To Stay or Not To Stay: Characteristics Associated With Newcomers Planning To Remain In Canada *
Abstract
The study was funded by the Ontario Region Settlement Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration, Canada. The opinions expressed in the paper are not necessarily those of the Ontario Region Settlement Directorate. The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments of the anonymous reviewers. Usha George and Esme Fuller-Thomson Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS) www.ceris.metropolis.globalx.net Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto Toronto, ON M5S 1A1 Every year Canada receives immigrants and refugees from all over the world. The absolute numbers may fluctuate; but it is generally understood that at its peak, annual immigration numbers represent about one percent of Canadian population (DeVoretz 1995). Ontario receives the highest number of immigrants when compared to the rest of Canada. In 1996 for example, about 53 percent of all immigrants to Canada settled in Ontario. The 1990s can be described as the decade of immigration, as the average number of immigrants per year has remained well over 200,000, the highest in Canadian history. The settlement and of these newcomers is of great interest to policy, practice, and research communities. This paper attempts to describe the characteristics of those newcomers who plan to remain permanently in Canada, as opposed to those who are less sure or who definitely plan to leave. The article is divided into three sections. The first section provides an overview of immigration to Canada and relevant literature that explains immigrant settlement and adaptation. The second section summarizes the methods and findings related to long term plans of residency in Canada from a study on newcomers to Ontario. The final section provides a discussion of the findings and the implications for policy and practice. Context of immigration in Canada According to the current immigration system there are two categories of admission to Canada: immigrant category and refugee category. Immigrant category consists of independent class, family class and the live-in- caregiver program. Refugee category consists of government-assisted refugees, privately-sponsored refugees and, refugees landed in Canada and their dependents abroad (Citizenship and Immigration Canada 1996). These categories and classes reflect the social, economic and humanitarian goals of the Canadian Immigration Policy (Ontario Ministry of Citizenship 1991). Independent immigrants are assessed on a point system, which reviews an applicant's eligibility on the basis of nine criteria including age, occupational demand, vocational preparation, arranged employment, location, education and relatives in Canada. During the last few years, due to a shift in policy directions, the independent class continues to grow as a proportion of overall immigration. By the year 2000, the independent class will form 53 percent, family class will form 44 percent and, `other' will form 3 percent of total immigration (Citizenship and Immigration Canada 1996). Immigrants under the independent class are selected based on their skills and their capacity to settle in, and contribute quickly to Canadian society and its economy (Citizenship and Immigration Canada 1996: 7). Thus, it could be anticipated that rates of successful adaptation should be very high. Globalization, immigrant settlement and It is important is to examine the globalization of immigration. Castles (1997) point out nine contradictions in the context of globalization, especially as they relate to migration. Two of these contradictions seem to have bearing on the this study: the contradiction between inclusion and exclusion, and the contradiction between the citizen as a national and as a global citizen. International migration is closely linked to the process of inclusion and exclusion. Individuals with skills and characteristics appropriate to global markets are included in the global order; whereas the same individuals may feel excluded from their own countries and at times from the host country itself through economic disadvantage, denial of rights or discrimination due to their immigrant status (Castles 1997). …