On average among persons reporting income for the year 1995, the income of the most recently immigrated men is 70 per cent of that of the Canadian-born, while for women it is 60 per cent. For households headed by adults of working age, transfers from governments make up a slightly larger share of the income of recent immigrants than of other households. For households of seniors, however, transfers from governments make up only about one-half as large a share of the income of recent immigrants as of other households. Over time, the average income of immigrants increases and, in the case of women, catches up to and, in the case of men, surpasses the income of the Canadian-born by a large margin. Fewer than one in five persons born in Canada experience low income.
Crowded accommodation is relatively common for recent immigrants.
Almost two in five households consisting only of most recent immigrants live in crowded conditions. Crowding is particularly common among larger recent immigrant households. It is somewhat more common for recent immigrant households than for Canadian-born households to spend a large share of income on shelter. For households consisting only of persons who immigrated between 1991 and 1994, this share is over one-third. Home ownership is as common among households of persons who immigrated during the 1980s as among the Canadian-born.