Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - July 2008
Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto are losing ground as the top choices for new Canadian arrivals, according to the latest data from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
Though Canada’s three most populous cities are still the major centres when it comes to attracting immigrants, statistics over the last year have shown declining rates. Toronto’s rate of arrivals is down 12 per cent while Vancouver’s rate is down approximately 9 per cent. Montreal has been steady, but is showing little growth.
At the same time, smaller urban centres such as Red Deer, Moncton and Saskatoon, have seen major jumps in their immigration rates. Experts are citing several reasons for this development, including government programs such as the Provincial Nominee Program, which has been running in several provinces successfully. The program is designed to attract skilled immigrants to those places which most need them to fill labour shortages. It allows for the province to fast-track immigration applications of individuals who are nominated, and thus deemed a priority, by their employers. Recent declines in the manufacturing sector have also driven immigrants away from the central region toward the more booming provinces of the West.
Large cities still hold several advantages, however, when looked at from a newcomer’s perspective. In places such as Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, there are already large ethnic-based communities from almost every international region. Moreover, these cities provide more opportunities for immigrants whose language skills may not be as strong, as they can usually find work in low-paying positions.
On the other hand, community and government initiatives are working increasingly to counter-balance those trends and the statistics show that it is working. As more immigrants choose to settle elsewhere, Canada as a whole is becoming more diverse and the trend looks to continue as long as immigration is recognized as a solid solution to Canada’s economic needs.
Source: Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=9ecb2a16-1587-4022-9536-8dcaf954363c&k=52751
