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Arabic is the most common first language of respondents from the Middle East (36%). This group is among the more recent arrivals to the province, 48% having arrived in 1996 or 1997. This could explain the 21% who cannot speak any English. About a third of respondents are Afghani, another third are Iraqi, with the remainder being Arabic or Kurdish. This group is comprised of 56% females and 44% males. They are among the youngest in the sample, with a mean age of 36 years. Almost half of the respondents have spent time in a refugee camp. The mean number of months spent there is 59.

Of the Middle Eastern respondents, 41% indicate they did not have a high school diploma upon their arrival to Canada; only 26% say they completed post-secondary education. Almost three-quarters (71%) had a paying job prior to entering Canada and 34% said they had some formal job training. These figures are lower than average. This figure may be related to the 32% indicating they did not have an occupation prior to arrival in Canada. The largest occupation group from this region is blue-collar labourers (33%).

Table 3-5
Middle East
(Sample Size: 88 Adults and 19 Youth)

Language and Ethnicity

36% of respondents from the Middle East indicate Arabic as their mother tongue. Other mother tongues include: Pashei (18%), Persian/Farsi (20%), Kurdish (8%), Assyrian, Turkish, Armenian and Pushtu.
21% cannot speak any English.
Other languages spoken include: Russian (7%), Greek, Turkish, Arabic (10%), Hindi (8%), Urdu (20%), Pushtu (14%), Pashei, Kurdish, Farsi, Russian and Chaldean.
The language used most often at home is Arabic (29%), while 18% speak Pashei. Other languages used at home include: Persian/Farsi, English, Armenian, Kurdish and Assyrian.
36% of respondents are Afghan in origin and 33% are Iraqi. Other ethnic origins include Arab and Kurd.
Respondents included in this region came from Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Time of Arrival

48% arrived in 1996/97, 32% arrived in 1994/95 and 20% arrived in 1992/93.

Refugee Camp Experience

48% of all respondents from the Middle East spent some time in a refugee camp.
The mean number of months spent there is 59.

Demographic Characteristics and Family Status

56% are female, 44% are male.
The average age of adults from this region is 35.5 years while for youth it is 18.0 years.
18% of the sample is aged 15-21; 28% are aged 22-30; 34% are aged 31-40; and the remaining 20% are over age 41.
The average size of households is 4.8.
58% of adult refugees are married, 7% are married but their spouses live elsewhere, 7% are divorced or widowed and 28% are single.
56% of the sample reside in Calgary, 20% live in Edmonton, 17% live in Red Deer, Lethbridge or Medicine Hat while 7% live elsewhere in Canada.
77% of respondents arrived in Canada at the same time as other family members.
88% left family members behind in their home country.
38% had family living in Canada upon arrival.

Education and Occupation Prior to Arrival (Adult Refugees only)

41% indicate they had not obtained a high school diploma prior to arrival; 19% had completed high school; 13% had some post-secondary education and 26% had completed their post-secondary education.
The mean years of schooling prior to arrival is 11.8. (Of the 21 respondents without schooling in the sample, 17 came from the Middle East.)
34% had some form of job training prior to their arrival.
71% held a paying job before coming to Canada.
32% indicate they did not have an occupation prior to their arrival; 26% were managers or professionals; 33% were blue-collar labourers and the remainder were in clerical/service occupations.