Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Access to primary healthcare (PHC) is essential for well-being, yet many immigrants in Canada face significant barriers, including language challenges, cultural differences. This umbrella review examines existing studies to identify and categorize these barriers using the Candidacy Framework, which systematically explores how individuals are legitimized as healthcare users. This framework is particularly effective in understanding systemic and individual factors influencing access to care. A comprehensive systematic search was conducted across six major databases-Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and ProQuest-yielding 7959 records. After removing 1451 duplicates, 6508 studies underwent title and abstract screening, followed by full-text screening of 387 studies. Ultimately, 29 studies were included in the review. Two reviewers screened independently, with a community member resolving conflicts. This review employed a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Approach, involving a community advisory group (CAG) of nine Bangladeshi immigrants. The CAG actively participated in co-designing the study and contributed to data collection and analysis, ensuring the findings align with the lived experiences and priorities of immigrant communities. Preliminary results highlight pervasive barriers to PHC access, such as language limitations, cultural stigma, lack of health literacy, financial challenges, and geographic inaccessibility. Structural hurdles, including long wait times and inefficient referral systems, exacerbate these challenges. Women often report unique barriers, such as the need for culturally sensitive care and female providers. By identifying and categorizing these barriers, this review lays the foundation for future research to explore their root causes. These findings will assist policymakers and healthcare providers in developing equitable, inclusive strategies to improve healthcare access for immigrant populations in Canada.