Every year, Canada takes a week to celebrate the rights and responsibilities shared by all Canadian citizens. During Citizenship Week, Canadians across the country and around the world show their pride in their history, culture, achievements and shared citizenship. wth 40% of all Canadians either being immigrants of the children of immigrants and 80% of our population growth stemming from immigration, new citizens to Canada have never been more important. Take a look below at a few reason why #immigrationmatters
Immigrants contribute to the economy and create jobs for Canadians
The strength of Canada’s economy is measured in part by the number of people working (known as the labour force) and paying taxes to fund our public services, such as health care.
Thanks to immigration, Canada’s labour force continues to grow by a small amount every year. If it weren’t for immigrants, employers would have trouble finding enough qualified workers to fill available jobs. This is because Canadians are living longer and having fewer children. More people are retiring, and there are fewer students in schools. As a result, the pool of Canadian-born existing and potential workers is limited.
Immigrants contribute to our economy, not only by filling gaps in our labour force and paying taxes, but also by spending money on goods, housing and transportation.
• Supporting our aging population
• Meeting our labour market needs
• Filling temporary labour needs
• Sustaining Canada’s education system through international students
• Boosting trade
Immigrants deliver and improve our health and social services
• Because many immigrants are young and economically active, they contribute more than they receive in benefits over their lifetime.
• According to the 2016 Census, more than 335,000 immigrants work in health-related occupations.
Immigrants are thoroughly screened and respect our laws
• We thoroughly screen immigrants before they arrive to make sure they have not committed serious crimes, don’t pose a security risk and are in good health.
• Immigrants who don’t respect our laws risk losing their immigration status and being removed from Canada.
Immigrants settle in communities across the country
• According to the 2016 Census, the number of immigrants settling in small and midsize communities is growing.
• Immigration in the Prairies and Atlantic Canada has more than doubled in the last 15 years.
• The Government of Canada is promoting Francophone immigration to help Francophone minority communities thrive.
• In 1997, only about 1 in 10 economic immigrants settled outside Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec. By 2017, this number had grown to almost 4 in 10.
Immigrants integrate fully into Canadian society
• Immigrating to Canada is an adjustment at first, but with time, immigrant voting rates, sense of belonging and earnings match those of Canadians.
• Canada has one of the highest naturalization rates in the world. About 85% of newcomers become citizens.
source: IRCC