Where immigrants are most likely to live in Canada
In some regions, more than 90% of newcomers remain.
A Statistics Canada study of immigrant mobility found that the provinces with the highest retention of newcomers are Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta.
Since 2014, 94% of immigrants stayed in Ontario for five years. In other words, of the 100 people who settled in Ontario in 2014, 94 were still living in the province in 2019. In British Columbia, the rate was 90% and in Alberta it was 89%.
Popular Cities
Vancouver came first in terms of retention. More than 86% of immigrants who moved to the city stayed. Toronto was in second place with a retention rate of about 86% of immigrants. Edmonton was not far behind at almost 85%.
In the Atlantic regions, Halifax, the provincial capital of Nova Scotia, had the highest retention rate for newcomers at 58%. The province-wide retention rate is 63%. As a rule, immigrants do not stay in Atlantic Canada and move to larger and more popular regions.
Retention factors
Overall, within 5 years, most newcomers (86%) stay in the province they moved to, but some candidates are more likely to move than others.
According to the study, immigrants who came to Canada through family reunification programs were most likely (93%) to stay in the city where they originally arrived and where their family resides.
Another important factor that influences the decision to change residence is a job. Immigrants often stay in the province or city where they have a job offer. For example, refugees who had work experience in Canada remained in the region where they worked 93% of the time. And among regular immigrants who had a work permit in Canada before applying for permanent residence, the retention rate in their city was 90%.
The lowest retention rate was among immigrants who had studied at a Canadian university before applying for permanent residence, at 79%. It is assumed that students are more likely to move in search of suitable employment.
