Immigration selection factors and the earnings of economic principal applicants

This article summarizes a new report, prepared by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Statistics Canada, that updates empirical analysis intended to support the development of the selection criteria for economic immigrants in Canada. The follow-up study asks which selection factors best predict earnings of economic principal applicants. The analysis focuses on factors that are currently used in the selection of economic immigrants and that are available in the Longitudinal Immigration Database. These factors, all measured at landing, are: age, education, official language ability, pre-landing Canadian work experience, pre-landing Canadian study experience, whether the applicant has a spouse, and the sociodemographic characteristics of the spouse.