Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - March 2008
The latest census data reveals that in Canada immigrants are, on average, more educated than Canadians. The data, compiled in a report released last week from Statistics Canada, shows that almost one-third of immigrants who came to this country in 2006 are university graduates. Only 23 per cent of the general population holds a university degree.
Furthermore, this discrepancy between the two groups grows further as the education level advances. Almost half of all PhD holders in this country are foreign-born and the statistic is only slightly less - 40 per cent - for those holding a Master’s degree.
Chinese immigrants are leading the pack in terms of recent degree-holding arrivals. India and the United States are second and third, respectively.
There is both good and bad news with regards to the statistics. On the plus side, more than half of the post-secondary educated population earned their degree in Canada. This means that Canada is still relatively competitive when it comes to higher learning.
However, the figures released by Statistics Canada do not reflect what proportion of the educated is actually putting their skills to use in their designated fields. The issue of foreign credential recognition still looms.
“The whole skills recognition issue is a complicated topic,” said Statistics Canada analyst Roland Hebert in an interview with The Globe and Mail. “It is one we are hoping to do more research on.”
The newest statistics generally show a trend in rising education levels. Yet, this data matters little if the educated immigrant is unable to use their degree in this country. This report has provided a perfect opportunity for policy-makers in Canada to re-examine the process of foreign credential recognition and implement new methods of ensuring that valuable skills are not going to waste.
Source: The Globe and Mail
