Pathways to higher education for first and second generation immigrants in France, Switzerland and Canada: how educational tracks and aspirations matter

Despite their different histories as countries of immigration, Switzerland, France and Canada all have a sizeable immigrant population, some of which do experience obstacles in their educational and professional careers. However, both access rates of immigrant students as well as institutional routes to higher education vary remarkably between the three countries. On the one hand, France and Switzerland offer both academic and vocational routes to higher education, whereas academic routes prevail in Canada. On the other hand, immigrant students are underrepresented in Swiss and French higher education, while they generally seem to be much more successful in Canada. In this paper we wish to clarify not only if, but also how - through which institutional settings - higher education is accessed by students from vulnerable immigrant groups. We are primarily interested in the possible reinforcement or reduction of educational inequalities arising from country-specific educational policies designed to increase the enrolment in tertiary education, particularly the flow from upper-secondary vocational educational tracks to higher tertiary ones. Indeed, do vocational routes leading to higher education enhance the educational opportunities of the immigrant youths?