ARCHIVED – Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada – Client profile and performance indicators

Section 2: Demographic Profile of LINC Clients with Completed Training [ Note 9 ]

• It should be noted that the number of “clients with completed training” referred to in the demographic profile differs from that used in the LINC Performance Indicator analysis which follows. The demographic profile counts unique clients in each year – clients are counted only once per year at time of first completion for that year. [ Note 10 ] For the analysis of performance indicators, all course completed by a client are counted (a client may have more than 1 completed LINC course in a given year). This allows for maximum coverage of the performance scores by including all completed LINC courses.
• Due to Alternative Funding Arrangements with CIC, Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia do not report data through the Immigration Contribution Accountability Measurement System (iCAMS) and are therefore excluded from all calculations reported in this analysis. In addition, the client populations for the Territories are excluded due to extremely low counts.

Table 3: Number of LINC Clients by Province, 2003-2008 [ Note 11 ]

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

• Ontario clearly accounts for the lion’s share of the LINC client population. However, its share has declined by 6 percent since 2003 as a result of both a decrease in the number of Ontario clients and an increase in the number of clients in Alberta and Nova Scotia.
• These shares reflect the distribution of landings across these provinces. Over the same period an annual average of 242,484 immigrants landed in Canada and 122,241 were destined to Ontario. The other provinces recorded significantly smaller numbers as 19,579, 4,596 and 2,802 and were destined to the Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Atlantic region, respectively.
• Halifax had the highest share of clients in the Atlantic region, with roughly 40 percent in 2003 and 50 percent in 2008. St. John’s accounted for 20 percent and Fredericton and Charlottetown each accounted for 10 percent of the clients in the Atlantic region.
• In Alberta the majority of the clients trained in Calgary. Calgary accounted for 53 percent of the clients in 2003 and this increased to roughly 60 percent in 2008. Edmonton, on the other hand, saw a decline in its share of clients from 42 percent in 2003 to 35 percent in 2008.
• Saskatoon accounted for the majority of the clients who trained in Saskatchewan, with 53 percent in 2003 increasing to almost 70 percent in 2008. In contrast, Regina had 42 percent of the clients in 2003 and only 24 percent in 2008.
• Although the share declined over the six year period, Toronto had the highest share of clients trained in Ontario, with roughly 40 percent in 2003 and 34 percent in 2008. Scarborough and Mississauga had the second and third highest share of clients in Ontario, accounting for about 20 and 10 percent, respectively.

Table 4: Number of LINC Clients by Immigrant Category, 2003-2008

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

• Skilled workers (principal applicants and spouses and dependants) account for the largest number of LINC clients each year, followed by family class immigrants, refugees, and other economic immigrants (Table 4).
• However, the number of clients from the skilled worker category has been declining notably since 2003. Just over 10,000 clients were skilled workers in 2003 (47.5 percent of all LINC clients) and by 2008 this number had decreased to 6,757 (35.3 percent).
• In contrast, the number of clients from the family class and refugee class has remained relatively stable over the six year period, accounting for an average of roughly 6,350 and 4,000 clients per year, respectively. While the number of clients from the other economic class has increased by approximately 50 percent (from 826 to 1237 clients).
• In 2008, clients from the family class and skilled worker category each accounted for just over a third of all clients.
• Compared to the share of all landed immigrants by immigrant category during 2003-2008 (Table 5), [ Note 12 ] family class immigrants and refugees are over represented in the LINC client population while skilled workers and other economic immigrants are under represented.

Table 5: Share (%) of Landed Immigrants by Immigrant Category, 2003-2008

Source: RDM, CIC

Figure 1: Share (%) of LINC Clients by Immigrant Category, 2003-2008 [ Note 13 ]

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

• The national trends primarily reflect the changes occurring in Ontario, the province that accounts for over 85 percent of all LINC clients. Some of the trends observed at the provincial level differ.
• In Alberta, the trends are similar to those at the national level, with skilled workers accounting for the largest share but family class immigrants narrowing the gap over the six year period. However, unlike the national trend by 2008, 30 percent of the clients in Alberta are refugees, on par with the share of skilled workers and family class immigrants.
• For Saskatchewan, the share of refugees is higher still averaging almost 50 percent per year over the six year period and making it the largest category of LINC clients in the province in each year. This is reflective of the over-representation of refugee landings in the province. Skilled workers and family class each account for on average roughly 20 percent of the clients.
• In the Atlantic region, the share of refugees is also high, averaging nearly 50 percent until 2007 when clients in the other economic category increase to top share. By 2008, clients in the other economic category account for roughly 45 percent, refugees for just over 30 percent, and skilled workers and family class for approximately 10 percent each.
• In 2008, clients from the family class and skilled worker category each accounted for just over a third of all clients.

