In a Gallup survey, Canada has emerged as the second most popular destination for immigrants after the United States for the first time. Data on this subject has been made available for the first time since 2018.
A survey found that in 2021, 900 million people would move permanently if given the chance. This has been the highest percentage ever since the business began collecting data in 2011.
Between 2011 and 2021, 16% of persons preferred to relocate permanently to another nation. People who want to leave their countries of residence declined only in the European Union and East Asia.
According to the data, people did not feel discouraged about moving because of the COVID-19 epidemic. After travel restrictions were loosened due to the pandemic, migration quickly picked up again. A million Americans migrated overseas between 2021 and 2022, according to a recent report.
The popularity of Canada is rising
Canada emerged as the most popular destination for immigrants in the last five years as people have become more open to the idea of moving here. About 8% of respondents said Canada would be preferred to the United States in 2021. Moreover, Donald Trump’s election in 2017 emphasized this trend. Many people decided to leave the United States after he took an anti-immigration stance. Consequently, about 8% of people wanted to relocate elsewhere, and Canada was their preferred destination. This marked an increase of 5% from 2011 figures. Additionally, the number of Americans who selected the United States fell from 22 percent to 18 percent during the same period.
While only 8% of foreigners choose Canada as their destination of choice, it accounts for the highest percentage in terms of foreign immigration. Compared to this, other countries such as Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, and Japan have rates ranging between three and seven percent.
As well as having the highest proportion of immigrants-wanting citizens, Sierra Leone also has the highest number of refugees. Inferentially, this means that roughly 76% of respondents would rather leave the country. On the other side, 53% of them were found in Afghanistan, while 63% were found in Lebanon.
The majority of those who moved permanently to another country were from Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 2011 and 2021, it increased by 19%.
Furthermore, Ecuadoreans, Hondurans, and Dominicans have expressed their desire to leave. There is 45 percent of the people participating in it.
In spite of this, it is crucial to distinguish between respondents who intended to immigrate and those who actually did so. Some people are not able to immigrate due to their circumstances. Family circumstances, budgetary constraints, and a lack of suitable employment opportunities can all contribute to this situation.
Canada wants to attract more immigrants
Immigration goals in Canada have probably contributed to the country’s appeal as an immigration destination.
Having an aging population and a low birth rate makes Canada one of the world’s countries with the highest labor shortages. Without immigration, Canada’s economy would not be strong enough to fund social services like healthcare and education.
The Canada Immigration Levels Plan, published every year, outlines how many new permanent residents Canada expects to admit under different immigration paths in a specific year.
A total of 437,000 permanent residents arrived in Canada in 2022. 500,000 will be achieved annually by 2025 as opposed to 465,000 in 2023. For these goals to be achieved, Canada must invite more immigrants and speed up the application process. Consequently, Canada’s immigration laws may be considered less strict than other countries.
