Profile of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64

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• Distribution
• Socio-demographic characteristics
• Summary

Achieving Canada's full economic potential requires that immigrants are able to use their skills and experience in the Canadian labour market. As a starting point in understanding the integration of internationally-educated immigrants into the Canadian labour market, it is important to learn more about the size and characteristics of this population compared to immigrants who completed their education in Canada and the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education.

Given the purpose of this report, which is to develop a better understanding of the integration of internationally-educated immigrants into the Canadian labour market, the population of study has been limited to people in the core working-age group of 25 to 64 as these individuals are more likely to have completed their postsecondary education and be available for full-time work and less likely to have entered retirement than those aged 15 to 24 or 65 and older.

Distribution

In Canada, there were 17.4 million individuals aged 25 to 64 in 2006, representing about 56% of the Canadian population and about 81% of the Canadian labour force during that year. As shown in Table 1, of these 17.4 million, about one in four (or 4.1 million) reported being landed immigrants. The vast majority (70% or 2.8 million out of 4.1 million) reported being in Canada for more than ten years (established immigrants), while the remaining 30% (1.2 million out of 4.1 million) reported being either in Canada for five years or less (very-recent immigrants) or in the country from six to ten years (recent immigrants).

Table 1 Distribution of individuals aged 25 to 64 by postsecondary education status, immigrant status, period of landing and location of study, Canada, 2006

A large proportion of immigrants reported having completed a postsecondary education. Results from the Census show that of the 4.1 million immigrants aged 25 to 64 in 2006, about two-thirds (or 2.6 million) reported having completed a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree, compared to 59% of their Canadian-born counterparts (Table 1).

Although a large proportion of highly-educated immigrants reported completing their education in Canada, most did not, particularly those who landed within the past ten years (i.e., very-recent and recent immigrants). In fact, as shown in Table 1, of the 2.6 million immigrants aged 25 to 64 who reported having a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree in 2006, slightly more than half (53% or 1.4 million) reported completing their highest education outside Canada.

Completion of postsecondary education outside Canada was particularly true for very-recent and recent immigrants. In fact, while about 87% of the 516,700 very-recent immigrants with postsecondary education and 74% of the 391,400 recent immigrants with a postsecondary education reported completing their certificate, diploma or degree outside the country, this was the case for about 38% of the 1.7 million immigrants with postsecondary education established in the country for more than ten years (Table 1).

These 1.4 million internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 represent the main population of reference for the present analysis and are distributed as follows: 450,000 are very-recent immigrants, 288,800 are recent immigrants and 660,200 are established immigrants (Table 1). In the subsequent sections, the socio-demographic characteristics and labour force outcomes of internationally-educated immigrants are compared to other immigrants who completed their education in Canada and to the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (i.e. either educated in Canada or abroad).

Socio-demographic characteristics

Sex and age

Similar to what is observed for the Canadian population in general, about half of the core working-age internationally-educated immigrants were women. Only slight variations occur in the proportion of women who were internationally-educated, by period of arrival, at 51%, 50% and 49% for very-recent, recent and established immigrants, respectively (Table 2).

Table 2 Sex and age distribution of individuals aged 25 to 64 with postsecondary education by immigrant status, period of landing and location of study, Canada, 2006

As shown in Table 2, 61% of the core working-age immigrants who obtained their highest education outside the country were aged 35 to 54 in 2006, a slightly higher proportion than among Canada-educated immigrants (55%) and the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (56%). At 22%, internationally-educated immigrants were also more likely than their Canada-educated counterparts (20%) and the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (18%) to have a larger proportion of individuals in the pre-retirement age bracket of 55 to 64. Conversely, while 25% of Canada-educated immigrants and 26% of the Canadian-born were between the ages of 25 to 34, this was the case for 17% of internationally-educated immigrants (Table 2).

Marital status and family composition

According to the 2006 Census, a majority of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported being married. At 80%, internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age group were more likely than their Canada-educated counterparts (62%) to report being married. This compares to about 54% for the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (Table 3).

Table 3 Marital status and family composition of individuals aged 25 to 64 with postsecondary education by immigrant status, period of landing and location of study, Canada, 2006

As shown in Table 3, about 62% of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported living in a married or common-law family with children in 2006. According to the 2006 Census, there was greater similarity in the type of family arrangement between the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education and immigrants educated in Canada than for those educated abroad. In fact, while there was a 15 percentage-point difference between internationally-educated immigrants and the Canadian-born living in a traditional-type family with children (62% vs. 47%), this difference decreased to 7 percentage points in the case of those educated in Canada (at 54%).