Table 6: Number of LINC Clients by Years Since Landing, 2003-2008

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

Figure 2: Average Annual Share (%) of LINC Clients by Years Since Landing, 2003-2008 [ Note 14 ]

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

• Table 6 and Figure 2 show that, on average, the majority (59 percent) of clients who complete LINC courses do so within the first two years following landing. The average is again being driven by trends in Ontario. The trend for completion of LINC course early after landing is even more apparent in the other province.
• For the Atlantic region and Saskatchewan, an average of 80 percent of clients who complete LINC courses do so within the first two years following landing. For Alberta the average annual share is 73 percent.
• Also noteworthy is the higher average annual share (27 percent) of clients in Ontario who complete LINC courses three or more years after landing. For the rest of Canada the comparable share is closer to 10 percent.

Table 7: Number of LINC Clients by Gender, 2003-2008 [ Note 15 ]

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

Figure 3: Average Annual Share (%) of LINC Clients by Gender, 2003-2008

Table 8: Number of LINC Clients by Age (at time of service), 2003-2008 [ Note 16 ]

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

Figure 4: Average Annual Share (%) of LINC Clients by Age (at time of service), 2003-2008

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

• As illustrated in Figure 4, the age distribution of clients is normal for all provinces; however, there exist some observable differences highlighted by the right tale.
• Saskatchewan has the highest average annual share of clients aged 25-44 years, followed by the Atlantic region, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.
• In contrast, Alberta has the highest average annual share of clients aged 45-64 years, followed by Ontario, the Atlantic region, and Saskatchewan.

Table 9: Number of LINC Clients by Level of Education, 2003-2008

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

• Table 9 and Figure 5 illustrate that university educated immigrants (including those with graduate degrees) make up the highest average share, accounting for 7,473 (37.6 percent) of LINC clients with completed courses over the entire period. Since 2005 this group has accounted for the largest share of clients per year by education category.
• Those with secondary education or less have the second largest share of clients in each year, with a share slightly below the university educated clients. This group accounts for an annual average of 7,457 (37.4 percent) of the client population over the six year period.  This group’s share has been declining since 2003.
• Those with a non-university certificate [ Note 17 ] account for an average of 4,500 (23 percent) of the client population. This group’s share has increased slightly since 2003.

Figure 5: Share (%) of LINC Clients by Level of Education, 2003-2008 [ Note 18 ]

Source: iCAMS and HARTs, CIC

• China is the top country of birth for LINC clients in all provinces. Depending on the year, clients who were born in China account for 25-30 percent of clients in Ontario, 20-30 percent of those in Alberta, 20 percent in Saskatchewan, and 10-15 percent in the Atlantic region.
• In Ontario, clients who were born in India account for, on average, another 7 percent of those who have completed LINC courses. Additionally, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka each account for approximately 5 percent of the clients each year.
• In the rest of Canada, the breakdown by country of birth of LINC clients is a bit different. Colombia accounts for roughly 9 percent of the clients outside of Ontario. Sudan and Afghanistan account for approximately 10 percent each in 2003 but decline over the period to near 5 percent in 2008.
• Consistent with the trends observed for country of birth, individuals with Mandarin as a mother tongue make up between 20-25 percent of LINC clients at the national level on an annual basis. This is fairly stable across all provinces with the exception of the Atlantic region which averages in the 10 percent range.
• Ontario drives the figures that are seen at the national level and therefore the composition of LINC clients for Ontario mirrors the national numbers. For Ontario, Mandarin is the dominant mother tongue (20-25 percent), followed roughly equally by Spanish and Arabic (6-10 percent) and Farsi and Russian at 7 percent each.
• Other trends that stand out by province include Alberta having higher shares with Spanish (9-14 percent), Saskatchewan with a higher share of Dari (14 percent) and Atlantic Canada with relatively higher shares of Arabic (10-20 percent) and Spanish (averaging over 10 percent).
• Note that the cross-province LINC trends observed for country of birth and mother tongue are consistent with provincial landings of permanent residents.

9. Henceforth, clients will refer to clients with completed LINC training unless otherwise noted.

10. Although this profile describes the population of clients with completed training, the descriptions and trends detailed below are largely in line with those of the populations of assessed clients and clients in training. Any significant discrepancies that may exist between the populations will be noted.

11. Figure 20 in Appendix A provides the share of LINC clients by province.

12. The LINC client population in a specific year may not reflect the population of landed immigrants in that same year, as there is no exact rule on years since landing for LINC participation.

13. This information is presented in table format in Figure 21 in Appendix A.

14. This information is presented for all of Canada in table format in Figure 22 in Appendix A.

15. This information is presented in shares (%) in table format in Figure 23 in Appendix A.

16. This information is presented in shares (%) in table format in Figure 24 in Appendix A.

17. This also includes trade certificates and individuals who have completed some university education but are without a degree.

18. This information is presented in table format in Figure 25 in Appendix A.

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