Canada. Canada's annual immigration flow is proportion- ately one of the highest
among OECD members, at roughly 0.7% of its population of 35 million.
www.oecd.org/migration/imo 5.
COUNTRY NOTES: RECENT CHANGES IN MIGRATION MOVEMENTS AND POLICIES
Canada
C
anada’s annual immigration flow is proportionately one of the highest among OECD members, at roughly 0.7% of its population of 35 million. Canada admitted 249 000 permanent residents in 2011, an 11% decrease over the previous year, when overall admissions reached a historical peak, 281 000, due to a combination of unique factors. The proportions of admissions by stream were broadly similar in 2011 to preceding years. The economic category (including spouses and dependants) comprised 62.8% of admissions, slightly less than in 2010. The family stream comprised 22.7%. Canada sets annual targets for total admission and by single categories; its planned admission range for 2011 was 240 000-265 000. Entries were thus within the range, although family category entries were slightly below target. Targets for 2012 were 150 000-161 000 for the economic category, 59 800-69 000 for the family category, 22 500-26 000 for the humanitarian category and 7 700-8 000 for other motives. In 2013, the overall planned immigration admission range will remain the same as in 2012, with a slight shift from the humanitarian to the family stream. The leading origin countries in 2011 were the Philippines (14% of the total), China (12%) and India (10%); the same three countries led in 2010. The main nationalities of humanitarian migrants were Iraq (15%), Haiti (7%), and Bhutan and Colombia (6% each). Canada admitted nearly 290 000 temporary foreign workers and international students in 2011, with increases in both categories. Canada admitted 190 800 temporary foreign workers in 2011, an increase of 6.4% from 2010. 98 400 foreign students entered Canada in 2011, 3.3% more than the previous year. 181 300 foreigners were naturalised as Canadian citizens in 2011, a 26% increase from 2010.
more importance of official language proficiency and Canadian work experience, and require educational credentials to be assessed by a designated 3rd party. In July 2012, Ministerial Instructions paused the acceptance of most new FSW applications. The pause, allowing faster processing of prior applications, was lifted in May 2013. Finally, amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, passed in June 2012, closed around 98 000 FSW applications submitted before early 2008. Including dependants, around 280 000 people were affected. A new Federal Skilled Trades programme began accepting applications on 2 January 2013. In the programme’s first year, applications will be accepted from up to 3 000 individuals in 43 specific trades, of which 17 will be subject to sub-limits of 100 applications each. Live-in caregivers must work for two years, or 3 900 hours over a minimum of 22 months, before being eligible to apply for permanent residence. Caregivers may now receive open permits almost immediately after they apply for permanent residence, instead of waiting for “approval in principle”, shortening the process by up to 18 months. Canada’s Federal Entrepreneur Program ceased accepting applications in 2011. A new “Start-Up Visa” programme launched in April 2013 links immigrant entrepreneurs with private sector organisations in Canada that have experience working with start-ups and that can provide essential resources. Changes also were made to the family migration stream. From March 2012, new permanent residents sponsored as a spouse may not sponsor a subsequent spouse for five years following the date for which they were granted permanent residence. Sponsored spouses with no children will also receive a two-year conditional permanent resident permit.
The Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, introduced in Parliament in February 2012 and passed in June, aims to improve the speed, flexibility and responsiveness of the existing asylum system. The bill addresses human smuggling and security measures, to prevent criminals, traffickers and those with unfounded refug ee claims from abusing Canada’s immigration system. Several security initiatives were also launched in 2012, including the Canada-US Action Plan on Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness and a plan to record biometric data of temporary residents by mid-2013.
In late 2012, proposed regulatory changes were announced that would allow foreigners studying in Canada to work part-time off-campus without requiring a work permit.
The Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Class, Canada’s largest economic programme, continues to undergo changes. From May 2013, selection criteria assign
For further information
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New citizenship regulations, in effect since November 2012, require adult citizenship applicants to provide objective evidence of language ability with their citizenship applications. In addition, federal, provincial and territorial partners agreed in 2011 to establish a minimum language threshold and mandatory language testing for low-skilled provincial nominees.
www.cic.gc.ca.
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION OUTLOOK 2013 © OECD 2013
5. COUNTRY NOTES: RECENT CHANGES IN MIGRATION MOVEMENTS AND POLICIES
Recent trends in migrant flows and stocks CANADA Migration flows (foreigners) National definition Per 1 000 inhabitants Inflows Outflows Migration inflows (foreigners) by type Permit based statistics (standardised) Work Family (incl. accompanying family) Humanitarian Free movements Others Total Temporary migration
2000
2005
7.4 ..
8.1 ..
Thousands 2010 2011 76.6 64.4 170.6 148.2 33.4 36.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 280.7 248.7
2010
2011
8.2 7.2 .. .. % distribution 2010 2011 27.3 25.9 60.8 59.6 11.9 14.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 100.0 Average 2011 2006-10
2005
2010
International students Trainees Working holiday makers Seasonal workers Intra-company transfers Other temporary workers
56.7 .. 28.0 20.3 6.8 62.4
76.7 .. 50.0 23.9 13.6 85.5
77.2 .. 54.9 24.1 13.5 87.5
65.9 .. 40.0 23.8 10.3 88.7
Inflows of asylum seekers
2000
2005
2010
2011
Thousands
Per 1 000 inhabitants
2001-05
Average 2006-10
Level (’000) 2011
7.6 ..
7.6 ..
248.8 ..
Inflows of top 10 nationalities as a % of total inflows of foreigners Canada 2001-10 annual average
0
5
Average 2001-05 1.0
2006-10 0.9
1.1
0.6
0.7
0.7
2000
2005
2010
2011
9.7 3.6 6.5
9.9 3.5 7.0
11.1 4.0 7.2
.. .. ..
Stocks of immigrants
2000
2005
2010
2011
Percentage of the total population Foreign-born population Foreign population
17.4 ..
18.7 ..
19.9 ..
20.1 ..
Naturalisations
2000
2005
2010
2011
..
..
..
..
2000
2005
2010
2011
77.4 77.0 66.0 59.6
.. .. .. ..
74.3 74.5 70.5 63.3
75.0 75.1 70.6 63.0
.. .. .. ..
.. .. .. ..
5.7 6.1 6.2 8.7
.. .. .. ..
8.6 10.0 6.6 9.9
7.8 8.4 6.4 9.5
.. .. .. ..
.. .. .. ..
2000
2005
2010
2011
5.2 4.3 2.5
3.0 2.0 1.4
3.2 2.0 1.7
6.8
6.8
8.0
Components of population growth
2011
Philippines China India United States Iran United Kingdom Haiti Pakistan France United Arab Emirates
Average 2001-05
2006-10
9.9 3.5 7.1
11.4 4.1 7.4
10
15
Level 2011 24 985 Level (’000) 2011
Per 1 000 inhabitants Total Natural increase Net migration
Percentage of the foreign population Labour market outcomes Employment/population ratio Native-born men Foreign-born men Native-born women Foreign-born women Unemployment rate Native-born men Foreign-born men Native-born women Foreign-born women Macroeconomic indicators Annual growth in % Real GDP GDP/capita (level in USD) Employment (level in thousands) Percentage of the total labour force Unemployment
Average 2001-05
2006-10
18.1 ..
19.4 .. Average
2001-05 ..
2006-10 ..
.. .. .. Level (’000) 2011 6 933 .. Level 2011 181 127
Average 2001-05
2006-10
2001-05
Average 2006-10
Level 2011
2.4 1.3 1.6
2.5 1.5 1.8
1.2 0.1 1.2
40 418 17 406
7.5
7.3
7.0
Notes and sources are at the end of the chapter. 1 2 http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932823871
INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION OUTLOOK 2013 © OECD 2013
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