Calling Canada home: Canadian law and immigrant Chinese women from South China and Hong Kong, 1860--1990

This thesis combines a study of the history of Canadian immigration law with the history of the Chinese in Canada, focusing on the life experiences of Chinese immigrant women, from 1860 to 1990. The integration of these three themes has not been attempted before.; The method used in the central part of the research was oral history. Interviews were done with twenty-eight immigrant women who came into Canada between the repeal of the Chinese Immigration Act in 1947 and 1990. This method of study has brought to the fore women's perspectives on immigration, and by the use of oral history, events and experiences that have never been recorded in historical texts have been revealed in the voices of the women themselves.; The study showed the importance of the introduction of the points system by Canadian Immigration in 1967. This changed the possibility of immigration for Chinese women, from entering only as dependents of men to entry based on their professional qualifications, skills and education.; Women are central to any community, not only in the way they support their men and bring up the next generation, but also due to their own social, economic and political contributions through their professional work and service to community and nation.; The thesis shows how the immigration of Chinese women with education and skills has greatly contributed to Canadian society, and also helped bring about a rise in the status of the Chinese community in Canada.