By Adiba Hasan

Based on the most recent data available from October 2024, Permanent Residence (PR) admissions have reached 85% of the 2024 immigration target. In contrast, PR admissions by October 2023 had reached 87% of the annual year’s target.

Citizenship Trends

The graph below compares the number of new citizens between January and October across four different years (2020 – 2024). Overall, citizenship numbers in 2021 were low due to processing delays following the Covid-19 pandemic, but the numbers started to rise again and stabilize in late 2021. Between 2021 and 2022, citizenship numbers experienced a notable jump, an impressive 130% increase, indicating a turning point after significant pandemic-related disruptions.

As pandemic impacts started to fade and application backlogs decreased, the percentage change in the number of new citizens also became smaller with only a 0.88% increase between 2022-2023. Since then, there has been a slight increase of 3.64% between 2023-2024.

Table 1: % Change in Citizenship Acqusition

Citizenship Year	% Change
2023 – 2024	3.64
2022 – 2023	0.88
2021 – 2022	130.92
2020 – 2021	23.59
2019 – 2020	-55.69

Immigration Levels Plan Changes

In October 2024, the Government of Canada released the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, marking a significant shift in the country’s immigration strategy. The plan outlines a significant reduction in permanent resident admissions, with targets set at 395,000 for 2025, followed by further declines to 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027.

The graph below illustrates sharp reductions in economic migration (-23%), raising concerns about labour shortages in industries like healthcare and technology. Family reunification (-25%) and refugee admissions (-23%) also face cuts, drawing criticism from advocates about undermining Canada’s values and global commitments.

Share your thoughts

The changes in admissions targets, particularly the reductions in all immigration streams, raise important questions about the values that shape our immigration policies. While the government cites infrastructure and service capacity as reasons for the reductions, the decision has prompted debate about its potential social and economic repercussions.

• Should Canada introduce citizenship target levels to ensure that PR holders are supported and incentivized to obtain Canadian citizenship?
• How much should public opinion influence the government’s immigration levels and policies?

Stay connected with the ICC Immigration Dashboard for ongoing updates and insights. Please share your thoughts and perspectives, and join us in an important discussion on the future of immigration in Canada

Sign up here for more updates from Ideas & Insights at ICC. You can learn more about the ICC here.

Since its inception, Canoo has unlocked Canada for over 789,000 newcomers, providing free admission to museums, galleries, festivals, concerts, and other experiences across the country. For this quarterly Canoo Insights Report, we’re looking at Canoo member growth and engagement in summer 2024.

Canoo Memberships Continue to Increase

Since we published our last Canoo Insights Report in September 2024, Canoo membership has continued to increase. The following graph shows overall Canoo member numbers (adults and accompanying children) and monthly member growth from September to December 2024.

Canoo Member Growth September 1 – November 30, 2024

Canoo Member Growth: 2023 vs. 2024 Peak Season

This edition of the Canoo Insights Report focuses on the summer of 2024, which was the peak season for member activity this year. Let’s start by looking at the growth in Canoo membership (adults + accompanying children) in summer 2023 versus summer 2024.

Compared to the same months in 2023, May 2024 saw a 27% increase in sign-ups, June had a 14% increase, and there was a slight decrease of (-)0.2% in July. With the school year approaching and schedules becoming busier at the end of summer, August and September experienced a dip in Canoo sign-ups. The trend suggests that sign-ups among Canoo members typically align with children’s summer vacation periods.

Canoo Member Growth: Summer 2023 vs. Summer 2024

New Canoo Members by Country of Origin: Summer 2023 vs. Summer 2024

Hidden Gem Venues

This summer, Canoo highlighted four “hidden gem” venues across the country. These venues offer compelling exhibits and family-friendly activities, without the crowds of more popular attractions. The following charts show admission at these hidden gem venues, as well as how often Canoo members visited with children.

New ICC/Conference Board Report Calls for Broad, Concerted Efforts to Retain Immigrants

November 19, 2024 – A new report from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), conducted by the Conference Board of Canada shows that immigrants are leaving Canada in record numbers, particularly the high-skilled immigrants Canada urgently needs. 

“These are tradespeople who build our homes, nurses who care for our loved ones, truckers who facilitate commerce, and entrepreneurs who spur innovation,” said ICC CEO Daniel Bernhard. “And they are increasingly headed out the door.” 

