PERMANENT RESIDENTS 290,000 280,000 270,000 260,000 250,000 240,000 230,000 220,000 210,000 Permanent Residents in Canada 280,688 260,067 235,823 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Economic Class Immigrants Family Class Immigrants Humanitarian Immigrants and Other Total 2004 133,746 62,277 39,800 235,823 2005 156,312 63,374 42,554 262,242 2006 138,248 70,516 42,874 251,640 2007 131,244 66,242 39,266 236,753 2008 149,067 65,583 32,592 247,244 2009 153,492 65,207 33,471 252,171 2010 186,915 60,224 33,542 280,688 2011 156,118 56,453 36,176 248,750 2012 160,828 65,012 32,059 257,904 2013 148,188 81,845 28,987 259,020 164,909 65,951 29,200 260,067 Over the past decade, Canada has issued 250,000 permanent resident permits per year on average. 60% of all permanent residents entered the country under one of the economic immigration streams, 26% entered as Family Class immigrants, and 14% entered as Humanitarian and Other immigrants. Immigration levels are set by the Federal Government of Canada and determine both the overall number of permanent residents targeted for admission each year, as well as the targets for the various immigration categories. Provinces with a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) have some influence on levels for that program, and can set their own criteria for selection. Within Canada, immigrants are free to choose where they want to live (with some exceptions if they were nominated by a province under the PNP or provincial investor programs). 1
PERMANENT RESIDENTS Permanent Residents in British Columbia 50,000 40,000 30,000 37,026 44,770 44,188 34,787 34,949 20,000 10,000 0 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Economic Class Immigrants Family Class Immigrants Humanitarian Immigrants and Other Total 2004 22,935 10,872 3,219 37,026 2005 30,199 11,726 2,845 44,770 2006 25,740 13,460 2,884 42,084 2007 23,395 12,613 2,953 38,961 2008 28,718 12,424 2,850 43,992 2009 25,916 12,613 2,910 41,439 2010 30,877 10,867 2,444 44,188 2011 21,903 10,130 2,745 34,787 2012 22,116 11,855 2,273 36,244 2013 19,736 14,347 2,129 36,212 21,452 11,412 2,085 34,949 Over the past decade, an average of just under 40,000 permanent residents came to British Columbia every year. The number of permanent residents coming to the province has been declining over the past three years. On average, 64% of all permanent residents coming to British Columbia entered the country under one of the economic immigration streams. Economic Class immigrants include the principal applicant, as well as his or her spouse and dependents, where applicable. 2
PERMANENT RESIDENTS Share of Permanent Residents, 14.2% 13.4% 16.3% 36.8% 19.3% British Columbia Ontario Quebec Alberta Rest of Canada % of Canadian Population British Columbia 13.0% Ontario 38.5% Quebec 23.1% Alberta 11.6% Rest of Canada 13.8% Source: BC Stats Population Estimates British Columbia Ontario Quebec Alberta Rest of Canada 2004 15.7% 53.0% 18.8% 7.0% 5.5% 2005 17.1% 53.6% 16.5% 7.4% 5.4% 2006 16.7% 50.0% 17.8% 8.2% 7.3% 2007 16.5% 47.0% 19.1% 8.8% 8.6% 2008 17.8% 44.8% 18.3% 9.8% 9.3% 2009 16.4% 42.4% 19.6% 10.7% 10.9% 2010 15.7% 42.1% 19.2% 11.6% 11.3% 2011 14.0% 40.0% 20.8% 12.4% 12.8% 2012 14.1% 38.4% 21.4% 14.0% 12.2% 2013 14.0% 40.0% 20.1% 14.1% 11.8% 13.4% 36.8% 19.3% 16.3% 14.2% Over the past decade, the share of permanent residents coming to British Columbia has been declining, while the share of those settling in Alberta has been increasing. This pattern highlights that where immigrants choose to settle is often driven by economic considerations (i.e. finding employment). Other factors that drive immigration decisions are existing family ties, existing cultural connections in the new community, and population density. Many immigrants to Canada choose to settle in larger cities like Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. Strategies for attracting new immigrants are central tools for provinces and territories seeking to increase the number of permanent residents choosing to settle in that province. 3
