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The Challenges South Asian Immigrants Face in Accessing the Education and Employment Opportunities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Needed for Their Human Development

The objective of the study is to investigate the challenges/barriers South Asian immigrants face in accessing the education and employment opportunities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) needed for their health and well-being and maximizing their human development. Using the convenience sampling technique, we collected 307 samples of self-administered survey questionnaires and five focus group discussions of South Asian immigrants living in the GTA. The preliminary results of this research show that South Asian immigrants living in the GTA face multiple barriers such as their degrees/diplomas are not recognized and those who reported that their degrees are recognized, say, they are not treated as equal to Canadian/USA degrees. The data also shows that the unemployment rate of the sample population is higher than the national average. They are also facing challenges in finding an employment in their field of study and their monthly income is very low. This research conducted Person Chi-Square test and cross tabulation and the results show there are significant relationships between self-rated health and variables related to accessing education and employment opportunities. It also shows that those who have obtained their degrees from South Asia, those whose degrees/diplomas, professional degrees/diplomas, skills and experience were not recognized, who did not have opportunities for accessing community resources had lower self-rated health. In addition, the results also show that among the sample population those whose degrees, professional degrees, and outside work experience were not recognized, who were not working in their same profession, whose credentials were undervalued and whose jobs did not match with qualifications had higher unemployment rate, lower income and living lower quality of life. As a result, their health is deteriorating and their human development is being compromised, affecting their integration into the new society.