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. 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. Do the immigrant youths have the same educational opportunities and pathways to higher education in the three countries as native youths, according to their aspirations? 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.