Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - December 2007
New census data released this week from Statistics Canada reveals continued strength in immigration figures. One in five persons in this country was born elsewhere, which is the highest rate of foreign-born population in 75 years. This puts Canada at second place world-wide in terms of immigration. Only Australia can claim more foreign-born residents.
Experts predict that by the year 2030, "Canada's population growth will be almost entirely dependant on immigration." The population growth due to immigrants was 13.6 per cent, while the growth of the Canadian born population was only 3.3 per cent.
The largest proportion of immigrants, 58.3 per cent, is of Asian and Middle-Eastern origin, according to the report. Immigrants from Europe come in at a distant second with 16.1 per cent. The rate of European immigration to Canada, which used to be the highest source, has significantly dropped over the past thirty years.
The vast majority of immigrants choose to settle in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver, Canada's most heavily populated cities. In Toronto, immigrants account for almost half of the metropolitan population (45.7 per cent). This figure shows an increase from previous years. However, over the past few years, more immigrants are also choosing to settle in smaller urban centres such as Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa and London.
Source: The Globe and Mail
