Demographic Documents
Non-permanent residents data at Statistics Canada

Who are non-permanent residents?

Statistics Canada defines the non-permanent resident (NPR) population as people from another country with a usual place of residence in Canada who fall into one of the following categories:

• work and/or study permit holders, as well as the family members of those permit holders; and persons whose permits are in the process of being renewed;
• asylum claimants, protected persons, and related groups.

Statistics Canada’s NPR statistics differ from those of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for temporary residents and asylum claimants.

Demographic Estimates Program (DEP)
(available every quarter)

• Regularly measures changes in the size of the Canadian population, including the number of permanent immigrants and NPRs.
• Meets legislative requirements and the varied needs of many users.

Estimates of the number of non-permanent residents by type, quarterly (statcan.gc.ca)

Other data sources on NPRs at Statistics Canada:

The Census of population
(available every five years)

• Provides data on socio-economic characteristics of NPRs at detailed geographical levels such as municipalities.
• Some NPRs were unable to respond to the census, therefore census data cannot be directly compared to those of the DEP.

The Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB)
(available annually)

• Combines administrative data from IRCC and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
• Tracks geographical mobility and the evolution of economic outcomes of NPRs.
• These data cannot be directly compared to those from the DEP or the census because the IMDB data focuses on NPRs who are tax filers.

Survey Data

• Based on representative samples of the Canadian population.
• Addresses many demographic, social and economic themes.
• Subject to sampling variability.

For more information on our NPR statistics: Immigrants and non-permanent residents statistics (statcan.gc.ca)