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Side menu bar Canadian Labour Market at a Glance 71-222-XWE Table of contents Objective and data sources Glossary References User information PDF version
Table of contents > Section N - Immigrants >

Destination of immigrants, by selected CMAs

Canada widens its doors to immigration

  • Increasingly, immigration is playing a vital role in Canada's labour force growth. The last decade saw an increase in the number of immigrants arriving annually in Canada —from an average of 125,000 in the 1980s to 220,000 in the 1990s. The number and selection of immigrants entering Canada are determined to a large extent by government policies controlling admissions. Since the late 1970s, Canada's immigration policy has been guided by three broad objectives: to reunite families; to fulfill Canada's international legal obligations, and compassionate and humanitarian traditions with respect to refugees; and to foster a strong and viable economy in all regions of Canada.
  • Like most developed countries, Canada has become increasingly urbanized: nearly 80% of Canadians aged 15 years and over now live in cities. This proportion is even greater (97%) among immigrants who arrived from 1991 to 2000. For various reasons—such as proximity of family or friends, availability of jobs, climate, or language—most newcomers to Canada have made their homes in the country's three largest census metropolitan areas (CMAs). Toronto received the lion's share (44%), followed by Vancouver (18%) and Montréal (12%). The previous decade's immigrants—those who arrived from 1981 to 1990—also tended to settle in urban destinations.
  • People who immigrated in the 1990s were more likely than those who arrived in the previous decade to belong to a visible minority and to be highly educated. The majority of them also reported having a good knowledge of at least one of the two official languages.


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Date modified: 2006-06-01 Important Notices