Immigrants now comprise roughly 35% of Canada’s gig workforce, particularly those who arrived recently. Struggling with unrecognized foreign credentials and strict visa limits, many turn to platform gig work for immediate income. However, Dr. María Cervantes-Macías argues this creates a “double exclusion,” denying newcomers essential social and workplace protections in both Canada and their home countries.
“Platforms’ low barriers to entry attract newcomers struggling to find permanent jobs upon arrival, but also create challenges to building professional networks and lasting economic ties in Canada.”
Key Findings
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Temporary migrants and recent immigrants make up a disproportionately large segment of Canada’s gig economy. Yet, they remain invisible in official statistics because digital platforms misclassify them as independent contractors rather than employees.
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Facing barriers to credential recognition, these newcomers are pushed into more temporary, part-time jobs. Gig work, like food delivery and ridesharing, provides a low-barrier, accessible entry point into the Canadian labour market.
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By its non-permanent nature, gig work traps newcomers in long-term precarity by denying them access to standard Canadian social protections like healthcare and employment insurance. It also prevents them from contributing to safety nets in their countries of origin.
Recommendations
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The Canadian government should modernize labour policies to create portable social protections, such as healthcare and employment insurance. Labour policies should ensure temporary visa restrictions and gig work jobs do not exclude workers from social safety nets.
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Community advocates and gig workers should collaborate with grassroots organizations like Gig Workers United to foster collective organizing and challenge systemic inequality in the platform economy.
Implications for Current Events
In January 2026, Statistics Canada reported that 667,000 Canadians (2.3%) between the ages of 15 and 69 earned income through digital platform work in 2025. That said, platform work is not found equally across all workers in Canada. More than 8% of immigrant newcomers who arrived in Canada within the previous five years reporting gig work experience, compared to only 1.5% of Canadian-born people. This means recent immigrants were about six times more likely to rely on platform work, with their participation increasing by 2.7% from the previous year.
Dr. María Cervantes-Macías’s research helps explain these dynamics. She finds that newcomers often face barriers like unrecognized foreign credentials, limited Canadian references, and temporary visa restrictions. Platform work offers a quick and flexible way to earn income despite these challenges. However, this accessibility comes at a cost. As workers registered as independent contractors, gig workers often lack access to basic employment protections, leaving many newcomers earning money but socially and legally unsupported.
About the Authors
María Cervantes-Macías is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Centre for Migration Studies and an Affiliate Member of the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia. Her research explores how migration and digital labour are transforming Canadian cities, focusing on the everyday experiences of immigrant workers in the platform economy. She holds a PhD in Geography, also from the University of British Columbia.
Capri Kong is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia. She holds a BA degree and a Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia. Her current research studies the characteristics and dynamics of friendship networks among first- and second-generation immigrants and their influence on immigrants’ sense of belonging and integration into Canadian society.
Original Research
Cervantes-Macías, M. E. (2026). Uneven development in the platform economy: stratified immigration policies and uneven access to transnational social protections in North America. Digital Geography and Society, 100164.
Suggested Citation
Cervantes-Macías, María & Kong, Capri. 2026. “One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: How Digital Platforms Impact Migrant Gig Workers in Canada”. CMS Migration Insights Series. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Centre for Migration Studies.
Copyright: UBC Centre for Migration Studies
Availability: Web & Print
Publication date: August 19, 2026
Pages: 3
This publication is part of the CMS Migration Insights Series. The research briefs synthesize peer-reviewed, published academic research by CMS affiliates.