Recent Immigrants in Metropolitan Areas: Montreal—A Comparative Profile Based on the 2001 Census

Part B: Who Are the Recent Immigrants?

Origin, immigration category and religion

Origins changing and differ from rest of Canada

Montreal’s immigrants come from all over the world and represent a diversity of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Over the past several decades there has been a considerable change in the source countries of immigrants. In 2001, for example, there were 114,200 residents of Montreal who were very recent immigrants who had landed in Canada between 1996 and 2001. The most common country of birth for these immigrants was Algeria, accounting for 9% of these new immigrants to Montreal, followed by China (8%) and France (7%).

The birth origins of Montreal’s immigrant population vary in relation to the period of immigration. European birth origins are predominant among immigrants who landed in the 1950s, the 1960s and to a lesser extent in the 1970s, while more recent immigrants come mainly from other continents. Haiti has been an important source of immigrants to Montreal for a long time, and there is a sizeable and still growing Haitian community in the city. Among the major countries of birth of Montreal’s immigrant population are many that are different from those of immigrants to Canada in general. France is a major source of immigrants to Montreal, and a number of other such countries—Haiti, Algeria, Morocco, Romania, Italy, Greece, Viet Nam, Egypt and Lebanon—have connections to France and its language. More recently, however, Montreal has also attracted significant numbers of immigrants from China, India and the Philippines—important source countries of immigrants residing in other major cities in Canada.

A favoured destination for some recent immigrants

Note: Table B-2 lists all countries that are the place of birth of at least 10,000 recent immigrants living in Canada in 2001, with Montreal’s share being 1% or more.

For some immigrant groups, Montreal is the preferred area of residence. For example, of the 25,400 Haitian-born individuals who immigrated since 1986 and were living in Canada in 2001, 21,000 or 83% were living in Montreal, and Montreal’s share of recent immigrants from Algeria and also from Morocco is nearly as large. Montreal is also home to a large share of recent immigrants from France, Syria and Lebanon. On average, 12% of recent immigrants chose Montreal as their place of residence. The share of recent immigrants living in Montreal is slightly greater than the shares of Canada’s earlier immigrants and the Canadian-born population residing in Montreal.

High share of economic immigrants among very recent landings

Statistics published by Citizenship and Immigration Canada show that the number of immigrants who reported Montreal as their destination when they landed in Canada increased by 45,900 between the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, and then slid back by 53,900 in the second half of the 1990s. All three major classes shared in the rise and fall of the inflow. Five in ten very recent immigrants destined for Montreal entered through the economic category, and family class immigrants and refugees each made up one-quarter of the total.

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Facts and Figures 2002 (data set).

Note: The 2001 Census did not ask immigrants about the immigration categories through which they were admitted to Canada. The information in Table B-3 was obtained from records at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and pertains to the time of landing. The immigration categories are described in the Glossary.

Within the family class, the number of sponsored spouses increased to more than 30,000 in the first half of the 1990s, before sliding back by 8,000 to 24,000 by the end of the century. The number of other relatives—parents and grandparents, sons and daughters, and fiancés—decreased from about 24,000 in the early 1990s to 9,000 in the most recent period.

As for refugees, government-assisted refugees declined in number from 8,000 in the second half of the 1980s to 2,000 a decade later. The number of privately-sponsored refugees dwindled to 700 after peaking in the first half of the 1990s at 17,000. During the 1990s, 45,000 refugees landed in Canada and refugee dependants intended to settle in Montreal.

Skilled workers and their dependants account for the lion’s share of economic immigrants and for all the growth in their number during the 15 years before 2001. The number of entrepreneurs with dependants in the most recent period is only one-quarter of the 20,000 who landed in the second half of the 1980s.

Three in ten very recent immigrants are Muslims

Recent immigrants are changing the religious landscape of Montreal. While Christians still outnumber other religious groups among very recent immigrants, the shares with affiliation to the Muslim faith and those reporting no religious affiliation are higher than among earlier immigrants and the Canadian-born. Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs make up a small share of recent immigrants. Three in ten very recent immigrants are Muslims. Among the Canadian-born, the Muslim faith claims the affiliation of 1% of the population, and there are virtually no Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs.

