The housing situation of recent immigrants in the Montral CMA: insights from Metropolis census data

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The housing situation of recent immigrants in the
Montréal CMA insights from Metropolis census
data and the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to
Canada

• Damaris Rose, Annick Germain Virginie Ferreira
  (INRS-Urbanisation, Culture et Société, Montréal)
• Presentation in workshop Immigrants and the
  Housing Markets of Montreal, Toronto, and
  Vancouver, National Metropolis Conference,
  Vancouver, 23-26 March 2006

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Outline

• Immigration and housing in the Montréal CMA some
  elements of context
• Immigrant households and their housing situation
  insights from Metropolis census data
• Newcomers housing conditions about 6 months
  after arrival (2001-2002) insights from the
  Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada
  (cross-tabular data)
• Conclusion

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Immigration and housing in the Montréal CMA some
elements of context
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Recent immigration flows size, immigration
category

• Recent immigrants relative importance in Mtl
• immigr ?10 yrs 6 of CMA popn (vs TV 17)
• fewer arrivals in 1996-2001 than in 1991-1995
• cohort diffs. 1996-2001 vs 1991-1995 (QC)
• ? refugees, ? family reunification, no change
  in economic category
• new selection criteria (1996-) for skilled
  workers (youth human capital) ? 46 ?30, only
  11 gt40 (2002 survey Godin/MRCI 2004)
• ? lower earnings (beginning of career), probably
  more single people ? what are the housing
  implications?

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Immigrant origins, visible minority status

• Immigrant origins much more diverse than in V,
  and somewhat more so than in T
• More even distribution by world regions
• Top 10 birth countries smaller of total
• Share of visible minorities is lower (? 50, vs
  gt70 in T V)
• Composition of visible minorities is different
• fewer S. Asian Chinese, more Arab Black
• These trends cumulative result of specific
  history of immigration to Mtl recent QC
  immigration policy

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Housing stock, tenure patterns

• Much smaller single-family dwellings
• reflects reinforces historically-low overall
  levels of home-ownership
• however, condominium boom is now breaking link
  dwelling type ? tenure
• Prior to 1986, higher homeowners among
  immigrants than Canadian-born
• More recently, among under-35s, widening gap in
  home-ownership rates between immigrants and
  Canadian-born, in favour of latter (Séguin et al.
  2003)

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Immigrant households and their housing
situationinsights from Metropolis census data
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Immigrant household composition, 2001

• Much smaller households than in T V, overall
  (2.8) for visible minorities (3.1)
• Non-family households more common overall (26)
  for visible minorities (24)
• especially common among Euro-origin hholds but
  much variability within Euro and VM categories
• e.g. Chinese, S. SE Asian, 17-18 Black, 29
• lone parenthood high not only for Black VM (29)
  but also for Latin-American (22)

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Home ownership by immigrant status and period of
immigration, Montréal, 2001
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Recent immigrant (?10yrs) household incomes,
owners payments and rents relative to those of
all CMA residents, 2001 and 1996

• Improving relative situation ? deteriorating
  relative situation
• Figures in red italics CMA with lowest incomes,
  highest owners payments or rents relative to CMA
  avg

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Housing stress renters

• STIR ?30
• 42 of immigrants ?10yrs (vs 55 in 1996)
• STIR ?50
• 17 of Canadian-born
• 20 of all immigrants
• Chinese 30, Arab/W. Asian 27
• 23 of recent immigrants (?10yrs)
• 28 of very recent immigrants (?5yrs)
• Those in stress pay slightly higher rents, but
  key problem is low income

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Housing stress homeowners

• STIR ?30 (?modest incomes)
• 34 of recent immigrants (?10yrs)
• amelioration cf equivalent group in 1996 (43)
• vis. min. vary highest Arab/W.Asian (33)
• STIR ?50 (?low incomes)
• 5 of Canadian-born
• 9 of all immigrants
• Black, Chinese, Arab/W. Asian, Lat. Am 12-13
• 14 of recent immigrants (?10yrs)
• Those in stress have both higher payments low
  incomes

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Housing core need, Montréal CMA, 2001
Source CMHC (2004) Research Highlight,
Socio-Economic Series Issue 7 revised, Appendix
Table 3
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Newcomers housing conditions about 6 months
after arrival (2001-02)insights from the
Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada
(cross-tabular data)
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Montréal newcomers distinctive characteristics
(cf. T V)

• Human capital
• highest aged 25-44 (76)
• lowest with no post-secondary educ. (19)
• highest with ?1 foreign qualification (83)
• highest with official language skills (90)
• highest of economic immigrants (73)
• almost all are skilled workers few business
  immigrants
• Regions of origin
• Highest from Europe (20)
• Highest from Africa (30)
• Source StatCan 2005, cat. 89-611-F, Annex A

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Distinctive living arrangements and dwelling types

• Mtl has highest couples no children (23)
  people living alone (16)
• skilled workers lowest arrive with spouse
  (StatCan 2005, cat. 89-611-XIF, Annexe A)
• multifamily living generally uncommon
• higher for S. Asian (family reunif.?) W. Asian
  (refugees?)
• Low-rise apartment living predominates (57) few
  live in single-family dwellings (13)
• Policy effects (more points if ?35) on household
  types?
• Influence of housing stock on living arrangements?

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Montréal newcomers housing outcomes after 6
months (1)

• Tenure only 5.6 in homeowner household
• rises to 20 for business immigrants
• Crowding overall, lower rates cf T and V
• except for refugees (65 crowded)
• Difficulty finding suitable housing? - much
  higher (48) said yes
• Nature of difficulties (cf. T and V)
• cost less important
• low vacancy rate, discrimination much more
  important

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Montréal newcomers housing outcomes after 6
months (2)

• Mtl has highest rate of housing stress 60, with
  34 in extreme stress
• Stress by entry category business, 27 family
  class, 54 skilled workers, 61 refugees, 81
• Extreme stress W. Asians over-represented
• Not in stress E. Asians over-represented
• Why is stress highest in Mtl?
• LICO indicator similar to T V, but is newcomer
  poverty deeper in Mtl?
• Mtl newcomers lowest employment rate, 31
• youthful age structure ? less savings?

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Conclusion

• Mtls recent immigrants the most heterogeneous
  i.t.o. origins, household type younger age
  structure
• Homeownership rates falling behind Canadian-born
• Improvement in renters relative situation
  1996-2001
• but their very low incomes - in spite of high
  human capital - make newcomers very vulnerable to
  housing stress (and discrimination?) in
  tightening housing market since 2000 ? importance
  of research to follow LSIC cohort to 2 and 4 yrs
• Visible minority/European distinction not very
  helpful due to great diversity of housing
  outcomes within each category ? need more research

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Acknowledgements

• This study was partially funded by Canada
  Mortgage and Housing Corporation and by the
  National Homelessness Initiative
• project officer Jim Zamprelli, CMHC
• Project director and administratorDan Hiebert,
  UBC
• Co-researchersValerie Preston Robert Murdie
  (York U.) Elvin Wyly (UBC) Jean Renaud (U. de
  Montréal)
• Thanks also to all the graduate assistants who
  have participated at various stages of this
  project