Income inequality and opportunities among immigrants in BC

I really like your research question proposal Cyrille - it's actually testable and makes causal relationships. Just to structure it a little, I take it we can break it down to:

Research Question: "Why do some immigrants receive better opportunities and resources than other immigrants?"

Theories: "Does income and wealth status in their previous country affect the opportunities and resources that immigrants will receive once residing within Canada?" 1) Theory of Income Status Hypothesis: Immigrants who hold higher incomes in their previous country will have more opportunities and resources once immigrated to Canada than those immigrants who earn lower incomes in their previous country Independent Variable: Income in their previous country before immigrating to Canada Dependent Variable: Opportunities and resources received once immigrated and residing in Canada

2) Theory of Social Status Hypothesis: Immigrants who hold higher social status in their previous country will have more opportunities and resources once immigrated to Canada than those immigrants who earn lower incomes in their previous country Independent Variable:Social Status in their previous country before immigrating to Canada Dependent Variable: Opportunities and resources received once immigrated and residing in Canada

Just a couple of edits to your questions Cy:

3) How would you describe your social/financial status prior to arriving in BC? (1) impoverished (2) lower-middle class (3) middle class (4) wealthy o Do you think that this is clear enough so that they rate what is status they thought themselves to be compared to the rest of their homeland citizens, and not to the status here? For example, someone who might have been middle class in a poorer country may arrive here and realize that standard of living, currency value, etc. may actually put them in a low class here. I.e. perhaps their view of their life previous to coming to B.C. may have been changed due to such circumstances? Or perhaps I'm just overthinking this.

4) Since arriving in BC, how would you rate the BC government's ability to provide you with the resources and opportunities to fit in financially? (a) poor (b) somewhat poor (c) average (d) somewhat good (e) good (f) excellent) o Should we perhaps include a small blurb defining what resource and opportunities are compromised of - i.e. we can write a small paragraph introducing this survey and defining. Maybe something along the lines of... "Multiculturalism and Immigration have become official policies within Canada. Approximately 35,000 immigrates arrive to British Columbia every year. The B.C. government has funded [insert various resources and opportunities]... Through this survey, we are trying to establish whether these resources and opportunities have been effective and extended to you."

5) Since arriving in BC, how would you rate the BC government's ability to provide you with the resources and opportunities to fit in socially? (a) poor (b) somewhat poor (c) average (d) somewhat good (e) good (f) excellent) o Same as number 4

6) In your local municipality, how many services are you aware of that give immigrants an opportunity to adjust to their new cultural surroundings and meet other immigrants who are new to BC as well? (a) 0 (b) 1-2 (c) 3-5 (d) 5-8 (e) 8-10 (f) Over 10 o Would it also be of interest that opportunities to meet locals and integrate into local Canadian society are considered just as important, so that we should perhaps include this as well as "meeting other immigrants"? Or does meeting other immigrants even matter in helping people integrate into life in Canada?

Let me know how these edits sound.