PERMANENT RESIDENTS 80% 70% 60% 50% Economic Class Immigrants as percentage of all immigrants in a province, 61.4% 53.2% 66.5% 69.6% 63.4% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% British Columbia Ontario Quebec Alberta Canada overall British Columbia Ontario Quebec Alberta Canada 2004 61.9% 54.0% 60.3% 53.0% 56.7% 2005 67.5% 56.6% 60.7% 57.4% 59.6% 2006 61.2% 49.7% 58.1% 54.2% 54.9% 2007 60.0% 48.2% 62.0% 54.1% 55.4% 2008 65.3% 53.3% 65.0% 59.9% 60.3% 2009 62.5% 51.3% 69.7% 61.2% 60.9% 2010 69.9% 58.8% 70.2% 68.6% 66.6% 2011 63.0% 51.7% 69.8% 67.0% 62.8% 2012 61.0% 49.6% 72.0% 68.1% 62.4% 2013 54.5% 46.0% 67.0% 61.8% 57.2% 61.4% 53.2% 66.5% 69.6% 63.4% Economic Class immigrants include those coming into the country as Skilled Workers, Provincial Nominees, Live-in- Caregivers, Canadian Experience Class immigrants and entrepreneurs. Because Economic Class immigrants are selected based on their skills and criteria aimed at ensuring employability, they are considered to be more successful in terms of labour market attachment and settling in their new country. Provinces and territories strive the attract a large share of economic immigrants. In Canada, the share of Economic Class immigrants in was 63.4%. Alberta had the highest share of economic immigrants, with 69.6%. In British Columbia, economic immigrants accounted for 61.4% of all immigrants in. 4
PERMANENT RESIDENTS 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 Economic Class Immigrants, British Columbia 21,810 17,092 16,688 14,793 16,040 16,661 12,086 10,031 9,939 7,484 3,628 4,709 4,900 4,305 5,943 7,156 7,024 5,164 598 789 1,924 2,522 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Provincial Nominees Federal Skilled Workers Canadian Experience Class Live-in-Caregivers Other Economic Class Immigrants British Columbia Provincial Nominees Federal Skilled Workers Canadian Experience Class Live-in-Caregivers Other Economic Class Immigrants 2004 598 17,092-1,083 1,204 2005 789 21,810-1,080 1,825 2006 1,924 16,688-1,528 1,626 2007 2,522 14,793-1,519 1,298 2008 3,628 16,040-2,546 1,847 2009 4,709 12,086 385 2,662 1,748 2010 4,900 16,661 572 2,884 1,681 2011 4,305 10,031 1,021 2,458 1,165 2012 5,943 9,939 1,613 1,807 806 2013 7,156 7,484 1,005 1,698 711 7,024 5,164 3,189 3,722 704 Over the last decade, the importance of Federal Skilled Workers for the number of economic immigrants in British Columbia has been declining. In 2004, Federal Skilled Workers made up three quarters (75%) of all economic immigrants coming to the province. In, Federal Skilled Workers represented only 24% of all economic immigrants landing in B.C. Other economic immigration streams, in particular the Provincial Nominee Program, have seen a steady rise in numbers in British Columbia. In, Provincial Nominees represented 33% of all economic immigrants landing in B.C., up from only 3% in 2004 and 2005. In, Provincial Nominees were the largest group of economic immigrants landing in B.C., surpassing Federal Skilled Workers. 5
PERMANENT RESIDENTS 14000 12000 10000 8000 6000 7,024 Provincial Nominees, 12,187 11,165 8,780 4000 2000 0 2,719 British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario British Columbia Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Canada 2004 598 426 323 4,048 6,248 2005 789 609 468 4,619 8,047 2006 1,924 956 960 6,662 13,336 2007 2,522 1,652 1,837 7,687 17,093 2008 3,628 3,323 3,037 7,968 22,417 2009 4,709 5,324 5,031 10,152 30,379 2010 4,900 7,496 5,354 12,177 36,430 2011 4,305 8,997 6,959 12,342 38,417 2012 5,943 10,289 9,021 9,532 40,910 2013 7,156 9,146 8,182 8,854 39,918 7,024 11,165 8,780 12,187 47,566 Provincial Nominee Programs are important tools for provinces for attracting and selecting immigrants that best fit the provinces needs and conditions. Overall, the importance of Provincial Nominee Programs has been increasing in Canada, with the number of nominees surging from 6,248 in 2004 to 47,566 in. PNPs have been especially important for prairie provinces like Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where provincial nominees represented 75% of all permanent residents landing in the province in. In British Columbia, the PNP has grown steadily, from 598 provincial nominees in 2004, to 7,024 nominees in, which includes spouses and dependents. The number immigrants a province can nominate in a year is determined by the Federal Government. In, the target for B.C. was 4,150 principal applicants. For 2015, the target was increased to 5,500 principal applicants. 6
