3 Methodology

a. Terms Used in the Study

Serious Legal Problems: A problem or dispute with someone like a landlord, a neighbour, a family member, a business, or a government service that is not easy to fix. People were eligible regardless of seeking recourse through the formal legal system and regardless of solving the legal problem they faced.

Chinese Canadians: People were eligible to participate in this study if they identified as being of Chinese descent. They could hold a variety of nationalities and/or immigration statuses, i.e., they could be Canadian citizens born in Canada or naturalized Canadian citizens. As well, they could be permanent or temporary residents with a variety of other nationalities.Footnote 3

Temporary and Permanent Resident (PR) Status: the term “permanent resident” is applicable to persons who have legally immigrated to Canada but are not yet Canadian citizens. Skilled workers, family sponsored immigrants and refugees all have PR status on arrival. The term “temporary resident” describes temporary foreign workers or international students. Temporary residents often have less access to available services than permanent residents and citizens.

b. Study Advisory: Nothing About Us Without Us

The two main researchers in the study were white and of European descent (one Canadian born, one an immigrant). To ensure equitable procedures, research implementation, data analysis, and reporting, a study advisory was created made up of six individuals who identified as being of Chinese descent. Advisory members were selected based on their connections to local Chinese communities, their expertise, and representing diverse intersectional identities. Advisory members were compensated for their time.

The advisory team reviewed and provided recommendations on the study materials. They reviewed and advised on the first draft and data-analysis and the final draft of this report.

To ensure confidentiality, the advisory did not have access to the names of participants, raw data, interview notes, or interview recordings and transcripts. Advisory members were not eligible to be participants in the study.

c. Recruitment

To invite participants, digital and physical posters were shared in English, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. A multilingual research webpage included detailed information about the project, recruitment information and information on the research design. Recruitment information clearly stated that interpretation would be provided during the interview.

Prospective participants were asked to fill in a short survey that asked them for their contact details and a few demographic facts to help determine eligibility and to ensure there was some spread in identity markers for selected participants. Of 27 prospective participants, 21 followed up to arrange an interview. Of those 21 requests, one was rejected because of a suspected scam and 20 interviews were held.

d. Interview Procedures

Between October 2024 and January 2025, a total of 20 virtual interviews were conducted with people of Chinese descent living in Greater Vancouver (10 interviews), Greater Victoria (8 interviews), and Nanaimo (2 interviews). Participants received a letter of information and signed a letter of consent. All participants were compensated for their time. Sixteen interviews were conducted via Teams and five in-person. Eight interviews were done with the help of an interpreter. All interviews were recorded with participants’ permission.

The interviews were semi-structured and were conducted in a trauma-informed and strength-based manner. Questions did not focus on the details of incidents of violence or abuse but instead asked about how people navigated the legal problem. The interviews lasted between 1 and 2 hours.

Many questions were open-ended but some were multiple choice or Likert scale options. At the end of each interview, participants were asked a set of demographic questions. Directly after the interview, the interviewer recorded all multiple choice, Likert scale, and demographic questions in a survey template. Interview notes and transcripts of the audio recordings were saved to track open-ended questions.

e. Analysis

The open questions recorded in interview notes and audio transcripts were coded into main themes. Themes were determined for each of the main sections of the interview: