A model of destination-language acquisition: Application to male immigrants in Canada

Language skills play an important role in determining immigrants’ social and economic status.2 Knowing the reasons for immigrants’ language skills is important for understanding the determinants of their economic well-being, as well as other aspects of economic, political, and social life in the destination. The identification of the groups “at risk” of lacking proficiency in an official language can provide a basis for designing more effective public policies regarding immigration, language training, the labor market, and immigrants’ social and political integration.