Bernhard notes that the concerning findings of the report, entitled, “The Leaky Bucket 2024: A closer look at immigrant onward migration in Canada,” coincide with 30-year lows in public support for immigration. 

“Canadians are bombarded with commentary telling them that high immigration levels are to blame for homegrown challenges including housing supply, inaccessible healthcare, crime, and even traffic,” said Bernhard. “Be careful what you wish for. This is globally coveted talent with global options. We need programs that entice them to stay, become active citizens and help fuel our economy.” 

The report follows ICC’s first “Leaky Bucket” report released in 2023, also produced by the Conference Board of Canada. That original study revealed the alarming trend of immigrants leaving Canada in growing numbers to seek opportunity elsewhere. This year’s report provides updated figures and digs deeper into the characteristics of those immigrants who are leaving in greater and greater numbers. Highlights of the findings include: 

• Francophone immigrants to Quebec and Ontario are much more likely than Anglophone immigrants to leave Canada to seek opportunity elsewhere 
• The most populous cities in Canada—Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver— see high turnover rates of immigrants. They function as hubs for immigrant communities to access resources and support for their settlement journey 
• In contrast, fast-growing, mid-sized cities in other provinces (Calgary, Alberta, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick) see the opposite trend, but have potentially greater challenges retaining immigrants in communities outside of their larger cities 
• The Atlantic provinces see the highest rates of onward migration in Canada in the shorter term (three to seven years after arrival), but the lowest rates longer term (25 years and more after arrival) 
• The highest two origin nations of immigrants leaving Canada are a combination of countries allowing dual citizenship (Lebanon) and those restricting citizenship only to that country (South Korea).  

The Report includes recommendations to help stem the outward flow of newcomers, such as: 

1.  Support provinces and municipalities to understand onward migration trends and address unique challenges in their cities and regions. 
2. Develop short-term and long-term strategies to address retention challenges at different points in immigrants’ settlement journeys. 
3. Engage educational institutions and settlement service organisations in the retention conversation. 
4. Consider the impact of language integration on retention and build out Francophone programs.   

Read the full report here: “The Leaky Bucket 2024: A Closer Look at Immigrant onward migration in Canada.”

About ICC 

The Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) aspires to a Canada where newcomers don’t just come but stay, naturalize, succeed, and contribute maximally to our shared success. The ICC is best known for its Canoo Access Pass, a mobile app that currently provides over 750,000 newcomers with free and discounted access to more than 2,000 of Canada’s best culture, nature and sport experiences, plus exclusive deals with leading brands, so that they fall in love with Canada, stay, and become enthusiastic citizens

Media Contact 

Alex Nanoff 
613.709.6318 
media@inclusion.ca 

Toronto, Ontario, Oct. 30, 2024 – Immigrants with the greatest potential to fuel Canada’s economy are the most at risk of leaving within the next two years, according to new findings from The Newcomer Perspective, a large-scale study conducted jointly by Ipsos and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC). With so much attention focused on how many immigrants Canada admits, new research shines a light on how successfully they are integrating into Canadian economic, social and civic life through the first 10 years after arrival. 

Findings from the study, which will gather perspectives from 20,000 verified adult immigrants to Canada in 2024, show that skilled, economic immigrants are thinking twice about staying in Canada, mostly due to high housing costs, financial pressure and inadequate salaries. 

Here are a few highlights of what this study has revealed so far: 

• 26% of newcomers report that they are likely (somewhat and very likely) to leave Canada within two years 

• Housing affordability is the number one reason for planning to leave 

• Likelihood to leave varies considerably by immigration category on arrival, with economic immigrants and those with prior Canadian experience most likely to plan their exits  

• Likelihood to leave also varies considerably across Canada, ranging from 31% of newcomers in Brampton, Ontario, 30% in Toronto, 29% in Vancouver, and 22% in Montreal. 

Economic, business and immigrants with Canadian experience most likely to consider leaving 

Close to one in three (32%) immigrants in the Canadian Experience Class (i.e. those who were international students or temporary workers before obtaining permanent residency) indicate that they are somewhat likely, or very likely to leave Canada within two years, while only one in five (20%) immigrants admitted by way of Quebec programs say they are likely to leave. 

