Poll shows more people than ever want to immigrate to Canada
New data released by Gallup shows Canada is the top destination for millions of potential new immigrants.
For the first time, Canada has become the second most popular destination for potential newcomers, behind the United States, in a recent poll by global analytics and consulting firm Gallup. This is the first time Gallup has published data on the topic since 2018.
Polls suggest that 900 million people will move permanently to another country by 2021, given the opportunity. This is the highest percentage recorded since the company began collecting data in 2011.
Overall, the number of people who want to move permanently to another country jumped from 12% to 16% between 2011 and 2021. Only the European Union countries and East Asian countries as a whole saw a decrease in the number of people willing to leave their home countries.
Data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped people's desire to migrate. This is evident in the speed at which immigration has recovered since pandemic travel restrictions began to ease. For example, in 2021-2022, net international migration exceeds 1 million U.S. residents.
Canada gaining in popularity
Over the past five years, Canada has become a more popular destination for immigrants, with 8% of respondents in 2021 saying they would like to immigrate to Canada rather than the United States.
The trend started in 2017, shortly after the election of former President Donald Trump. His anti-immigration stance has led many to abandon the United States as an immigration option and look elsewhere. As a result, 8 percent of would-be immigrants said they would choose Canada over any other country, up from 5 percent in 2011. Over the same period, the number of immigrants choosing the United States fell from 22 percent to 18 percent.
Even at 8%, Canada is still in second place when it comes to immigration's preferred destination. Germany, Spain, France, the UK, Australia and Japan are all between 3-7%.
The highest proportion of people who want to leave their country is in Sierra Leone, where 76% of respondents said they would consider leaving. Lebanon has the second highest rate at 63%, ahead of Afghanistan at 53%.
However, the region with the highest overall increase in permanent migration to another country is Latin America and the Caribbean, with a 19% increase between 2011 and 2021. Over 45% of respondents from Honduras, Ecuador and the Dominican Republic would immigrate if given the opportunity.
The poll pointed to a disparity between respondents who wanted to leave their home country and those who were willing to. Many would-be immigrants are held back by circumstances such as finances, family and job opportunities, and are never able to leave their country.
Canada seeking more immigrants
Canada's well-known immigration goals may be a factor in its popularity as a destination for newcomers.
Canada needs immigrants to deal with a chronic labor shortage caused by an aging workforce and one of the lowest birth rates in the world. Without immigration, Canada would not have a tax base large enough to maintain social services such as health care and education.
In response, Canada annually releases an immigration levels plan that sets targets for the number of new permanent residents the country plans to welcome from any of its immigration pathways in a given year.
In 2022, Canada will welcome more than 437,000 permanent residents. This target is set at a higher 465,000 in 2023, with an annual increase of 500,000 to 2025. To achieve these goals, Canada will need to invite more newcomers and process applications more quickly. This means Canada may be seen as having less stringent immigration procedures than other countries.
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