Remittances and the Economic Well-Being of Sudanese- and Vietnamese-Canadian Refugees

Beginning of article

Much of the remittance literature emphasizes the situation of immigrants sending money and goods to family members, but little is known about refugees' experiences of sending remittances (e.g., Blue, 2004; Ghosh, 2006). Two groups of refugees were selected for this study: Vietnamese and Sudanese. Vietnamese refugees have a history of almost 30 years in Canada, and the Sudanese less than 10 years. Including both provides an opportunity to assess the effect of remittances on refugees from different parts of the world and with different lengths of time in Canada, but who have experienced resettlement under similar circumstances (e.g., Canada's refugee resettlement program, and no prior ethnic community available when they arrived). The views of leaders were sought because they may have knowledge about their community that goes beyond their own experiences, and because they have been involved in organizing ethnic community activities and in serving as a liaison with the agencies assisting in resettlement and integration. Settlement counselors who have worked with African and Southeast Asian refugees were also asked to provide their views about remittances …