master’s—are struggling to find relevant jobs. Some have accepted positions far below their qualifications just to make ends meet, leading to disillusionment, burnout, and even mental health issues. One friend even confided that he feels as though he wasted years pursuing higher education only to feel disconnected from both his career and personal goals.
This isn’t an isolated problem. There are stories, like the one I read about a traffic officer in Europe (Germany or Denmark), who holds two PhD degrees and is working on a third, all while still patrolling the streets. This phenomenon raises critical questions about underemployment—a growing issue that affects both native-born citizens and immigrants.
Underemployment: Two Perspectives
When discussing underemployment, we often hear two contrasting viewpoints:
“Delivery drivers have a Post Secondary education.” This statement suggests that education is a personal quest, detached from career expectations.
“Secondary education holders are working as delivery drivers.” This points to a systemic problem—a mismatch between education policy and job market realities.
The second viewpoint highlights policy gaps that waste talent and resources, undermining the true purpose of higher education.
The Elephant in the Room: Beyond the Numbers
A 2017 study by Ryerson University and the University of Toronto found that job applicants with Chinese, Indian, or Pakistani names were 28% less likely to get an interview - compared to the ones with Anglophone - despite having the same qualifications as applicants with Anglophone names. This bias, whether conscious or not, places yet another roadblock in the path of immigrants looking for equal opportunity, and there’s plenty of other academic and non-academic research that backs this up, but I won’t bore you with statistics. We all know there’s a big elephant in the room—the systemic barriers that limit real equal opportunity for immigrants. From unrecognized credentials to cultural biases, it’s clear that much of the challenge is not in lack of qualifications but the system's inclusiveness.
Suggestions for Improvement
Rather than pointing fingers, it’s more productive to discuss what could be done to make equal opportunity more achievable for immigrants and society at large. such as:
Immigrant-Focused Policy Groups: Focus groups of immigrants within each category of the immigration system to better understand specific challenges, lived and living experiences and barriers.
Immigrant Advisory Boards: Immigrants are involved in policymaking processes through advisory boards that provide real-time insights into the immigrant experience and help shape more inclusive policies.
Job Market Transparency: More detailed information about current and future job prospects in each province so new immigrants can make informed decisions about where to settle and what industries to target.
Credential Recognition: More programs should be implemented to support recognizing foreign credentials so that highly skilled immigrants aren’t left out of skilled roles.
Talent Banks: The creation of talent banks, in addition to job banks, that promote immigrants’ new and diverse skills, encouraging employers to tap into these resources.
Final Thoughts
We need to have open, honest discussions—among immigrants, employers, and policymakers—about what it really takes to create a fair playing field. Only then can we start to chip away at the barriers that hold so many people back.
What do you think?
Is equal opportunity a reality in your experience, or is it more of a myth? Let’s get the conversation going.