Most Immigrants To Canada Are Happy To Be Here

Immigrants in Canada are generally happy with life in their new home, with most immigrant groups having higher levels of life satisfaction than their source-country populations.

A recent study by Statistics Canada — the Canadian government agency commissioned with producing information to better understand Canada — found that out of 43 immigrant groups, separated by nationality, only three rated themselves as less happy than people in their source countries.

The study also compared life satisfaction between recent immigrants to Canada and the Canadian-born population. Comparisons with the Canadian-born population indicate that when socio-demographic, economic, and health factors are considered, few immigrant groups differ significantly from the Canadian-born population in life satisfaction.

Research on immigrants’ lives in Canada often focuses on economic factors relating to labour market and financial outcomes. However, given that immigrants frequently cite improvements in quality of life as a motive for moving to Canada, asking them to self-assess their quality of life and comparing those results with results from source-country populations reveals just how much most immigrants to Canada benefit from taking the decision to immigrate.

Respondents were asked to rate their life satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “very dissatisfied” and 10 is “very satisfied”. Immigrant groups that reported average results greater than 8.5 included those from Argentina, El Salvador, Italy and Nigeria. Moreover, immigrants in Canada from India, Nigeria, Morocco, South Africa, Bulgaria, Romania, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Ukraine, Iraq and Zimbabwe claimed a far higher level of happiness than respondents from their source countries.

The only three immigrant groups that reported lower levels of life satisfaction were those from New Zealand, Colombia and The Netherlands. In the case of Colombia, however, recent Colombian immigrants to Canada still gave an average score of 8.25, which is among the highest in the overall study.

“What this extensive study reveals is that Canada has been, and continues to be, one of the most desirable places to live in the world,” says Attorney David Cohen. “In a world where many regions are experiencing instability and insecurity, immigrants see Canada as a bastion of stability, security, freedom, and opportunity. That’s why people immigrate to Canada in such consistent numbers. With our growing economy, financial and social freedoms, multicultural and peaceful cities, and varied climate, it is clear that Canada is the place to be.

“It is fair to note that of the immigrant groups that took part in this research, those that had the largest variance from their source-country populations were those who have come from some of the more currently unstable nations — for example, Zimbabwe, Iraq, and Ukraine. But immigrants from countries such as France and Italy also posted much higher satisfaction levels than respondents from those countries. This shows just how attractive a destination Canada is today.”

To find out if you are eligible for any of over 60 Canadian immigration programs, including the federal economic programs that will be conducted under the Express Entry selection system, please fill out a free online assessment today.

Image source: Statistics Canada. To read the report in full, please see this page.