Gateways to immigration in Canada, 2016 Census of Population
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Description: Gateways to immigration in Canada, 2016 Census of Population
On May 10, 2016, Canada was home to 5.7 million immigrants who had settled in Canada between 1980 and 2016.
There are three main ways immigrants are admitted as permanent residents
| Year of immigration | Economic immigrants | Immigrants sponsored by family | Refugees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 38% | 33% | 28% |
| 1981 | 50% | 33% | 17% |
| 1982 | 46% | 36% | 18% |
| 1983 | 33% | 45% | 21% |
| 1984 | 35% | 41% | 23% |
| 1985 | 36% | 41% | 22% |
| 1986 | 38% | 38% | 24% |
| 1987 | 44% | 34% | 21% |
| 1988 | 48% | 29% | 21% |
| 1989 | 45% | 30% | 24% |
| 1990 | 41% | 35% | 23% |
| 1991 | 36% | 39% | 24% |
| 1992 | 36% | 42% | 20% |
| 1993 | 39% | 44% | 15% |
| 1994 | 42% | 42% | 15% |
| 1995 | 46% | 37% | 16% |
| 1996 | 52% | 33% | 15% |
| 1997 | 56% | 30% | 13% |
| 1998 | 51% | 31% | 16% |
| 1999 | 53% | 30% | 17% |
| 2000 | 57% | 29% | 14% |
| 2001 | 59% | 28% | 13% |
| 2002 | 57% | 29% | 13% |
| 2003 | 53% | 32% | 14% |
| 2004 | 54% | 29% | 15% |
| 2005 | 57% | 28% | 13% |
| 2006 | 53% | 32% | 13% |
| 2007 | 54% | 31% | 13% |
| 2008 | 58% | 29% | 11% |
| 2009 | 59% | 29% | 11% |
| 2010 | 65% | 24% | 10% |
| 2011 | 62% | 25% | 11% |
| 2012 | 63% | 27% | 9% |
| 2013 | 59% | 31% | 9% |
| 2014 | 62% | 27% | 10% |
| 2015 | 61% | 25% | 13% |
| 2016 | 51% | 24% | 24% |
1. Economic immigrants
Close to 3 million immigrants were admitted under economic programs and still lived in Canada in 2016
| 1980 to 1990 | 1991 to 2000 | 2001 to 2010 | 2011 to 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provincial and territorial nominees | 0% | 0% | 11% | 27% |
| Business programsFootnote 1 | 13% | 15% | 7% | 5% |
| Worker programsFootnote 2 | 87% | 84% | 81% | 67% |
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2. Immigrants sponsored by family
About 1.8 million immigrants were sponsored by their family since 1980 and still lived in Canada in 2016
| Female | Male | |
|---|---|---|
| Sponsored spouses or partners | 664,420 | 417,490 |
| Sponsored parents or grandparents | 275,420 | 207,950 |
| Sponsored children | 73,155 | 71,315 |
| Other immigrants sponsored by family | 41,410 | 31,330 |
3. Refugees
Close to 860,000 refugees were admitted since 1980 and still lived in Canada in 2016
| Country of birth | Number of refugees |
|---|---|
| 2011 to 2016 | |
| Syria | 26,550 |
| Iraq | 15,505 |
| Afghanistan | 6,105 |
| Eritrea | 5,125 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 5,020 |
| 2001 to 2010 | |
| Colombia | 25,685 |
| Afghanistan | 19,005 |
| Iraq | 14,770 |
| China | 14,555 |
| Sri Lanka | 14,160 |
| 1991 to 2000 | |
| Sri Lanka | 29,920 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 22,590 |
| Poland | 13,145 |
| Iran | 13,135 |
| Afghanistan | 12,155 |
| 1980 to 1990 | |
| Viet Nam | 50,450 |
| Poland | 42,845 |
| El Salvador | 17,645 |
| Cambodia | 12,775 |
| Iran | 9,765 |
Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population.
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