Immigrants are leaving Canada at faster pace in recent years, study says

A new study has revealed a “record spike” in the number of immigrants leaving Canada between 2016 and 2019. The study has emphasised the need for the government to prioritize retaining newcomers as a means to enhance the country’s economy. The report conducted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) and the Conference Board of Canada finds onward migration, of immigrants leaving Canada has been increasing slowly for decades but suddenly surged in 2017 and 2019 — the most recent period of available data. The report also finds the risk of onward migration is particularly high between years four and seven following arrival in Canada. According to the study, on average, 0.9 per cent of people who were granted permanent residence in or after 1982 left Canada each year, However, in 2019, that percentage rose to 1.18 percent, marking a 31 percent increase compared to the average. There was also a notable increase in 2017 when the migration rate surged by 43 percent, reaching 1.15 percent from 0.8 percent in 2016. In terms of actual numbers, the report’s researchers stated during a press conference on October 31 that approximately 67,000 individuals left Canada in 2019, and nearly 60,000 in 2017. The study further highlighted that the trend of immigrants leaving the country has generally been on the rise since the 1990s. This means that an abnormally high number of immigrants who were granted permanent residence between 1982 and 2018 preferred to leave the country between 2016 and 2019. The report also emphasized the potential consequences of Canada not meeting the expectations of newcomers, who are grappling with challenges such as deteriorating housing affordability, a strained healthcare system, and issues related to underemployment, among others. Also, the report brought attention to the fact that disillusionment among immigrants can impede progress, even in a nation that consistently achieves new population records. “As Canada relies more and more on immigrants to fill acute shortages in key sectors like housing and healthcare, our ability to retain them is becoming a matter of vital national interest,” said Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship. “Simply put, if Canada cannot deliver for newcomers and help them become Canadian in their passports and in their hearts, we may soon be discussing our prosperity in the past tense.” “Canada’s future prosperity depends on immigration,” said Stefan Fournier, Executive Director at The Conference Board of Canada. “Our research in this area shows that immigration leads to economic growth, improves the worker-to-retiree ratio and eases labour shortages that add to inflation. But as our research shows, attracting immigrants is only one part of the equation, we also need to retain them once they’re here in Canada.”