Further underscoring the loss of skilled immigrants, immigrants who have spent 5+ years in Canada are more likely to consider leaving the country (30%), taking with them the skills and experience they have gained, perhaps in search of better opportunities. At the same time, 23% of those who are in the first five years of settling into a new country are also foreseeing their departure from Canada, pointing to a need for support from institutions, both public and private.  

Economic Concerns Driving Desire to Leave Canada 

The top three reasons driving the likelihood of leaving Canada are all economic: housing costs (79%), low salary/income (65%) and concerns about the economy generally (54%). 

Almost eight in ten (79%) newcomers say that Canada has been worse than expected as a place that gives them access to affordable housing, compared to only 10% who think it is better than expected. Housing far outranks any other aspect of the newcomer journey when it comes to falling short of expectations. 

Further, more than half (51%) express that Canada falls short of their expectations as a place to get ahead financially and more than six in ten (61%) believe that their current income is not commensurate to their credentials and experience. 

The Newcomer Perspective: So much more than a survey of newcomers 

These are just a small sample of key findings and topics covered in this groundbreaking syndicated research program, The Newcomer Perspective. In months to come, Ipsos and the ICC will explore other issues of importance for newcomers and for the governments, non-profits and businesses who seek to serve them better. This ongoing research will track the views of newcomers over time and will allow subscribers to dive deeper into results by a wide array of key segments, including country of origin, immigration category, province of residence, number of years in Canada, age, education levels and so much more. 

About this release 

These are some of the preliminary findings of the recently launched ‘The Newcomer Perspective’ research program, which will survey 20,000 newcomers in 2024.  For this release, 15,383 verified adult newcomers to Canada aged 18 years and over were interviewed online (10,153 interviews from May 31 to June 11, and 5,230 interviews from August 13 to August 22).  Participants for the survey were permanent residents and Canadian citizens who settled in Canada within the past 10 years and are members of the ICC’s Canoo Access Pass, which represents the largest and highest quality member base of Canadian newcomers.  

About The Newcomer Perspective Study 

The Newcomer Perspective is a partnership between Ipsos and the ICC which brings the voices of newcomers to Canadian leaders in the private and public sectors, providing the insights they need to play their part in making Canada a welcoming country that newcomers fall in love with and contribute to. The study is the country’s largest and most comprehensive survey of the attitudes and perspectives of newcomers throughout their immigration journey. For more information on The Newcomer Perspective research program, please write to NewcomerInsightsCanada@ipsos.com. 

About Ipsos 

Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people. Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques. 

Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120 and Mid-60 indices and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD). ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP. www.ipsos.com. 

About the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) 

The ICC works to unlock Canada for newcomers, facilitating and encouraging the journey towards full and active Canadian citizenship. Thanks to its pioneering Canoo Cultural Access Pass, the ICC serves more newcomers than any other organization in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, the ICC has a presence across the country, including staff in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Montréal. 

For more information on this news release, please contact: 

For Ipsos: 

Sanyam Sethi 
Vice President, Ipsos Public Affairs 
Sanyam.Sethi@ipsos.com 
+1 416 324-2307 

For the Institute for Canadian Citizenship 

Alex Nanoff 
media@inclusion.ca 
+1 613 709 6318 

Research details  

For questions about methodology and analysis, please contact Ipsos using the details listed above.  
Click here for more information and to access data tables for this release.  

New ICC-Deloitte Report and Playbook highlight winning ways for business leaders

NEWS RELEASE

October 8, 2024 – Companies across Canada are less competitive than they could be, and short-changing shareholders by leaving exceptional immigrant talent on the bench.

A new Employer Playbook for recruiting and retaining newcomers to Canada shows Canadian companies several ways they can boost their financial scores with the help of immigrants already in Canada and keen to get in the game. The Playbook is built on the results of a new report, “Talent to win”, which draws from an extensive series of confidential roundtables with employers, government and civil society leaders from across Canada, conducted by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) in partnership with Deloitte.

“Imagine if the manager of the Toronto Raptors or Calgary Flames didn’t pick star players because they weren’t Canadian trained? They would be giving rival teams a significant competitive advantage.” said Daniel Bernhard, CEO of the ICC. “If you’re down two goals late in the game, successful coaches get their best players on the ice, no matter where in the world they learned how to play.”

According to a seasoned investor and executive interviewed for the new report, Canada’s business leaders “don’t grasp how so much of the world is beating us.”