Province of residence

As shown in Table 4, the large majority of immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported living in the three most populated provinces — Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. These three provinces alone were the home of 87% of internationally-educated immigrants, similar to the proportion of immigrants educated in Canada (86%) and considerably higher than the proportion of the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (74%).

Table 4 Province of residence of individuals aged 25 to 64 with postsecondary education by immigrant status, period of landing and location of study, 2006

Results from the 2006 Census show that 87% of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants settled in these three provinces upon their arrival in Canada. This is similar to the 89% observed for recent immigrants and the 87% observed for immigrants established in the country for more than ten years (Table 4).

Ontario: Province of choice for more than half of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64

At 52%, Ontario was the province of choice for more than half of the internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 who arrived in Canada between 2001 and 2006. This was slightly lower than the 57% observed for recent immigrants and similar to the 54% observed for core working-age immigrants established in the country for more than ten years (Table 4).

Quebec: Province with the second-highest share of internationally-educated in the core working-age group who arrived in Canada in the past five years

As shown in Table 4, at 19%, Quebec ranked second in terms of the share of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age group of 25 to 64. Results from the 2006 Census also indicated that, although a larger proportion of internationally-educated immigrants settled in Quebec upon their arrival in the country, a large proportion moved to another province after a few years. In fact, the province of Quebec dropped to third position behind Ontario and British Columbia in terms of its share of internationally-educated immigrants established in Canada for more than five years. In 2006, about 11% of recent immigrants and 12% of established immigrants reported living in Quebec in 2006 (Table 4).

British Columbia: Province with the third-highest share of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64

In contrast, although British Columbia ranked third in terms of the share of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants (at 16%), following Ontario (52%) and Quebec (19%), a large proportion of internationally-educated immigrants moved to this province after a few years in Canada. In fact, in 2006, British Columbia ranked second after Ontario in terms of its share of recent and established immigrants, at 21% and 20%, respectively (Table 4).

The Prairies: Alberta was the province of choice for a majority of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 who decided to settle in the Prairies

As shown in Table 4, Alberta was the province of choice for a majority of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 who decided to settle in the Prairies. About 9% of internationally-educated immigrants established in the country for five years or less reported living in Alberta and slightly more than 2% reported living in Manitoba. With less than 1%, Saskatchewan had the lowest share of internationally-educated newcomers aged 25 to 64 among the Prairie Provinces in 2006.

Atlantic Provinces: Less than 2% of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported living in the Atlantic Provinces

Similar to what was observed for recent and established immigrants educated abroad, less than 2% of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants reported living in the Atlantic Provinces in 2006. At 54%, Nova Scotia was the province of choice for a majority of very-recent internationally-educated immigrants who decided to settle in the Atlantic Provinces. This was followed by New Brunswick (29%), Newfoundland and Labrador (11%) and Prince Edward Island (6%) (Table 4).

Territories: Few foreign-born in the North

According to the Census, only about 1,735 internationally-educated immigrants in the core working age-group of 25 to 64 resided in the territories in 2006, representing about 0.1% of the total internationally-educated immigrant population of this age group in the country (Table 4).

City of residence

Unlike immigrants who arrived a century ago in search of good farmland, today's immigrants are mostly city dwellers. In fact, they are much more likely to live in a metropolitan area than the Canadian-born population (Statistics Canada 2007a).

As shown in Table 5, a vast majority of internationally-educated immigrants in the working-age group of 25 to 64 chose city life. In 2006, about 95% of internationally-educated immigrants and 98% of very-recent immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported living in urban areas. This compares to about 79% for the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education. Conversely, only 5% of the internationally-educated immigrant population lived in a rural area in 2006, compared with 21% of the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education.

Table 5 Geographical location of individuals aged 25 to 64 with postsecondary education by immigrant status, period of landing and location of study, 2006

Cities with populations of more than 100,000 (i.e., census metropolitan areas) attracted most immigrants. In fact, while 93% of the internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported living in these large cities in 2006, this was the case for 66% of the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (Table 5).

Canada's three largest census metropolitan areas — Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal — were home to 952,800 internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age group of 25 to 64 in 2006, accounting for 68% of Canada's total foreign-born population in this age group who reported having completed their postsecondary education outside the country. In contrast, these three census metropolitan areas were home to 29% of the Canadian-born population with a postsecondary education (Table 5).

