July 20, 2021
Reasons Why Canada is a Top Destination for Immigrants
To boost the post-pandemic economic recovery, Canada has recently expanded its immigration target to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022, and 421,000 in 2023. This is a significant increase from the previous plan before the pandemic, and represents Canada’s strengthening belief of immigrants in its development. Here are some of the primary reasons that make Canada a top immigration destiny.
Multiculturalism and General Support of Immigration
Being known for its diversity and inclusivity, Canada is a multicultural society with immigrants from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. In the 2016 census, about 22% of Canadians were born outside Canada, and over 250 different ethnic origins and ancestries were reported.[1] Roughly 40% of Canadians speak English as their second languages. These figures are expected to increase in the upcoming census, and skew higher in popular immigrant cities, such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.
With such ethnic and linguistic diversities, multiculturalism is a sociological fact with wide consensus in the society. In the large metropolitans of Toronto or Vancouver, there are many ethnic enclaves such as Chinatown, Greektown, Little India, or Little Italy, each with its distinct character, and are popular among local residents and tourists. The wider proportion of immigrants assimilate well into communities in all parts of the cities. New immigrants also receive strong support from the government and local communities.[2] There are various policies and programs to help newcomers in their job search, social benefits, health care and improvement of English or French levels.
Strong Economy and High Living Standard
Canada is one of the top 10 countries in the world by GDP, with a highly-developed and well-balanced economy. It is one of the largest exporters of energy, commodity goods and agriculture produce. There are also vibrant manufacturing industries in Canada, which contains world’s leading companies in aerospace, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and textiles.
Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver are leading financial centres in North America with many multinational banks and financial corporates. With large pool of highly-educated university graduates, and supportive government policies, Canada is a world leader in technology and innovation, with emerging industries in information technology, artificial intelligence, biogenetics and renewable energy.
For entrepreneurs looking to expand business overseas, they often consider Canada as a reliable market for launching international expansion, due to its commitment to free trade, comprehensive legal protection to investors and intellectual property, and relatively low corporate tax rates.
Compared to many developed nations, Canadians are able to achieve high-level of economic development with emphasis on work-life balance. Cities of Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Calgary are consistently ranked as the most livable cities in the world.
World-Class Education
With education being an increasingly top concern among immigrants, many are drawn to Canada for its well-developed education system. Over half of adult population in Canada has either college or university qualifications, which ranks first among the OECD countries. In a major study conducted by the OECD regarding education performance, Canada’s teenagers are top performers in reading, science and maths. The values of equality and respect of difference and diversity are embraced by schools of all levels across the country. Children of new immigrants often get along well with their peer schoolmates, and achieve high performances.