Immigrant settlement patterns in Canada are dynamic, often involving residential changes within the country, especially during the first few years after admission.
According to the 2021 Census, recent immigrants admitted since 2016 were about four times more likely to have moved to another province or territory in the previous year than established immigrants (before 2016) and about three times more likely than the Canadian-born population.
The retention rate, which is the share of immigrants who reside in their intended destination one or five years after their admission in Canada, provides a picture of their residential choices. Net internal migration of immigrants is the difference between the number of in-migrants and out-migrants for a given geographical area. These measures can help in planning infrastructures and services for a geographical area in various fields such as housing, labour market, education and access to social and public services.
Using data from the Longitudinal Immigration Database, this release presents the most recent insights in the retention rates and net internal migration of immigrants.
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