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Many skilled immigrants leave: study |
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By Ethan Caleb » One in three male working-age immigrants to Canada
wind up leaving the country within 20 years, a new study by Statistics
Canada has revealed. About six in 10 of those who leave do so within
the first year of arrival.
The statistics, though eyebrow-raising, are likely as much an indicator of global ease-of-movement trends as they are of employment opportunities in Canada. The figures are in line with migration trends in the United States as well.
The study, which addressed the behaviour of men who were between 25 and 45 at the time they arrived in Canada, found those admitted to the country under the business and skilled worker classes were most likely to leave.
Most out-migration from Canada took place when the economy was weak, and job opportunities depleted. For example, the groups who arrived during the business downturn in 1980 and the recession of 1990/91 had higher departure rates. Those who arrived in 1986 and 1993, when business was on the upswing, were half as likely to leave.
Language was also a factor. Bilingual immigrants and those fluent in French had 25 per cent shorter stays. Married immigrants stayed 25 per cent longer than single immigrants.
The statistics also reveal that newcomers most likely to leave Canada were those who came from the United States and Hong Kong. About half of them left within 10 years after arrival. Newcomers from Europe or the Caribbean, in contrast, were about half as likely to leave.
In a pointer of how much the world is becoming global village, many of those who leave wind up returning to the country. One in 10 leavers return within 10 years of first arriving.
This might indicate movement based on international job opportunities, which is supported by the fact that immigrants admitted in the family class or through the refugee process were about half as likely to leave as those who qualified as skilled workers.
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