For refugees, integration does not end when the first job is secured or when a new passport is issued. It can continue for decades, reshaping health, identity, economic security and social life well into older adulthood. A new University of Toronto study of Hungarian and Vietnamese refugees in Canada suggests that the most powerful force behind long-term adaptation was not simply individual determination or access to formal services, but the strength of the relationships surrounding newcomers.
The study examined the life stories of 42 refugees aged 50 and older: 25 Hungarians who arrived in Canada during the 1950s and 17 Vietnamese refugees who came during the 1970s and 1980s, following the Vietnam War. Through in-depth interviews, researchers traced participants’ experiences from arrival through later life. Although the two groups migrated under different historical and economic conditions, both described integration as a long process involving language acquisition, employment, cultural adjustment, family life, community participation and the negotiation of multiple identities.
The central concept emerging from the research was social capital. In technical terms, social capital refers to the resources people can access through social relationships, including information, emotional support, practical assistance and opportunities. For refugees, these resources may include a neighbour who explains how to navigate public services, a church that provides temporary housing, a sponsor who helps locate employment, or a cultural organization that offers language practice and preserves traditions. The study found that these connections often operated as an informal infrastructure of settlement, filling gaps that formal institutions could not always address.
Many participants recalled the disorientation of arriving in a society with unfamiliar customs, languages and social expectations. Culture shock was frequently intensified by financial insecurity and limited English or French proficiency. Yet social networks helped transform an overwhelming environment into a series of manageable challenges. Friends and relatives offered translation assistance, introduced newcomers to employers, explained local systems and created spaces where refugees could speak their own languages. Churches, schools, sponsors and fellow migrants also played important roles, often providing early contact with Canadian society while reducing the loneliness associated with displacement.
The researchers describe these networks as more than helpful additions to settlement programs. They could influence opportunities across an individual’s entire life course. A connection formed during the first months in Canada might lead to a first job, which could provide income, professional contacts and greater confidence. Improved language skills could then expand access to education and employment, while community participation could strengthen mental well-being and belonging. This cumulative process illustrates how social capital can produce advantages over time: small forms of assistance at one stage may create conditions for greater independence and stability later.
The study also revealed that age at migration and the wider economy strongly shaped the paths taken by each group. The Hungarian participants interviewed generally arrived as children during the 1950s, a period of significant economic growth in Canada. Entering schools at a young age gave many opportunities to learn English or French and develop social relationships with Canadian-born peers. As they reached working age, they often encountered a labour market with comparatively strong demand for workers, which helped make employment more accessible.
Vietnamese refugees, by contrast, were more likely to have arrived as young adults during the 1970s and 1980s. Their accounts frequently included difficulties transferring professional qualifications, finding work that matched their education and overcoming racial discrimination. Arriving as adults can limit the time available to acquire a new language before entering the labour market, while foreign credentials may not be fully recognized by employers or professional bodies. These barriers can force highly educated newcomers into jobs below their training, with long-term effects on income, career progression and retirement security.
Despite these differences, many participants in both groups reported building economically stable lives, maintaining good health and developing identities that incorporated both their cultural heritage and Canadian citizenship. Their experiences challenge the idea that integration requires abandoning one’s original culture. Instead, belonging often emerged through combination: participants could preserve language, food, religion, traditions and relationships with other members of their diaspora while also becoming deeply connected to Canadian institutions and communities.
The findings carry implications for current refugee policy, particularly as Canada receives people displaced by conflicts, political persecution, environmental disasters and economic upheaval. Programs that focus only on immediate housing, documentation and employment may overlook the social conditions that sustain integration over decades. Researchers argue that settlement strategies should also support community organizations, intergenerational relationships, language access, culturally responsive services and opportunities for meaningful participation. Such measures may be especially important in later adulthood, when retirement, health changes, bereavement or reduced mobility can increase the risk of social isolation.
The researchers emphasize that the participants’ positive outcomes should not obscure the hardships they endured. Rather, their stories show how resilience is shaped by both personal effort and the environments in which people rebuild their lives. Refugees may arrive with limited resources, but supportive communities can expand access to information, employment, care and recognition. The study’s broader message is that integration is not a single milestone but a lifelong, socially supported process—and that creating opportunities for connection may be one of the most effective ways to help displaced people thrive across generations.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: “It was difficult to adapt … to another culture, but … the possibilities were endless”: The integration experiences of older Hungarian and Vietnamese refugees in Canada
News Publication Date: 1-Aug-2026
Web References: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aggp.2026.100327
References: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus, DOI: 10.1016/j.aggp.2026.100327
Keywords: refugees, Canada, Hungarian refugees, Vietnamese refugees, social capital, social networks, integration, migration, aging, community belonging, settlement, resilience
