Is Canada a Better Place to Live Than the USA?

  Immigration to Canada has a long and illustrious history. The decision to make Canada their new home has been made by millions of people from all over the world, and this trend is expected to continue. In 2021, more than 8.3 million people, which is equivalent to roughly one-quarter (23%) of the total population, were either landed immigrants or permanent residents of Canada, or had ever been one of these categories. Since the Confederation, this was the greatest proportion ever recorded, surpassing the previous record of 22.3% that was set in 1921. It was also the highest among the G7.Immigration is the primary factor driving population growth in Canada at the present time. This is due to the fact that the population of Canada is continuing to age and fertility rates are lower than the population replacement level. In the event that these patterns persist, according to the most recent population forecasts made by Statistics Canada, immigrants might account for anywhere between 29.1% and 34.0% of the population of Canada by the year 2041.

When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, it brought to light the significant contribution that immigrants contribute to the job market in Canada.

Due to the fact that the working population is getting older and job vacancies will reach levels that are 80 percent greater than they were before the epidemic, immigration is becoming even more important to the labor market than it has ever been before. Recent immigrants, whose age structure is younger than that of the general population, provide a pool of workers who have the potential to assist in mitigating the effects of labour shortages in a variety of industries and areas around the country. Immigrants were responsible for four-fifths of the expansion in the labor force between the years 2016 and 2021. There is a growing number of immigrants who have lived in Canada prior to their admission, and a significant proportion of recent immigrants were chosen because of their capacity to make a positive contribution to the economy of Canada.Bringing with them their cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious heritage, immigrants arrive from a wide variety of countries; they carry their heritage with them. Historically, the bulk of people who immigrated to Canada were from European countries. On the other hand, throughout the course of the last half-century, the proportion of new immigrants who initially came from Europe has decreased, while the proportion of new immigrants who were born in Asia (including the Middle East) has increased. Over the course of history, Asia has emerged as the premier destination for the arrival of new immigrants, and this pattern persisted in the year 2021. Additionally, the proportion of new immigrants coming from Africa grew. Together, immigrants, Indigenous people, and their descendants have contributed to the formation of Canada as it is known today. Indigenous people have been

walking this land for thousands of years, prior to the arrival of European established here.

Today, Statistics Canada is publishing the sixth batch of findings from the 2021 Census. These data provide an updated statistical snapshot of the immigrant community and are being released today. It is possible to make comparisons across time and at different levels of geography thanks to the census, which is one of the most complete sources of data on immigrants living in Canada.This information will be utilized by governments at all levels, including federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal, as well as numerous other non-governmental and community organizations, in order to formulate and assess immigration policies and programs, as well as to plan and carry out the implementation of education, health care, housing, and other services.Notable PointsWithin the population that was tallied during the 2021 Census, nearly one in four individuals, or 23.0%, are or have been a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada. Since the Confederation, this was the greatest proportion ever recorded, surpassing the previous record of 22.3% in 1921. Additionally, this was the highest proportion among the G7 countries.A little more than 1.3 million new immigrants made permanent settlements in Canada between the years 2016 and 2021, making this the biggest number of recent immigrants ever recorded in a census conducted in Canada.Over the course of fifteen years, the percentage of recent immigrants who were able to establish themselves in Atlantic Canada nearly tripled, going from 1.2% in 2006 to 3.5% in 2021.Under the economic category, more than half of the most recent immigrants who are currently residing in Canada were granted entry. A little more than one-third (34.5%) of these 748,120 economic immigrants were chosen through skilled worker programs, and another

one-third (33.6%) were chosen through the Provincial Nominee Program.

Among recent immigrants who have lived in Canada since 2016, the percentage of immigrants who initially arrived in the country temporarily on work or study permits or as asylum seekers before being granted permanent residency was particularly high (36.6%).Asia, which includes the Middle East, continued to be the continent of birth for the majority of recent immigrants as well (62.0%).Indians make up the largest percentage of recent immigrants to Canada, accounting for 18.6% of the total. This makes India the nation of birth for the most recent immigrants to Canada.However, the percentage of recent immigrants from Europe has continued to decrease, going from 61.6% in 1971 to 10.1% in 2021. This represents a significant decrease.A conversation in either English or French is something that the vast majority of recent immigrants are able to carry out, accounting for 92.7% of the total.From 26.7% in 2011 to 31.5% in 2021, the percentage of children of immigrants who are members of the second generation in Canada and are younger than 15 years old and have at least one parent who was born outside of Canada increased.Despite the fact that fewer immigrants were allowed in 2020 as a result of the border and travel restrictions that were established in response to the pandemic, the rising proportion of immigrants is mostly driven by the high number of new immigrants who came to Canada from 2016 to 2021.The population of Canada that was living in private homes increased by 5.4% between the years 2016 and 2021, and new immigrants, also known as recent immigrants, accounted for 71.1% of that growth.The period beginning January 1, 2016, and ending May 11, 2021 saw the permanent admission of more over 1.3 million recent immigrants. This is 15.9% of the total number of immigrants who were living in Canada in 2021.