Country of birth

Internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age came from many countries — more than 200 countries in total — according to a recent study on immigrants by Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada 2007a).

As shown in Table 6, six of the top ten source countries for very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants were in Asia (see Appendix 2 to view the detailed grouping of regions and countries of birth). The People's Republic of China represented the leading source country for internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 who arrived in Canada in the 1996 to 2006 period (16%), followed by India (12%), the Philippines (9%), Pakistan (5%), South Korea (3%) and Iran (3%). These six countries alone accounted for just slightly less than half (48%) of all very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants in the core-working age in Canada in 2006.

Table 6 Top 20 source countries of birth for internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 by period of landing, Canada, 2006

Although the number of immigrants from Europe declined over the years, at 21%, they still made up the second-largest group of very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants to Canada, after Asia (at 61%). Eastern Europe accounted for about 57% of these very-recent and recent European immigrants in the core working-age category.

The three most common European countries of origin for the very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants to Canada were Romania, the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation, each at about 3% (Table 6). This represented a change over the decades among European-born immigrants. Formerly, most newcomers came from the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal (Statistics Canada 2007a).

Country of education

The source of immigration to Canada has changed substantially since the 1970s due to a number of factors, such as changes in Canada's immigration programs to build on social, humanitarian and economic goals, and international events affecting the movements of migrants and refugees. As a result of these changes, the proportion of the foreign-born population who were born in Asia (43%) surpassed the proportion born in Europe (32%) for the first time in 2006 (Statistics Canada 2007a).

As shown in Table 7, the top five countries in which very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants completed their postsecondary education were very similar to the countries from which these individuals immigrated during that same period: the People's Republic of China, India, Philippines and Pakistan (see Appendix 1 to view the detailed grouping of regions and countries of highest postsecondary education). Also included in the list of the top five countries is the United States, indicating that many very-recent and recent immigrants first completed postsecondary studies in the United States before immigrating to Canada.

Table 7 Top 20 source countries of education for internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 by period of landing, Canada, 2006

The situation was similar for established immigrants. According to the 2006 Census, the top five countries in which they reported receiving their highest postsecondary credentials were the same as those from which they had immigrated more than ten years ago: United Kingdom, the Philippines, the United States, India and Poland (Table 7).

Level of education

Internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age are highly-educated. In fact, as shown by the Census, about seven in ten internationally-educated immigrants reported completing their education at the university-level in 2006. This is substantially more than what was observed for their Canada-educated counterparts (49%) or for the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (41%) (Chart 1.1). This high proportion of internationally-educated immigrants with a university degree is mostly attributable to very-recent and recent immigrants, at 82% and 78%, respectively. Although at a lower proportion (58%), immigrants established in Canada for a longer period were also more likely than their Canadian-educated counterparts or the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education to report having completed a university degree. At 30%, internationally-educated immigrants were much less likely than their Canada-educated counterparts (51%) and the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (59%) to have college or trades credentials as their highest level of postsecondary education (Chart 1.1).

Chart 1.1 Level of education of individuals aged 25 to 64 with postsecondary education by immigrant status and location of study, Canada, 2006

Attendance at school

Internationally-educated immigrants often have to further their education upon their arrival in the country. In fact, as shown in Table 8, slightly more than one in five (22%) very-recent internationally-educated immigrants reported attending school in 2006; this was higher than the proportion reported by their Canadian-born counterparts (11%). In comparison, about 12% of recent immigrants and 7% of established immigrants aged 25 to 64 who had received their education abroad reported attending school in 2006.

Table 8 Attendance at school of individuals aged 25 to 64 with postsecondary education by immigrant status, period of landing and location of study, Canada, 2006

Instructional programs

At about 20%, "business, management, marketing and related support services" was the most common program of study reported by both the core working-age immigrant and non-immigrant populations in 2006 (Table 9). With proportions ranging from 10% to 13%, instructional programs leading to health professions and related clinical sciences were also high among the Canadian-born and the overall immigrant population aged 25 to 64.

Table 9 Top 10 instructional programs for individuals aged 25 to 64 with postsecondary education by immigrant status, period of landing and location of study, Canada, 2006

At 16%, engineering programs represented the second most common program of study for internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age group of 25 to 64. This is attributable in large part to very-recent and recent immigrants, each at about 21%. Engineering programs were much less common among their Canada-educated counterparts (7%) and the Canadian-born (3%).

