Canada, a land of immigration
To begin with, let's define what an immigrant is. Unlike a migrant, an immigrant is a person who has left their country of origin to settle permanently in another country. On the other side, a migrant is someone who generally returns to their home country or town whenever they might feel the need.
When it comes to immigration, Canada often stands as a model. The government has developed a statistics system, managed by Statistics Canada, to track and classify the population to better respond to its needs. In its latest report, "Portrait of Immigration in Canada", Statistics Canada revealed that nearly a quarter of the population, representing 8.3 million people in 2021, have been immigrants or permanent residents. These are the highest numbers since the creation of the Canadian state in 1867. These numbers are expected to keep growing. Canada's immigration plan calls for approximately 432,000 new immigrants this year and more than 450,000 by 2024. Immigrants could end up accounting for 34% of the population by 2041.
Canada is short of labor. Stress on the economy has become even more acute since the health crisis. In addition, the country's fertility rate is stagnant at 1.43, and the population is aging. Consequently, the immigrant population is seen as an essential key to the development of the Canadian economy. They represented about 80% of the growth in the workforce between 2016 and 2021. 62% of these immigrants come from Asia, the majority of whom are Indians, and this figure is steadily increasing. Africans represent the second largest group of immigrants. Here too, the numbers are steadily growing. Europeans, who were the largest immigrant group for many years, now represent only 10% of all new immigrants. The government communicates widely about these numbers and promotes its open-door policy. More immigrants are working in Canada than before COVID.
Other major lands of immigration
United States
The United States is another important land of immigration, with more than 45 million foreign-born people, out of a total population of more than 331 million in 2020. Approximately one million new immigrants arrive in the country each year. As Trump took office and tightened immigration laws, the trend did not reverse. Upon coming to power, Joe Biden reminded the whole world that the United States has always been a nation of immigrants. Just like in Canada, immigration is at the root of the American population. 98% of Americans have an immigrant ancestor.
Most immigrants to the United States come from Asia and Latin America. As in Canada, Indians are the most numerous new immigrants. Next come Mexicans, then the Chinese. The Hispanic and Asian communities now represent the two largest foreign-born communities, with a more rapid increase in the Asian community. Immigrants are a major contributor to the country's economic growth.
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
With nearly 90% of its population of foreign origin, the United Arab Emirates is, in essence, a land of immigrants. The country has a population of 10.08 million, of which 8.92 million are expatriates.
Please note that expatriates are foreigners who have left their country to work abroad for a few years and, by definition, are also considered immigrants.
More than 200 nationalities compose the Emirati population. Immigrants move there mainly for economic reasons. The country is positioning itself as the new land of employment and social ascension. Since the health crisis, the country has multiplied measures to attract more qualified foreigners with visas, unemployment insurance and retirement pensions, among other incentives.
Like other countries, the UAE owes its growth to immigration. Since the 1950s, when oil was discovered, the government has been conducting economic and social transformation through foreign labor. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have experienced a similar evolution. For example, in Qatar, immigrants currently account for 88% of the population, and in Kuwait, they account for 70% of the population. On the other hand, with only 36.4% of the population, the share of immigrants is lower in Saudi Arabia. The country has been accelerating its Saudiization policy, which involves giving priority to Saudi citizens for employment in the country over the past few years. Kuwait has also accelerated its Kuwaitization policy. Qatar and the UAE also have Qatarization and Emiratization programs, but they seem to be less marked. Despite these policies, these countries remain in demand for foreign labor.
In the United Arab Emirates, 27.49% of immigrants are Indian. 12.69% are Pakistani. Filipinos and Egyptians account for 5.56% and 4.23%, respectively. Europeans represent a little more than 5% of the population. 38.55% come from other countries, including Canada, the U.S, Australia, and New Zealand, amongst many others. Dubai, regarded as a cosmopolitan showcase, concentrates most of the population (over 3.4 million). During Expo 2020, the government announced that more than 270,000 jobs could be created. This will attract more immigrants to the UAE.
Australia
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reports that in 2021, 21.1% of the population was foreign-born, representing 7.5 million immigrants. In 2020, this number was 7.7 million immigrants or 29.8% of the population. For the ABS, this is one of the consequences of the government's restrictive policy during the COVID crisis. Like other countries, Australia is experiencing a labor shortage that is impeding its economic growth. Since the reopening of its borders, the country has increased incentives to attract new immigrants. For experts, it is a matter of survival. Australia's economy relies heavily on immigration.
Most immigrants in 2021 were English, with 967,000 people. Indians are the second largest community, with 710,000 people. Chinese come next (595,000), followed by New Zealanders (559,000) and Filipinos (310,000). 268,000 people living in Australia come from Vietnam, 201,000 are from South Africa, 172,000 are from Malaysia, 171,000 are from Italy and 145,000 immigrants come from Sri Lanka. The government hopes to increase these numbers. On September 2, the government adopted a change in its migration policy, raising the immigration quota by 22%. It will now welcome 195,000 new immigrants per year. This is a historic move, as Australia is experiencing an unprecedented labor shortage, with 480,000 job vacancies and only 470,000 available job seekers. The government recognizes that immigration is essential to the country's economic growth.
New Zealand
More than 30% of New Zealand's population is foreign-born. In 2022, the country has a population of just over 4.9 million, including about 370,000 immigrants. The figure has been rising slightly since this summer after falling during the COVID period. According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, before the health crisis, there were nearly 500,000 immigrants in the country. Like Australia, New Zealand is still experiencing the negative impacts of the pandemic. Labor shortages are impeding its economic growth. According to the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, there are twice as many job vacancies as there are job seekers.
The majority of immigrants in New Zealand come from India, China and the United Kingdom. Australia, South Africa, the United States, and Canada follow. Like other lands of immigration, New Zealand has been built with immigrants.
Immigration around the world: What should we expect?
The movement of people, which is one of the driving forces of the global economy, is regularly questioned. And yet, statistics keep demonstrating the crucial role of immigration in national economies. Conversely, not all countries welcome immigrants. This is the case of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Humanitarian associations believe that it would be dangerous to consider the immigrant as an economic adjustment variable. If they are essential to the economic growth of a country, they are also essential to all other areas of the country, like education, health, politics, society, and so on. Immigrants contribute to the life of the country in the broadest sense. Often mentioned as an example, Canada is one of the favorite countries for immigrants. However, this does not prevent the question of national identity from resurfacing from time to time. Coalition Avenir Québec, a right-wing nationalist party that has been in power in Quebec for the past four years, is opposed to Canada's immigration policy and advocates the preservation of Quebec's francophone identity. Still, Canada is determined to welcome 450,000 new immigrants by 2024.
