Are new immigrants to Canada leaving almost as soon as they arrive? Today’s video discussed the revolving door of the immigration system in the report, “The Leaky Bucket”. In this analysis, I’ll highlight a few of the key points of this view and I’ll give some commentary on the issues at hand.

Summary/Highlights

The program discusses the concept of Onward Migration. This migration is characterized by immigrants who stay for a short term and then leave Canada taking their skills with them. Let’s look at the highlights:

• Onward migration is 2-tier issue with long and short term implications.
• Immigrants are most likely to leave Canada 3 to 7 years after arrival.
• Canada is losing 1 in 5 immigrants to onward migration.
• Atlantic Canada has the highest onward migration rates.
• Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, rural-settled immigrants are more likely to leave then urban-settled immigrants.
• International students have higher rates of onward migration than those who arrived as foreign workers or
  permanent residents.
• The immigrants coming to Canada today are not like your grandparents.
• New Immigrants today are highly educated, in good health, confident, and know that their skills and abilities can fetch them good money on the open market.
• New immigrants are more conscious of the need to find a place that makes good financial sense for them and their families.
• New immigrants are not afraid of packing up and leaving for greener pastures.

Commentary

In commenting on this piece, I’d like you to agree with me first that the world is indeed a global marketplace. We get foods, clothing, electronics, and most everything else we want in life from countries trading with each other. All of our lives are richer because of this global trade which allows us to get the things we want cheaply.

immigration is the last thing that will take on a global marketplace as leaders of countries recognize the true value of luring the best, brightest, and youthful minds to help build up that country. Immigrants move from places of little or opportunities to places of many opportunities. What draws an immigrant to a country? It boils down to QUALITY Of LIFE. The immigrant wants to best quality of life for himself, herself, and all accompanying family members.

If a country advertises as being the Mercedes of destinations for immigrants but later turns out to be substantially less, it leaves the immigrant with a sour taste in their mouth. It leaves buyers remorse or regret. And if an immigrant has spent 2 to 5 years struggling to make it in Canada will little to no headway, they put on their immigrant booths and look for somewhere the opportunities are true. The may experience burnout and frustration. The report mentioned that 3 to 7 years is the typical time for an immigrant to leave Canada. Why? That’s sufficient time to tell if one can make it or not depending on how skillful and intelligent the person is. Plus, the person is still young enough to score very high in another country’s immigration scoring system.

Thus Canada becomes a stepping stone on the pathway to greener pastures. Can immigrants be encouraged to look no further? Yes. Canada has land that is severely underutilized. It should be easy for a new immigrant to gain a home with 3 to 7 years. Getting a home means putting down roots in the place where you’re living. Incomes should be on par with what is necessary to maintain a comfortable standard of living. Taxes should not be so punitive that they breed discontentment. Access to a medical profession, social bonding opportunities, and more are all important to help an immigrant put down strong roots in Canada.

Hundreds of thousands of immigrants have come to Canada over the decades and found happiness and a new life which they loved. The government, immigrant consultants like myself, and other social agents need to cooperate more to build network that new immigrants can tap into and put down roots.

Canada is a great place to be. Let’s make sure immigrants feel that way too!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/@CityNews

Report: The Leaky Bucket: Onward Migration (PDF)

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Source: https://www.youtube.com/@CBCNews