As shown in Table 9, the top instructional fields of study reported by the internationally-educated immigrant population varied according to the period of landing in Canada. This is not surprising considering that the number and types of jobs available to workers change over time due to shifts in the population and the economy. While there was not much difference between the very-recent and recent immigrants and those established in Canada for more than ten years in terms of the proportion of instructional programs accounted for by "business, management, marketing and related support services" (each at about 20%) and programs leading to health professions and related clinical sciences (each at about 10%), very-recent and recent immigrants were about twice as likely as their counterparts established in Canada for more than ten years to have reported engineering as one of their top fields of study (21% vs. 11%).

Linguistic diversity

The shift in the sources of immigration to Canada since the 1970s to source countries from regions other than Europe has had implications for cultural diversity, particularly language diversity. According to a recent study of immigrants by Statistics Canada, nearly 150 languages were reported as a mother tongue among the immigrant population in 2006 (Statistics Canada 2007a).

English was the largest language group, with about 18% of internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age reporting that English alone was the language they learned during childhood and still understood. A small share (3%) of the internationally-educated immigrant population aged 25 to 64 reported French as their only mother tongue (Table 10). However, the share was much higher in Quebec, where 18% of the internationally-educated immigrant population reported French as their only mother tongue.

Table 10 Mother tongues of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 by period of landing, Canada, 2006

Despite the fact that many internationally-educated immigrants reported English or French as their mother tongues, the large majority reported having learned a different language during childhood. According to another Statistics Canada report on the evolving linguistic portrait of the population in Canada, people whose mother tongue was neither English nor French (allophones) made up 20% of the population in 2006, up from 18% in 2000 (Statistics Canada 2007b). The rapid growth in the allophone population in Canada is mostly attributable to the increase in the number of very-recent and recent immigrants. In fact, as shown in Table 10, of the 738,800 internationally-educated immigrants who arrived in Canada in the last ten years, more than 80% reported a mother tongue other than English or French. This is considerably more than the proportion observed for their counterparts established in the country for more than ten years, at 68%.

Reflecting the leading source countries of immigrants to Canada from different waves, the largest proportion of internationally-educated immigrants reported Chinese (15%), including the various dialects, such as Cantonese and Mandarin as their mother tongue. This was followed by Tagalog (7%), Spanish (5%), Arabic (5%), Punjabi (4%) and Russian (4%). A small proportion (3%) of the internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported multiple mother tongues, including at least one of Canada's two official languages (Table 10).

Ability to conduct a conversation in one of the official languages

Official-language proficiency is an important factor contributing to immigrant integration in Canada. A recent Statistics Canada survey, the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, indicated that learning English or French was one of the challenges frequently cited by immigrants to the country, third after a lack of Canadian work experience and a lack of acceptance or recognition of their foreign work experience or qualifications (Statistics Canada 2005).

Despite this fact, the large majority (98%) of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported that they could converse in English and/or French in 2006. As illustrated in Chart 1.2, knowledge of English alone represented the bulk of this group, at about 81%, followed by knowledge of both English and French (13%) and knowledge of French only (4%). Only a small proportion (3%) reported not being able to conduct a conversation in either English or French.

Chart 1.2 Ability to conduct a conversation in one of the official languages of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 by period of landing, Canada, 2006

Not surprisingly, very-recent (4%) and recent immigrants (3%) were more likely than established immigrants (1%) to report not being able to conduct a conversation in either official language (Chart 1.2).

Visible minority groups

According to a report by Statistics Canada on the ethnocultural diversity of the nation's population, the visible-minority population has grown steadily over the past 25 years, rising from slightly less than 5% of the total population in 1981, to 9% in 1991, 11% in 1996, 13% in 2001 and 16% in 2006 (Statistics Canada 2008c). The growth of the visible-minority population was due largely to the increasing number of recent immigrants who were from non-European countries.

In fact, as shown in Table 11, while about seven in ten internationally-educated immigrants established in the country for less than ten years reported being part of a visible-minority group in 2006, this was the case for only about half of their counterparts established in Canada for more than ten years.

Table 11 Visible minority groups of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 by period of landing, Canada, 2006

Similar to what was observed in the case of language diversity, the ethnocultural diversity of immigrants reflects changes in the leading source countries from different waves. As shown by the 2006 Census, compared to internationally-educated immigrants established in Canada for more than ten years, larger proportions of very-recent and recent immigrants to Canada reported being part of one of the different Asian visible-minority groups such as Chinese, South Asian, Filipino, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Korean and Japanese (Table 11). This is not surprising considering that more than six in ten of very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants reported coming from Asia, compared to about four in ten for their counterparts established in the country for more than ten years (data not shown).

