Age and Immigration Policy in Canada

Discrimination on the basis of age and family status is deeply embedded in Canadian immigration law and policy. How and why does age function as part of a broader system of border control? Age and Immigration Policy in Canada draws on archival research, case studies, and interviews to unpack the justification for age qualifications in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and regulations. Focusing on the comprehensive ranking or point system, immigrant detention, and refugee protection, Christina Clark-Kazak's analysis uses the concept of social age – the socially constructed roles and norms attributed to different stages of the life course – to demonstrate how ageist immigration structures are not only problematic but also context specific and arbitrary: a way to shut out certain groups of migrants or to absolve the state of responsibility for immigrant supports. This book is an urgent call to bring immigration policy in line with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and rights-based international norms.