PERMANENT RESIDENTS 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Family Class Immigrants as percentage of all immigrants in province, 32.7% 21.7% 31.6% 21.9% 25.4% British Columbia Alberta Ontario Quebec Canada British Columbia Alberta Ontario Quebec Canada 2004 29.4% 31.5% 28.0% 19.5% 26.4% 2005 26.2% 29.2% 24.9% 19.3% 24.2% 2006 32.0% 32.2% 30.5% 20.7% 28.0% 2007 32.4% 32.6% 32.0% 18.9% 28.0% 2008 28.2% 29.5% 30.5% 20.2% 26.5% 2009 30.4% 28.1% 31.0% 17.9% 25.9% 2010 24.6% 22.6% 24.8% 17.8% 21.5% 2011 29.1% 22.1% 27.5% 17.5% 22.7% 2012 32.7% 23.4% 32.3% 16.7% 25.2% 2013 39.6% 29.0% 39.0% 23.1% 31.6% 32.7% 21.7% 31.6% 21.9% 25.4% Family Class immigrants are an important part of Canada s overall immigration strategy. Research has shown that having family and friends close by is one of the most important determinants of successful settlement in a new country. Family Class immigrants make up one-fourth of all immigrants to Canada. Family Class immigrants are spouses, common-law partners, children or other eligible relatives of a Canadian permanent resident who has agreed to sponsor the new immigrant. In British Columbia, 32.7% of all permanent residents landing in came as Family Class immigrants. 7
PERMANENT RESIDENTS 14.0% 12.0% 10.0% Refugees as percentage of all immigrants in a province, 12.4% 9.7% 9.2% 8.0% 6.0% 4.0% 2.0% 4.6% 6.7% 0.0% British Columbia Alberta Ontario Quebec Canada British Columbia Alberta Ontario Quebec Canada 2004 6.4% 13.4% 14.7% 16.7% 13.9% 2005 4.8% 11.6% 15.6% 16.5% 13.6% 2006 4.5% 11.3% 14.9% 15.9% 12.9% 2007 4.8% 10.6% 14.0% 13.1% 11.8% 2008 3.5% 7.6% 10.7% 10.0% 8.8% 2009 3.9% 8.3% 11.8% 8.2% 9.1% 2010 3.8% 6.8% 11.8% 8.7% 8.8% 2011 5.2% 8.5% 16.0% 9.7% 11.2% 2012 4.0% 6.2% 12.7% 8.4% 9.0% 2013 4.9% 7.5% 12.3% 8.1% 9.3% 4.6% 6.7% 12.4% 9.7% 9.2% Canada is a signatory to several international humanitarian treaties, with an obligation to offer protection to people who face persecution in their home country. Over the past decade, around 10% of all permanent residents entering the country every year have been refugees. Within Canada, most refugees land in Ontario and Quebec: 12% and 10% of all permanent immigrants to these provinces in were refugees. Of all permanent residents landing in British Columbia every year, 5% are refugees. 8
PERMANENT RESIDENTS Regions Destination within the province 1.2% Census Metropolitan Areas 0.5% 1.0% 3% 1% 11% 4% 81% Vancouver Victoria Abbotsford- Mission Kelowna Other 3.4% 86.1% 6.2% 1.0% Lower Mainland Vancouver Island/Coast Thompson- Okanagan Kootenays Cariboo Northeast North Coast/ Nechako 2004 91.8% 4.3% 2.0% 0.4% 0.6% 0.2% 0.3% 2005 92.2% 4.1% 1.9% 0.5% 0.5% 0.2% 0.3% 2006 90.5% 4.8% 2.5% 0.6% 0.6% 0.3% 0.3% 2007 89.3% 5.4% 3.0% 0.8% 0.7% 0.4% 0.3% 2008 89.6% 5.3% 3.0% 0.8% 0.6% 0.3% 0.4% 2009 88.4% 5.8% 3.2% 1.1% 0.7% 0.3% 0.5% 2010 89.1% 5.7% 3.0% 0.7% 0.7% 0.4% 0.4% 2011 88.4% 5.8% 3.1% 0.9% 0.8% 0.6% 0.3% 2012 86.5% 5.7% 3.2% 0.9% 0.8% 0.7% 0.3% 2013 86.9% 5.3% 3.3% 1.0% 0.8% 0.9% 0.5% 86.1% 6.2% 3.4% 1.0% 1.0% 1.2% 0.5% The vast majority (86% in ) of all permanent residents landing in B.C. choose the Lower Mainland as their location. In fact, 81% of all permanent residents coming to the province last year declared that they will live in Greater Vancouver. Other popular locations for new immigrants to B.C. include urban areas like Greater Victoria, Abbotsford-Mission and Kelowna. Very few new immigrants settle elsewhere in the province. 9
PERMANENT RESIDENTS U.S.A. 5.5% Europe & UK 14.1% Asia & Pacific 63.6% Africa & Middle East 11.3% South & Central America 4.5% Top Source China India Philippines Iran U.S.A. U.K Korea Countries 2004 11,047 4,066 3,013 1,366 1,496 1,397 2,273 2005 13,725 5,743 4,176 1,297 1,954 1,398 2,519 2006 10,930 5,962 3,738 1,701 2,436 1,717 2,320 2007 8,259 5,178 3,953 1,286 2,632 2,216 2,390 2008 9,915 5,484 4,996 1,281 2,656 2,522 2,902 2009 9,375 6,077 4,623 1,233 2,073 2,655 2,125 2010 9,318 5,852 6,661 1,359 1,699 2,475 2,165 2011 7,485 4,415 5,468 1,166 1,499 1,611 1,758 2012 8,336 5,328 5,040 1,123 1,747 1,503 2,080 2013 8,567 6,002 3,839 1,723 1,731 1,438 1,584 6,090 5,659 5,132 2,136 1,907 1,544 1,339 ; based on country of last permanent residence The majority (64%) of immigrants coming to B.C. arrive here from countries in the Asia & Pacific region. The top three source countries in were China, India and the Philippines. Immigrants from these three countries alone represented 48% of all permanent residents landing in the province in. Other important source regions are Europe and the U.K., as well as Africa & the Middle East, which accounted for 14% and 11% of new immigrants landing in B.C. last year. 10