Citizenship

To be eligible for Canadian citizenship, immigrants must meet several requirements, including 1) at least three years of residency in Canada in the last four years at time of filing a request for citizenship and 2) knowledge of an official language. Depending on their age, they may also be required to take a citizenship test which evaluates the immigrant's knowledge of Canada and his or her language abilities (Citizenship and Immigration Canada 2010).

As shown in Chart 1.3, at 64%, most internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 held Canadian citizenship. Not surprisingly, those who had been in Canada for the longest period of time were the most likely to hold Canadian citizenship, since they had had more time to fulfil the requirements for application. About 81% of internationally-educated immigrants established in the country between six and ten years and 88% of those who had been in Canada for more than ten years had become naturalized citizens. The proportion of naturalized citizens was lower (17%) among those established in the country for five years or less.

Chart 1.3 Canadian citizenship of immigrants aged 25 to 64 by period of landing and location of study, Canada, 2006

Core working-age immigrants educated in Canada were more likely than their internationally-educated counterparts to have Canadian citizenship (89% vs. 64%). Similarly, those who had been in Canada for a longer period were more likely to hold Canadian citizenship: proportions varied from 31% for the very-recent immigrants, to 87% for recent immigrants, to 92% for those established in the country for more than ten years (Chart 1.3).

Summary

Similar to the Canadian population in general, about half of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 were female. The largest share of internationally-educated immigrants (47%) reported being established in the country for more than ten years, followed by very-recent immigrants, at 32%, and recent immigrants, at 21%. As shown by the 2006 Census, the large majority (87%) reported living in the three most populated provinces (Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec) and more than 90% were located in large cities.

A larger proportion of internationally-educated immigrants (61%) were in the prime-working age group of 35 to 54 in 2006, compared to their Canada-educated counterparts (55%) and to the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (56%). The remaining 39% were distributed almost evenly between the pre-retirement age bracket of 55 to 64 (22%) and the younger age group of 25 to 34 (17%). Internationally-educated immigrants were also more likely than immigrants educated in Canada and the Canadian-born to be married and living in a more traditional-type family with children.

Internationally-educated immigrants come from many countries, more than 200 in total according to the 2006 Census. The following six Asian countries alone accounted for just slightly less than half (48%) of all very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants in the core-working age in 2006: the People's Republic of China (16%), India (12%), the Philippines (9%), Pakistan (5%), South Korea (3%) and Iran (3%). Although the number of immigrants from Europe has declined over the years, at 21%, they still made up the second-largest group of very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants to Canada, after Asia. Eastern Europe accounted for about 57% of these very-recent and recent European immigrants in the core working-age category.

The shift in the sources of immigration to Canada since the 1970s to source countries from regions other than Europe has had implications for ethnocultural diversity and the linguistic portrait of the population in Canada. In 2006, more than 80% of internationally-educated immigrants who arrived in Canada in the previous ten years reported a mother tongue other than English or French. This is considerably higher than the proportion observed for their counterparts established in the country for more than ten years, at 68%.

Despite this fact, the large majority (98%) of internationally-educated immigrants aged 25 to 64 reported that they could converse in English and/or French in 2006. Knowledge of English alone represented the bulk of this group, at about 81%, followed by knowledge of both English and French (13%) and knowledge of French only (3%). Only a small proportion (3%) reported not being able to conduct a conversation in either English or French.

Internationally-educated immigrants in the core working-age group, especially very-recent and recent immigrants, are highly-educated. In 2006, about 70% of all internationally-educated immigrants reported having completed their education at the university-level. This is substantially more than what was observed for their Canada-educated counterparts (49%) and for the Canadian-born with a postsecondary education (41%). Not surprisingly, the top five countries from which very-recent and recent internationally-educated immigrants received their highest level of education were very similar to the countries from which these individuals immigrated: the People's Republic of China, India, Philippines and Pakistan. Also included in the list of the top five countries is the United States, indicating that many very-recent and recent immigrants first completed postsecondary studies in the United States before immigrating to Canada. The situation was similar for established immigrants. According to the 2006 Census, the top five countries in which they reported receiving their highest credentials were the same as those from which they had immigrated more than ten years ago: United Kingdom, the Philippines, the United States, India and Poland.