About the Playbook for Canadian Business Leaders

The Playbook includes real examples from companies who have seen their bottom lines increase after capitalizing on the underutilized and overlooked immigrant talent pool.

• An Eastern Canadian construction firm got around English language requirements and gained an edge on competitors by putting together crews that all spoke the same foreign language (one crew spoke Ukrainian, another spoke Hindi). They proved to be safer and more productive than average crews, thanks to their ability to work and communicate in the language they speak most naturally and their optimism for being given a chance to contribute more significantly.
• A Western Canadian natural resources company changed a hiring policy that previously required heavy equipment operators to have winter driving experience and found that immigrants who were new to snow drove more carefully and had fewer accidents.

Click here to download the Playbook

About the Report: Talent to win – Employers’ perspectives on immigrant underemployment and the immense upside of solving it

“Talent to win” is a unique collaboration between the ICC and Deloitte, which brought together over 40 leaders from business, government, and civil society to understand the causes of immigrant underemployment and surface creative workarounds that leading employers have enacted to put this immensely underused talent pool to work.

Beyond the reality of systemic discrimination, the roundtable discussions revealed that employers face several challenges, including: lack of ambition in business culture, inadequate onboarding and mentoring practices, blind spots in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks that don’t take country of origin into account, and a lack of support to navigate Canada’s complex immigration system – especially for small and medium-sized businesses.

Click here to read the full Talent to Win report

About the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC)

Since 2005, ICC’s programs have worked to give every newcomer to Canada the chance to become fully involved in our history, our culture, and our politics. More than 750,000 newcomers have participated in ICC’s Canoo program to discover all that Canada has to offer. The generous support from our donors and partners has enabled this impact.

About Deloitte

Deloitte provides audit and assurance, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax, and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500® companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries and territories bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and service to address clients’ most complex business challenges.

Media Contact:

Alan Findlay

alan@curiouspublic.ca

437.882.5997

By Adiba Hasan

The latest operational data from IRCC are now available in the ICC Immigration Dashboard, showing that permanent residence (PR) admissions have reached 63% of Canada’s 2024 target. During the same period in 2023 (January to July), PR admissions had already reached 65%, signalling a slightly slower admission rate in 2024.

In July 2024, 47,770 PRs were admitted, marking a 6.9% increase month-over-month, and a 17% increase year-over-year. In 2024, July had the highest number of PR admissions. Despite reaching this peak in July, overall PR admissions from January to July 2024 have seen a slight decrease of 0.16% (or 485 fewer admissions) compared to the same period in 2023.

Changing Dynamics Across Source Countries

The following chart compares Permanent Resident (PR) admissions from January to July 2024 with the same period in 2023, focusing on source countries with significant percentage increases.

There was a sharp rise in PR admissions from Ukraine, with a staggering 114.7% increase, likely due to the ongoing geopolitical conflict driving more individuals to seek permanent residence in Canada.

Countries with a large francophone population, such as Cameroon (+100.55%), Algeria (+63.79%), and Morocco (+23.88%), have shown increases in Permanent Resident (PR) admissions between January and July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. This corresponds to the goal of increasing the Francophone community to support French-speaking communities across the country.

In addition to the notable upticks in PR admissions, it’s important to highlight the significant rise in admissions from the Philippines.

With a 23.14% increase, the Philippines remains one of Canada’s key source countries for new immigrants, seeing a growth from 16,765 in 2023 to 20,645 in 2024. 

PR Admissions by Source Country, % Increase

The ICC Immigration Dashboard data from January to July 2024 also reveal significant declines in permanent residence (PR) admissions from other source countries, when compared to the same period in 2023.

Source countries that saw significant declines are Iraq (-25.95%), Jamaica (-22.92%), and Brazil (-22.38%). The United States and the United Kingdom also saw substantial drops of 22.12% and 22.01%, respectively. Countries like Congo, DRC (-20.71%) and South Korea (-18.12%) also experienced double-digit decreases. Traditionally high-immigration source countries like China (-11.33%) and India (-9.65%) witnessed smaller but notable reductions, signalling the changing immigration dynamics, possibly linked to Canada’s evolving immigration policies.

This overall downward trend in PR admissions may reflect tighter immigration policies, global economic shifts, or other external factors affecting migration patterns.