Note: Religions are listed in order of their share of the population of Canada, from highest to lowest, with Christian religions grouped together.

Roman Catholics account for four-fifths of the Canadian-born population residing in Montreal. While Roman Catholics were numerous among earlier immigrants, their share has fallen among very recent immigrants. More than one-half of immigrants who landed before 1986 reported Roman Catholicism as their faith. However, among very recent immigrants the share has fallen to one-quarter.

Age and gender

One-half of very recent immigrants are working-age adults 25 to 44 years old

The age distribution of the very recent immigrant population (those who landed between 1996 and 2001) is markedly different from that of the Canadian-born population, with a larger proportion aged 25 to 44, and proportionally fewer children under 15 years of age and seniors aged 65 years and over. In 2001, slightly more than one-half of very recent immigrants living in Montreal were between the ages of 25 and 44, compared to 31% of the Canadian-born. Seniors accounted for only 2% of Montreal’s very recent immigrants and 11% of the Canadian-born population. Children under 15 years of age accounted for 21% of the very recent immigrant population as well as of the Canadian-born population.

These differences in age structure are to some degree a result of how we define immigrants and the Canadian-born. The immigrant population grows older like the Canadian population but does not renew itself in the same way, as children born in Canada to immigrants are not considered immigrants. Thus, there are no persons under 15 years of age among immigrants who landed before 1986, and the older age groups are over-represented among these earlier immigrants. By the same token, the share of children among the Canadian-born is large as it includes children born in Canada to immigrant parents.

The age structure of very recent immigrants closely resembles age at landing. Immigrants tend to arrive in Canada during their prime working-age years. This was the case among immigrants who landed more than 30 years ago, and it is still the case today. It is therefore not surprising that a large share of very recent immigrants were in the 25 to 44 age group.

An appreciation of differences in age structure will be useful to the reader of this profile, as many of the characteristics and circumstances described in this profile vary with age. Differences between immigrants or groups of immigrants and the Canadian-born often are at least in part a reflection of differences in the age structure.

Figure B-1: Immigrants by period of immigration and Canadian-born, by age, Montreal Census Metropolitan Area, 2001 (percentage distribution)

Similar proportions of women and men

The proportion of women in the recent immigrant population in Montreal is similar to but, at 50% to 51%, slightly lower than that of the Canadian-born population.

There are 4,500 more women than men among the 293,900 recent immigrants in Montreal. The number of women is particularly high among recent immigrants from China (2,300 more women than men out of 16,000 recent immigrants) and Haiti (3,000 more women than men out of 21,000 recent immigrants).

As women on average live longer than men, they make up a large share of persons aged 65 years of age and over. But the higher proportion of women among recent immigrants is not related to age. For instance, two-thirds of recent immigrants aged 25 to 64 from the Philippines are women and they outnumber men in this age group by 2,500. Some of them have obtained permanent resident status after a period of employment as live-in caregivers.

At the opposite end of the spectrum of the gender mix are Pakistan, Iran and the United Kingdom. Fifty-five percent or more of recent immigrants from these countries are men. Men outnumber women by 600 among recent immigrants from Pakistan, and by 500 in the case of Iran.

The gender balance, by country of origin, has not changed greatly since 1996.

Language and education

More than nine in ten very recent immigrants speak French or English

A large majority of Montreal’s immigrants 15 years of age and over reported being able to carry on a conversation in at least one of Canada’s two official languages. Even among very recent immigrants, who landed in Canada between 1996 and 2001, more than nine in ten (96% of men and 91% of women) reported being able to speak an official language in May 2001. Less than one in ten of very recent immigrants could not speak either official language. Knowledge of official languages was similar among those who immigrated in earlier periods—94% indicated that they were able to speak an official language.

The proportion of Montreal’s immigrants able to carry on a conversation in English or French decreases with age. Among younger immigrants who landed in Canada between 1996 and 2001, all are able to speak an official language. The shares are almost as high in the next age group. Among those aged 45 to 64, however, the percentage that can speak English or French is lower, and more so for women than men. For both men and women, seniors aged 65 and over are least likely to have conversational ability in English or French.

A large number of Montreal’s immigrants reported being able to carry on a conversation in both English and French. Among the youngest immigrant group, bilingualism is more prevalent than knowledge of just one language. In the next age group of 25 to 44 years, knowledge of both languages is less common. Knowledge of both languages is even lower among persons 45 years of age and over.

