Is immigration responsible for the current housing crisis in Canada?
Project Lead(s)
Team Members
Rupa Banerjee, Feng Qiu, Jeongwon Gim (external link) , Nilusha Welegedara (external link)
Sub-theme
Housing and migration
The 'Housing and migration' sub-theme explores the impact of the rapid increase in immigration on the housing market in various regions of Canada and the challenges that immigrants, refugees and international students encounter in securing housing.
Objective
This project systematically analyzes recent historical data related to migration to better understand the relationship between Canadian immigration and the current housing supply crisis.
Research question(s)
- Are high levels of immigration causing the Canadian housing crisis?
- Was the housing crisis already occurring and only got exacerbated by increased immigration levels?
- Is immigration used as a panacea to address Canada's economic challenges and labour shortage?
Methodology
This project will use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, including expert interviews, statistical modelling, and comparative research.
Status
This project is active and currently in progress.
Expected completion date: September 2026
Key words
Affordability; Canadian housing crisis; housing crisis; immigration; labour market