PR Admissions by Source Country, % Decrease

Since its inception, Canoo has unlocked Canada for over 750,000 newcomers, providing free admission to museums, galleries, festivals, concerts, and other experiences across the country. For this quarterly Canoo Insights Report, we’re taking a look at our members and venues in Ottawa to better understand Canoo’s presence in our nation’s capital.

Canoo Memberships Continue to Increase

Since we published our last Canoo Insights Report in June, Canoo membership continued to increase. The following graph shows overall Canoo member growth (adults + children) and monthly member growth from June to August 2024.

Correction note December 3, 2024: The following graph was previously mislabeled as “New Adult Canoo Members” and “Total Adult Canoo Members”. The labels have been updated to reflect that the graph shows both adult members and the children associated with them.

Canoo Member Growth June – August, 2024

Ottawa Canoo Members

Ottawa, Canada’s capital, is a vibrant city with diverse activities for locals and visitors alike. The following graph demonstrates adult Canoo member growth in Ottawa in 2024 so far (January 1 – August 31). The bar chart displays increases in adult Canoo memberships in Ottawa per month in 2024. The line graph displays total adult Canoo members in Ottawa. Canoo membership has grown steadily in Ottawa, reaching nearly 40,000 adult Canoo members by the end of July 2024.

Canoo Member Growth in Ottawa

Ottawa Canoo Member Demographics

Most Popular Ottawa Venues

Ottawa has a wealth of museums and galleries that showcase history, art, and culture from Canada and around the world. Check out the graph below to see some of the most popular Canoo venues in the Ottawa region, based on the number of admissions from January to July 2024.

Ottawa Canoo Venues by Admissions

Out-of-Province Canoo Admissions in Ottawa

In an earlier Canoo Insights Report, we shared how Canoo members use the app to travel across Canada. And as you can see from the graph above, Ottawa has plenty of exciting venues to keep visitors entertained. It’s no wonder so many Canoo members are travelling to this great city! The following graphs show how many Canoo members from each province (outside of Ontario) visited Canoo venues from January to July 2024. The graphs are split into visits from Canoo members located in the east, central, and west regions.

Canoo Visitors from Eastern Canada

Canoo Visitors from Central Canada

Canoo Visitors from Western Canada

By Adiba Hasan

At the midyear point, the ICC Immigration Dashboard reveals that permanent residence (PR) admissions have reached 53% of the 2024 immigration target. In June 2024, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) admitted 44,540 PRs, reflecting a 5% decrease from May 2024 but a 5% increase compared to June 2023.

Mid-Year Citizenship Trend

Unlike the Immigration Levels Plan, which outlines specific targets for permanent resident (PR) admissions, IRCC does not establish targets for citizenship admissions. This lack of defined citizenship targets creates barriers to tracking and understanding naturalization trends, making it difficult to gauge how many PRs become citizens annually. However, IRCC monitors monthly citizenship approvals, which are reflected in the ICC Immigration Dashboard.

The chart below compares monthly citizenship admissions between January and June 2024 and the same period in 2023. In the first half of 2023, IRCC welcomed 177,920 new citizens. Comparatively, during the same months in 2024, 206,854 individuals were granted Canadian citizenship – 16% more than the number of citizens admitted in 2023.

In 2024, citizenship admissions reached 54% of the total citizenship admissions recorded for the entirety of 2023. This highlights a growing trend in citizenship uptake among eligible permanent residents.

Bill C-71: Shaping the Future of Canadian Citizenship

Bill C-71 proposes a significant amendment to the Citizenship Act by repealing the “first-generation limit” on citizenship by descent. This limit, introduced in 2009, restricts citizenship transmission to only the first generation born abroad to Canadian parents. The repeal could enable thousands of individuals, previously ineligible due to this rule, to claim Canadian citizenship.

By removing this restriction, Bill C-71 could lead to a notable increase in citizenship applications and approvals in the coming years, contributing to the overall trend of rising citizenship numbers observed in 2024.

However, the potential influx of new citizens could strain already stretched resources for processing applications, leading to longer wait times and backlogs. Additionally, it could complicate the management of social services and benefits, as newly recognized citizens may have different needs and expectations from those who have lived in Canada long-term.

What are your thoughts?

• How might the repeal of the first-generation limit under Bill C-71 influence Canada’s long-term population and demographic landscape?
• What strategies should the government implement to manage the potential surge in citizenship applications effectively?

