New Migration Motives and New Settlement Challenges: Integration Experience of Korean Immigrants in the Toronto CMA

Abstract

This paper explores the migration motives and the integration experiences of recent Korean immigrants in the Toronto CMA, who are significantly different from their previous cohorts in terms of migration motives, socio-economic status, and settlement experiences. These differences can be attributed to changes in social transformation and economic development in Korea as well as to accelerated globalization and global migration trends. Recent Korean immigrants are characterized as middle-income earners who possess higher levels of education, skills, and wealth, with a strong desire to educate their children in developed Western countries where English is an official language. Despite recent Korean immigrants' increased human capital, their labour market integration has experienced great difficulties mainly due to a lack of Canadian official language skills. In addition, since the end of the twentieth Century, Korean migrants have increasingly been choosing Canada over the United States as their destination of migration. This shift indicates that Koreans are looking for new answers in search of better lives for their futures.