Racialized immigrants’ experience of systemic racism in Canada

Abstract Canada is often celebrated for its diversity and welcoming stance toward immigrants. Yet this image obscures the persistent realities of systemic racism that shape racialized immigrants’ participation in everyday social, economic, and institutional contexts. Our study investigates how systemic racism operates across institutional, ideological, and structural domains, constructing the conditions through which racialized immigrants navigate their everyday lives at their local sites. Employing an intersectional analytical lens, our study explores how race, gender, and class intersect to perpetuate racism in workplaces, public spaces, and living conditions. Through narrative inquiry, our findings reveal the systematic devaluation of foreign credentials and professional experiences through racialized hiring practices that marginalize immigrants within workplace settings. Gendered barriers and discriminatory encounters in everyday social interactions further shape racialized women’s experiences in public spaces, reinforcing their positioning as outsiders in communal life. Precarious employment and housing instability emerge as key structural conditions that deepen economic vulnerability and constrain opportunities for stability and participation in social life. By foregrounding these lived experiences, our study proposes revisiting the integrative intersectional approach to adult education scholarship on migration and systemic inequality, offering insights that support more inclusive and socially responsive educational practices across diverse national and global contexts.