Readily Available Immigration Data Tristan Cayn Research Officer, Strategic Research and Statistics PMC Node Meeting Calgary, Alberta November 25, 2008
Overview What immigration data is readily available? Facts and Figures & Digital Library Census SLID/LFS Statistics Canada Working Papers CIC Research Papers What does each data set contain? What types of questions will it answer? Where can you get it? 2
Facts and Figures (1) Permanent Residents Socio-demographic characteristics captured include: immigration category, gender, age, province/city of destination, source region/country, level of education, self-declared knowledge of official languages, mother tongue, intention to work, skill level/occupation Temporary Residents (including refugee claimants) Characteristics captured for all include: yearly status, initial entry / reentry / still present, transitions, gender, age, location - province/city, source region/country, marital status Other characteristics captured if available: skill level/occupation, level of study, country of alleged persecution, etc. 3
Facts and Figures (2) Data available from 1980 to 2007 Availability Publication national perspective with some provincial and municipal i detail in hard-copy and online at www.cic.gc.ca CD product (Digital Library) national, provincial and municipal perspective available through CIC - R&E office - or at the PMC office nearest you. 4
Canadian Census of Population The Census collects information on the total number of persons who once were permanent residents. This population is also referred to as 'persons born outside Canada', or 'foreign-born population'. Collected characteristics include: age, gender, source country, mother tongue, ethnicity, place of residence (province and city), time since arrival, citizenship (including dual), labour force characteristics, income, education, family composition, housing, etc. However, the information is not reported by immigration category. An analytic document entitled Immigration in Canada: A Portrait of the Foreign-born Population, 2006 Census was released on December 4, 2007 and provides results on immigration and citizenship as well as trends over the last few years. The document and a vast array of publicly available tabulations can be found on the Statistics Canada website at www.statcan.ca 5
Labour Force Survey To understand the labour market experiences of immigrants (employment, full-time and part-time, occupation, participation rate, unemployment, wages, etc) the Labour Force Survey (LFS) began to collect information, starting in January 2006, that specifically identified immigrants of working-age (those aged 15 and over) in the survey population. Questions were added to determine when they landed in Canada (year and month for those landing within the previous 5 years), the country in which they received their highest level of education (for attainment greater than high school). The questions are as follows: In what country was...born? Is a landed immigrant in Canada? In what year did first become a landed immigrant? In what month? In what country did complete his/her highest degree, certificate or diploma? The LFS is now able to provide regular information on the immigrant labour market. This information will tell us, in a timely manner, how well immigrants are performing in the labour market and how well the Canadian labour market is able to utilize the skills its immigrants bring. Summary data for 2006 and 2007 is available from Statistics Canada s website through a series of 4 analytical articles. 6
Survey of Labour Income Dynamics (SLID) The SLID is an important source of income data for Canadian families, households and individuals. Immigrants are separately identified in the survey. Introduced in 1993, SLID provides an added dimension to traditional surveys on labour market activity and income: the changes experienced by individuals and families through time. SLID also provides information on a broad selection of human capital variables, labour force experiences and demographic characteristics such as education, family relationships and household composition. Only very high-level data is available readily although many articles have been published using this data source. 7
Statistics Canada Working Papers www.statcan.ca >> Analytical Studies as well as a comprehensive search engine Drawing on all immigration related databases, a variety of reports are published, including definitional and methodological reports, descriptive articles, as well as highly quantitative analysis. Here is just a very small sample: Remittances by recent immigrants Literacy and the Labour Market: Cognitive Skills and Immigrant Earnings Immigrants Working with Co-ethnics: Who Are They and How Do They Fare Economically? Chronic Low Income and Low-income Dynamics Among Recent Immigrants Ethno cultural diversity in Canada: Prospects for 2017 Intergenerational Earnings Mobility Among the Children of Canadian Immigrants South Asians in Canada: Unity through diversity Canada's Global Cities: Socio-economic Conditions in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver How satisfied are immigrants with their personal safety? The Canadian Immigrant Labour Market in 2007: Analysis by Region of Postsecondary Education Immigrant populations and myocardial infarctions Immigrants in the hinterlands Economic integration of immigrants children Recent immigration to Canada from the Balkans Passing on the ancestral language Return and Onward Migration Among Working Age Men Dynamics of immigrants' health 8
Citizenship & Research Papers www.cic.gc.ca >> Research and Statistics Studies focus on outcomes for immigrants to Canada and especially on labour market, income and wealth, settlement and integration. Other reports highlight hli ht temporary residents and their transition to permanent resident status. A series of profiles about recent immigrants living in Canada and in selected metropolitan areas at the time of the 1991, 1996 and 2001 Censuses of Population. A set of comparative profiles is available for each Census with information on the origin and background of immigrants, their family and household structures, economic participation, income and housing. s strategic research framework and research plans. 9