TORONTO – Some Canadian provinces are more “loved” than others by immigrants to Canada: it emerges from a new report by Statistics Canada, entitled “Provincial variation in the retention rates of immigrants, 2022”, which compared the percentages of immigrants present in the provinces one and five years after admission to Canada. The years examined are 2012 and 2016. 

Well, Ontario had the highest retention rate (93.1%) among immigrants arriving in 2016, with British Columbia (87.3%) and Alberta (84.5%) in second and third place. Quebec had a five-year retention rate of 81% among immigrants who arrived in Canada in 2016 – a poor showing compared to Ontario, which could be explained by the fact that Quebec is used as a gateway to Canada for those who know French (and are therefore favored, since French speakers have preferential channels for obtaining PR – permanent residence): then, once obtaining PR, the “French speakers” say goodbye to Quebec and they go to other provinces, where they may never speak a word of French again, like Ontario.

The prairie provinces have seen consistent declines in retention rates. Saskatchewan fell from 72 per cent for the 2012 cohort to 57.9 per cent for 2016. In Manitoba, this figure fell from 75.1 per cent to 64.1 per cent. Canada’s territories also saw a decline in immigrant retention, from 73 percent of the 2012 cohort to 64.3 percent of immigrants admitted in 2016.

While overall retention rates in the Atlantic provinces were lower than some of the larger provinces, trends were largely positive for Canada’s east coast, with both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island increasing. Trends also differ across immigration categories. The report states that 91.7% of family-sponsored immigrants and 84.4% of refugees admitted in 2016 filed tax returns in the same province five years after entry. The retention rate was lower (77.9%) for economic migrants in the 2016 cohort, down (82.1%) compared to the 2012 cohort.

Another finding that stands out from the report is that Atlantic Canada has seen increased retention of newcomers since the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) was launched in 2017. The increase in retention rates is exponential. Nova Scotia saw the largest increase, going from a one-year retention rate of 21.5 per cent for the 2016 cohort to 63.9 per cent in 2020, a jump of more than 42 percentage points. New Brunswick saw its retention rate go from 50 per cent for immigrants admitted in 2016 to 65.8 per cent in 2020. Newfoundland and Labrador’s annual retention rate increase was even higher, from 31.3 % for skilled immigrants admitted in 2016 to 50% for those admitted in 2020.

Some immigration programs, therefore, seem to work while others, such as the “fast track” for French speakers, evidently serve only as a “Trojan horse” for those he wants to settle in Canada despite having no qualifications or “skills” that can contribute to the growth of the country.

In the pic above: Montreal airport, Quebec (photo from Twitter X – @yulaeroport)