Provincial variation in the retention rates of immigrants, 2022

Year of Publication: 2024

Author: Statistics Canada

Publication Source: The Daily

Category:

DOI: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240214/dq240214a-eng.htm

Language: English

Immigration is a key contributor to Canada’s population growth, as the Canadian population continues to age and the fertility rate hit a record low. Understanding the extent to which immigrants remained in their intended destination provinces and territories can help develop policy to attract and retain newcomers. This can also help provinces and territories provide necessary services and infrastructure.

Using data from the 2022 Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), this release examines the provincial and territorial immigrant retention rates—the percentage of immigrant taxfilers who filed taxes in the province or territory where the immigrant intended to live in Canada, as indicated in their application for permanent residence—one year and five years after admission. Examining the one-year and five-year retention rates sheds light on the short- and medium-term settlement patterns of successive immigrant admission cohorts.

This release highlights variations in retention rates of immigrants by geography and admission category, with the focus on comparisons among the most recent admission cohorts available in the 2022 IMDB. The IMDB is the result of a collaboration between Statistics Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and the provinces.