Among very recent immigrants knowledge of English is more common among men, while among women the shares speaking French and English are the same.

Ability to converse in either or both official languages has improved with the very recent immigrant cohort: 3% more men and 4% more women had this ability in 2001, compared to a similar cohort (those who landed within the five years prior to the census) in 1996.

Very recent immigrants are considerably more likely to speak English and less likely to speak French than the Canadian-born population of Montreal. The shares speaking English or French are somewhat lower for earlier immigrants, and the share speaking both languages higher. This may indicate acquisition of language skills after landing.

More than one-half of very recent immigrants speak a foreign language at home

For the majority of Montreal’s recent immigrants, the language spoken most often at home is one other than English or French. More than one-half of immigrants who landed between 1996 and 2001 most often speak a foreign language at home.

The use of foreign languages is also high among other immigrant cohorts. Five in ten of those who immigrated between 1986 and 1995, and two in five of those who immigrated prior to 1986 most often speak a foreign language at home.

The use of foreign languages in the home among very recent immigrants was not as high in 2001 as in 1996 when 61% of the latest arrivals reported use of a foreign language in the home.

As for those immigrants who mostly speak one of Canada’s official languages at home, this language more often is French than English. About three in ten immigrants speak French at home, irrespective of the time at which they landed in Canada. English is much less common as the language spoken at home among recent immigrants than among those who landed many years ago.

Very high level of education among very recent immigrants

There are large differences in educational attainment between the Canadian-born and various groups of immigrants. The share of very recent immigrants with a minimal education is smaller than the share of the Canadian-born, but the opposite is true for immigrants who landed before 1986. The Canadian-born are more likely than immigrants to have some high school, a high school diploma, or a college or trade diploma. Very recent immigrants, however, boast a remarkable number of university graduates. This high proportion of university graduates is most likely a result of immigrant selection, with much emphasis on education in the economic category.

When education levels are compared by age group, it appears that the younger generation has a much higher level of education, whether born in or outside Canada. Three in five Canadian-born under 45 years of age have a post-secondary diploma or degree (60% of men and 63% of women), compared to 27% of men over 65 and 17% of women. A similar large shift in educational qualifications is observed among immigrants.

Three in four men aged 25-44 who immigrated during the 1996-2001 period have a post-secondary diploma or degree, compared to three-fifths Canadian-born men. The women’s share is over two-thirds, showing that the very recent immigrant cohort has surpassed the Canadian-born. This is also the case in other age groups, with respect to the share having a post-secondary diploma or degree. This very high education level of very recent immigrants is something new. In 1996, immigrants who had landed in the five years previous were not as well educated. It is a result of immigrant selection.

Recent immigrants add to Montreal’s pool of scientists and engineers

Approximately three out of every five men who immigrated after 1986 and have a post-secondary diploma or degree majored in physical sciences, engineering or trades. This compares to one-half of Canadian-born men. Among women with a post-secondary diploma or degree, one in five recent immigrants have studied some physical science or technology, compared to one in ten Canadian-born women.

By contrast, recent immigrants are represented in smaller proportions than the Canadian-born in the social sciences, education and arts and commerce, management and business administration. Nearly one-half of Canadian-born women have diplomas or degrees in social science, education and arts, compared to one-third of very recent immigrant women. For men, the share of diplomas and degrees in the social fields of studies is three-tenths for the Canadian-born and one-fifth for recent immigrants.

The several immigrant cohorts and the Canadian-born are quite alike with respect to the proportions who specialized in health professions and related technologies. The educational choices of very recent immigrants remain much the same as in 1996.

Recent immigrants more likely to attend school

Very recent immigrants are relatively likely to be in school, to acquire language skills or Canadian credentials. School attendance is at least twice as high for this group as for the Canadian-born, in both the 25-44 and 45-64 age groups.

School attendance, of course, is much higher in the youngest age group. Here we find a higher rate for very recent immigrant men than among the Canadian-born. However, this is not true in the case of women. Very recent immigrant women have lower school attendance rates than their Canadian-born counterparts.

By and large, school attendance rates for all groups were similar in 1996.

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