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Statistics Canada released its latest census report on the immigrant population in Canada. The report is titled “Portrait of Immigration to Canada” and reveals that 23% of Canada’s population is, or has been, a landed immigrant or permanent resident of the country.
Canada accounts for 8.3 million immigrants in 2021 and the report forecasts the immigrant population in Canada to go as high as 34% by 2041.
The report is a period five-year exercise and the results are based on surveys and mandatory forms sent out to every household in the country and analyzing data about people in Canada.
This is the largest update on Canada’s immigrant population since Census 2016 results that came out in October 2017.
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Major findings in the 2021 census report
The vast majority of newcomers are between 25 to 54 years old
Immigration in Canada is seen as a means to support the aging demography and lower birth rates among the native population.
As a result, the 2021 census finds that 10.9% of the new immigrants that arrived in Canada between 2016 and 2021 were adults aged 15 to 24. The vast majority among them were core-aged workers who were between 25 to 54 years old.
Immigrants prefer settling outside of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver
92.2% of Canada’s recent immigrants in 2021 still lived in one of the top Canada census metropolitan areas (CMAs) among 41 other urban centers – Toronto (29.5%), Montreal (12.2%), and Vancouver (11.7%).
However, the share of recent immigrants settling in these three Canadian cities continues to fall as other CMAs across Canada like the national capital region of Ottawa-Gatineau or Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo are seeing a rise in immigrant settlements. Other urban centers preferred by newcomers in Canada are Calgary, Abbotsford–Mission, Edmonton, Hamilton, Winnipeg, and Windsor.
Additionally, close to 10,000 new immigrants arrived in the Atlantic Provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, and Labrador) under the Atlantic Immigration Program, designed to fill urgent job vacancies in the region. The majority of them chose to stay in Atlantic Canada after one year.
More immigrants from Middle East & Asia
Asian countries (including the Middle East) are the top source region of newcomers to Canada and contributes some 62% of the recent immigrant arrivals.
The leading source country of Canada’s newcomers are India, (18.6%), The Philippines (11.4%), followed by China (8.9% of newcomers).
The report also noted the share of newcomers from Africa has also increased.
Plan your Canadian immigration with CanApprove
The findings of the 2021 census will encourage several aspirants to look for Canadian immigration opportunities.
Express Entry is a prominent direct pathway for Canadian permanent residency and manages applicants under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). It also includes candidates with prior provincial nominations.
Interested candidates entering the Express Entry pool may weigh in their immigration chances according to the immigrant traits in Canada as shown in this study.
If you’re planning to move to Canada, consider booking a free consultation with CanApprove and we will suggest the most suitable Canadian immigration pathway based on your profile.
CanApprove is an immigration consultant certified by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC). We are in the industry for over two decades and have successfully aided thousands of applicants to achieve their immigration and study abroad dreams.
