Access to health services among immigrants in Canada

Meeting the health care needs of immigrant populations is important because of their large and growing numbers. Currently, foreign-born individuals make up about 20% of the population in Canada. If trends persist, these numbers are expected to continue increasing over time. Access to health care is especially important because underutilization of services may lead to underdiagnosis and delayed treatment of health problems, resulting in immigrants' worsening health outcomes over time. This commentary summarizes evidence about health care access and barriers among for-eign-born populations in Canada. The aim is to inform policy makers about the extent to which these groups can access health care, as well as the factors that influence access to health care among a segment of the population that is characterized by diverse demographic, language, cultural, and socioeconomic features.