Settlement and Rental Housing Experiences Among Recent Immigrants in the Suburbs of Vancouver: Burnaby, Richmond, and Surrey

Abstract

The suburbanization of immigrants in Canada is a relatively recent phenomenon, and these suburban settlement experiences and residential patterns are varied and complex. This chapter explores the settlement and housing experiences of recent immigrants in Burnaby, Richmond, and Surrey – three culturally diverse and fast-growing Vancouver suburbs – as well as the interactions between suburbanization processes and the housing strategies of migrants. Securing good-quality, affordable housing is key to the successful resettlement and integration of immigrants. For this study, data were collected from questionnaire surveys administered to 137 immigrants renting in the suburbs of Vancouver. The findings revealed that transitioning from their homelands was a stressful and costly experience. Given the escalating housing costs in the rental and homeownership markets and low vacancy rates, most participants had difficulties finding housing. Participants coped by sharing housing with relatives or friends to save money or by renting a basement. They also reported financial stress, with most living in unaffordable rental housing. The low vacancy rates in Vancouver’s suburbs have created a ‘landlord’s market’ and about one-third of participants reported perceived discrimination based on income, large family size, immigrant status, and general mistrust of their cultural, religious, racial, or ethnic backgrounds.