“I helped them to help the country”: Lack of State Support for Precarious-Status Older Chinese Immigrants

Canada and other immigrant-seeking countries are currently recruiting working-age individuals who can make a direct contribution to the economy through the labour force. Meanwhile, the older parents of immigrants often stay behind in their countries of origin, either by choice or because of the difficulties in obtaining immigration status. Canada has long  allowed individuals with permanent status to apply to sponsor for their parents, but the program was criticized for the high income required of sponsors and the extreme dependence the status imposed on their parents (Gal & Hanley, 2012; Walsh & Hassanali, 2010). Parents often come to Canada to be reunited with their children, but also to help them by providing childcare for grandchildren and performing household tasks (Ferrer, 2015). Chinese parents are acutely aware that their contributions enable their children to study or work, indirectly contributing to Canada’s economic and social wellbeing. However, rhetoric and policy around the sponsorship of parents and grandparents frame them as burdens on the Canadian health and social service system (IRCC, 2013).