Return and Onward Migration Among Working Age Men - ARCHIVED

Recent immigration appears to be characterized by frequent return and onward migration. This has important consequences for the contribution of immigrants to the economy of the host country. The return to host country settlement costs may be very low for some immigrants. Lack of longitudinal data has prevented much analysis of whether recent international migration is more like internal migration and not a once-for-all move with a possible return should the move prove to have been a mistake. A newly available longitudinal data set covering all immigrants to Canada since 1980 provides the opportunity to address the issues raised by the new migration. The results show that a large fraction of immigrants, especially among skilled workers and entrepreneurs, are highly internationally mobile.