Stay informed about the latest immigration trends with the ICC’s immigration dashboard. Are you interested in following us? Please sign up here for more updates from Ideas & Insights at ICC. You can learn more about the ICC here. 

By Adiba Hasan

The latest data in the ICC’s Immigration Dashboard indicates a steady admission of permanent residents (PRs) in 2024, reaching 43% of the targeted levels for the year.

Invitation to Apply Progress

When PR candidates submit their application through the Express Entry system (one of the common immigration pathways), IRCC issues them an Invitation to Apply (ITA) notifying them that they have proceeded to the next step in the PR selection process. The chart below shows the ITAs issued in 2024 compared to 2023. Overall, 2024 experienced an approximately 10% decrease in the number of ITAs issued, (62,615), compared to 2023 (69,148).

While the overall trend is down, there are some notable monthly variations. There was a sharp increase in February 2024 with 16,110 ITAs issued, representing a 229% rise from February 2023. Similarly, July 2024 saw more than a 100% increase in ITAs issued compared to July 2023.

Immigration Pathway in Focus: Family-class

Current Trend

The ICC Immigration Dashboard calculates that between January and May 2023, 53,040 PRs were admitted through the family-class stream. In the same period in 2024 (Jan-May), 42,080 PRs have been admitted via the family-class pathway, marking a decrease of 20% from the previous year.

The chart below illustrates the yearly PR admissions for the family-class category, showing that it has reached 37% of the immigration target (42,080 of a total of 114,000) for 2024. Despite the operational decrease in the short term, growth in the family-class category has been gradual — in contrast to some of the major spikes in applications under other categories such as Express Entry. According to the immigration backlog tracker, the family-class category has been the most manageable, with backlog applications steadily declining from 34% in 2022 to 14% in 2024.

In terms of naturalization, a new report by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship highlights potential causes for the decline in citizenship uptakes, noting that “family-class immigrants have the lowest naturalization rates among all immigration categories”. The study further reveals that immigrants admitted through the family-class stream have experienced a steeper decline in naturalization and take longer to apply for citizenship (6.3 years compared to 5.3 years for economic migrants and 5.1 years for refugees).

What are your thoughts?

Your insights and opinions on these critical matters are valuable. Share your thoughts and join the conversation on the future of immigration policies in Canada.

• What factors might contribute to the decrease in citizenship uptake among immigrants admitted through the family-class category?
• What measures can be implemented to support family-class immigrants in their journey towards citizenship?

Stay informed about the latest immigration trends with the ICC’s immigration dashboard. Interested in following us? Please sign up here for more updates from Ideas & Insights at ICC. You can learn more about the ICC here. 

Continuing its focus on understanding the causes and potential responses to the decline in citizenship uptake, today the Institute for Canadian Citizenship is publishing an in-depth analysis by expert researcher Andrew Griffith of demographic and socioeconomic data from Census 2016 and 2021 of naturalized and non-naturalized immigrants. 

Highlights from the report

1. Citizenship is declining across all major demographic variables

Citizenship rates have declined across all major source countries, education levels, and provinces of residence. Notably, citizenship uptake is lowest among university-educated immigrants, who represent a growing proportion of recent immigrants. Despite higher immigration levels, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta experienced the largest declines in naturalization.

2. Family class immigrants have the lowest naturalization rates, refugees the highest

Immigrants who arrive under the family category have the lowest naturalization rates in both census periods, but also experienced the largest decline – 17 percent – between the two periods. Naturalization is higher for economic class and refugee immigrants, but these categories also experienced declines of 10 percent and 5 percent respectively across the two periods analyzed.

3. Naturalized citizens generally have higher incomes than non-citizens, non-citizen women lag behind in most labour force measures

Among immigrants with a bachelors degree, median after-tax income of non-citizens is only 43 percent of the median after-tax incomes of citizens across all census periods. The gap in unemployment levels between non-citizen and citizen women increased from less than 1 percent in Census 2016 to 2.3 percent in Census 2021 – a 155 percent increase.

4. Government can act to reverse the trend

Government should expand funding to programs that educate, encourage and prepare immigrants for citizenship, and also adopt a meaningful performance target focused on the naturalization rates of recent immigrants – those who arrived within 5-9 years. It should avoid diminishing the value of citizenship by making it a more visible and celebrated part of the immigration journey.