More than 15% of immigrants have left Canada within 20 years: StatsCan

The data saw emigration peak between three to seven years, with the rate of those leaving Canada varying especially among certain age groups and countries of origin.

More than 15 per cent of immigrants who came to Canada from 1982 to 2017 ended up leaving the country within 20 years of their admission, according to a new study from Statistics Canada.

The numbers come as the federal Liberals continue to face pressure to lower immigration input, and less than a month after a national cap was put in place on the intake of international students.

How likely a new immigrant was to leave reached its highest probability within the first few years after admittance, with those between three to seven years prior more likely to leave. This reaches a peak of about 1.4 per cent in the fourth and fifth year, then begins to drop until after 15 years when it ranges between a 0.6 to 0.7 per cent likelihood.

Statistics Canada notes there could be various reasons behind the departures and the timing of when it happens. Julien Berard-Chagnon, a demographer with the agency, said there are various hypotheses around why this is one of which may be integration.

“This three to seven years give a decent period to adapt to Canadian society, to find a job, to find a place to live, adapt to the climate, for example, the cold and harsh Canadian winters,” he said.

RBC economist Claire Fan said in an interview the number of immigrants leaving the country over this period was surprising.

“These are people that have obtained residency or citizenship in Canada that are presumably wanting to stay,” she said.

She said one issue could also be trying to get into the labour force, and is why more must be done to close gaps in Canada’s labour force.