Material hardship (e.g., housing hardship and bill-paying hardship) is common among international immigrants as immigration presents enormous challenges (e.g., financial problems, language barriers and unmet health services). As such, newcomer women tend to experience less maternity care and be vulnerable to hardship exposure during pregnancy, causing more prevalent postpartum depression than non-immigrants and thereby having long-lasting adverse impacts on child behaviours. Our study aims to examine atypical brain alterations via which maternal hardship caused by immigration affects infant temperament which is a significant predictor of behavioural problems later in life. The findings will provide pilot data for optimizing child neurodevelopment and lifelong mental health among Canadian new arrival communities.