What do new immigrants like and dislike about Canada?
Survey results from the Canadian Citizenship Institute.
In late February 2022, the Canadian research and analysis company Leger, commissioned by the Canadian Citizenship Institute, interviewed 1,519 immigrants who had recently arrived in the country and compared the data with the results of a survey of 2,103 new Canadians carried out by the Institute itself in the same period of time. Most of those surveyed had already become Canadian citizens, meaning they were people who had lived in the country for at least three years.
30% of new Canadians aged 18 to 34 and 23% of new Canadians with a college degree say they are likely to move to another country in the next two years. The two main reasons for not going to or moving to or from Canada are government policies and the high cost of living.
Immigrants with higher education tended to be more negative about employment opportunities in Canada and wage fairness. Having a college degree also influenced attitudes toward the three-week demonstration in the Canadian capital — most new immigrants said the event diminished their sense of pride in being Canadian now, but the most negative reaction was among those with a university degree.
It is interesting to see how differently immigrants who have settled in different regions perceive the pros and cons of Canada. All respondents were divided into four groups:
- Western Canada — British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba;
- Ontario;
- Quebec;
- Atlantic Canada — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Very few Atlantic Canadians participated in the survey, so some places have a dash in them. Residents of the other three regions are roughly evenly distributed.
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