Canada’s Immigration System

Migration Migration is the movement of a population from one place to another. (usually from one country to another) Two types: 1. Immigration means migration to a new location. 2. Emigration means migration away from a location 98% of all Canadians are either immigrants or are descendants of immigrants Canada has been receiving immigrants for over 400 years About 250 000 immigrants arrive in Canada every year from all over the world

Factors affecting Migration Push Factors: negative characteristics of a location that cause people to emigrate. (e.g. war, famine, natural disaster) Pull Factors: positive characteristics of a location that cause people to immigrate. (e.g. quality health care, stable political system, jobs)

Classes (types) of Immigrants Canada receives a total of approx. 250 000 immigrants per year. They are classified as follows: Economic (57% of total) -people with a skill -they are beneficial because they meet Canada’s economic needs -They are categorized as “Business” or “Skilled” Family (26% of total) -sponsorship is required to bring family members to Canada (3-10 years of financial responsibility) -spouse, children, parents, grand parents, etc of immigrants Refugee (14 % of total) -someone who has been forced to leave their country by severe push factors (war, risk of political imprisonment or inhumane treatment) -refugees face persecution of some kind in their home country

The Points System Economic Immigrants are judged according to a system of points based on: age education language support, etc To be eligible to immigrate to Canada, an applicant must achieve at least 67 points (skilled worker) or 35 points (business class) on the points scale.

Where do the new immigrants go? Most new immigrants move to provinces and cities where there are other people from their culture and also possibilities of employment example: Ontario, B.C., Alberta, Quebec Two thirds (2/3) of all immigrants settle in large cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal or Ottawa 40% of all new immigrants move to Toronto (over 80 000 people every year)

Top 10 Canadian Cities by Share of Immigrants, 2009 Top 10 Canadian Cities by Share of Immigrants, 2009. Source: Statistics Canada

Interprovincial Migration Do people stay in the same place in Canada? migration does not only occur between countries many people move from province to province (interprovincial migration)... provinces like Saskatchewan and Newfoundland lose many people every year while provinces like Ontario and Alberta gain people every year from other provinces A gain in population for a province is known as in-migration. A loss in population for a province is known as out-migration. Look at the chart on p. 221 of your text. Based on what you see, provide some reasons why the different Canadian provinces might have lost or gained people (do this in groups). What trends do you notice?

Immigrating to Canada http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGAsyrYtQQ0