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

Part B: Who Are the Recent Immigrants?

Origin, immigration category and religion

One in five very recent immigrants was born in China

Ottawa’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 34,400 residents of Ottawa who landed in Canada between 1996 and 2001. The most common country of birth for these immigrants was China, accounting for 20%. The next most numerous group was persons born in India. Their number was less than one quarter of that of the Chinese. The ten most common countries of birth, accounting for 48% of these very recent immigrants and representing four different continents, were China, India, Somalia, Iran, the United States, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, Yugoslavia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Among Ottawa’s earlier immigrants—those arriving in Canada before 1986—the United Kingdom and Italy were the most common countries of birth, accounting for 29% of this group.

In general, the birth origins of Ottawa’s immigrant population vary in relation to the period of immigration. European birth origins are predominant among those who immigrated in the 1950s, the 1960s and, to a lesser extent, the 1970s, and Asian birth origins are predominant among those who immigrated in the 1980s and 1990s. Five of the top ten countries of birth of very recent immigrants are in Asia, and for immigrants who landed from 1986 to 1995, seven of the top ten countries of birth are in Asia.

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 Ottawa’s share being 1% or more.

Ottawa is home to 3.1% of all immigrants in the country. For some immigrant groups, Ottawa is a preferred destination. For example, of the 18,200 Somalia-born individuals who immigrated after 1985 and were living in Canada in 2001, 4,500 or one-quarter were living in Ottawa. Ottawa is also home to a large share of recent immigrants from Lebanon, Ethiopia and Haiti. Of the 74,000 recent immigrants to Canada born in the United States, a relatively small proportion (3.3%) was residing in Ottawa in 2001. This share, however, exceeds Ottawa’s share of the total national Canadian-born population (2.6%).

High share of economic immigrants among very recent landings

Statistics published by Citizenship and Immigration Canada show that the number of immigrants who reported Ottawa as their destination when they landed in Canada increased by 12,100 between the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s and decreased by 4,600 in the second half of the 1990s. The decline was concentrated in the family and refugee classes, while the number of economic immigrants increased. One-half of very recent immigrants destined for Ottawa entered through the economic category.

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 showed little change over the three five-year periods and in the latest 1996-2000 period amounted to more than one-half of this category. The number of other relatives—parents and grandparents, sons and daughters, and fiancés—fell sharply from about 8,400 during the 1991-1995 period to 3,600 during the 1996-2000 period.

As for refugees, both government-assisted and privately-sponsored refugees declined in number. Six thousand government-sponsored refugees were destined to Ottawa when they landed during the 1986-1995 period, and 2,100 during the next five years. Only 400 privately-sponsored refugees entered in the second half of the 1990s, only one-fifth of the number that entered in the second half of the 1980s.

Skilled workers and their dependants account for the lion’s share of economic immigrants, and the flow of these new entrants destined for Ottawa increased steadily throughout the 15-year period 1986-2000.

More than one-quarter of very recent immigrants are Muslims

While Roman Catholics, Protestants and other Christians combined are the largest religious group among very recent immigrants, the shares adhering to the Muslim faith and those reporting no religious affiliation are nearly as high. Buddhists, Hindus and Sikhs make up a small share of very recent immigrants. Among the Canadian-born, these three religions have virtually no following.

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 one-half of the Canadian-born population and are the largest religious group among immigrants, but this is not the case among very recent immigrants. Three in ten Canadian-born persons are Protestant, with the United Church having the largest following among the major Protestant churches, accounting for 9% of the population group. Only 1% of recent immigrants report an affiliation with the United Church.

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 landing between 1996 and 2001) is markedly different from that of the Canadian-born population, with a larger proportion of persons aged 25 to 44 and proportionally fewer adults aged 45 and over. In 2001, slightly more than one-half of the very recent immigrant population living in Ottawa were between the ages of 25 and 44, compared to 30% of the Canadian-born. Adults aged 45 to 64 accounted for just 10% of the very recent immigrant population compared with 22% for the Canadian-born, while immigrants aged 65 and over accounted for only 3% of very recent immigrants in comparison to 9% for their Canadian-born counterparts. Children under 15 accounted for slightly more than one-fifth of Ottawa’s very recent immigrants 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 arrival. 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.

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, Ottawa Census Metropolitan Area, 2001 (percentage distribution)

More women than men

The proportion of women in the recent immigrant population in Ottawa is the same as that of the Canadian-born population. However, the proportion varies considerably by country of birth of recent immigrants. More than 62% of recent immigrants from Japan, Slovakia and the Philippines are women.

There are 2,500 more women than men among the 85,900 recent immigrants in Ottawa. The number of women is particularly high among recent immigrants from the Philippines (670 more women than men out of 2,850 recent immigrants) and Japan (130 more women than men out of 280 recent immigrants).

As women on average live longer than men, they make up a large share of persons aged 65 years and over. But the higher proportion of women among recent immigrants is not related to age. For instance, more than two-thirds of recent immigrants aged 25 to 64 from the Philippines are women. 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 Iran, El Salvador and Egypt. Fifty-five percent or more of recent immigrants from these countries are men. Men outnumber women by 200 among the 1,050 recent immigrants from Egypt, and by 260 among the 2,710 recent immigrants from 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 English or French

A large majority of Ottawa’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 (95% of men and 91% of women) reported being able to speak an official language in May 2001. Less than one in ten of these very recent immigrants could not speak either official language. Knowledge of official languages was somewhat greater among those who immigrated in earlier periods—94% of those who landed between 1986 and 1995 and 97% of those who immigrated before 1986 indicated that they were able to speak an official language.

Very recent immigrant women are somewhat less likely than men to have conversational knowledge of English or French. Among Ottawa’s women who immigrated between 1996 and 2001, for example, 9% could speak neither English nor French. The comparable figure among men arriving in this period was 5%.

The proportion of Ottawa’s immigrants able to carry on a conversation in English or French decreases with age. Among immigrants under age 45 who landed in Canada between 1996 and 2001, almost all are able to speak an official language, and there is little difference between men and women in this regard. Among those aged 45 to 64, however, the percentage that can speak English or French is lower. Also, English or French speaking ability is lower among women than among men in this age group. For both men and women, seniors aged 65 and over are least likely to have the ability to converse in English or French.

Ability to converse in either or both official languages has improved with the very recent immigrant cohort: 3% more men and 3% 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. This may reflect changes in countries of origin, the increase in the number of economic immigrants and perhaps also greater awareness among immigrants of the need to speak Canada’s languages before and after arrival.

About three-quarters of very recent immigrants in Ottawa speak English and one in seven speak both English and French. Only a small share reports knowledge of French only.

Immigrants living in Ottawa are predominantly English-speaking regardless of when they came to Canada. Only a tiny fraction speaks French but not English, and in this they greatly resemble the Canadian-born population of the city. The share having command of both languages is larger for earlier immigrants than for the more recently landed.

Two in three very recent immigrants speak a foreign language at home

For the majority of Ottawa’s recent immigrants, the language spoken most often at home is one other than English or French. Two in three immigrants who landed between 1996 and 2001 most often speak a foreign language in their homes.

The use of a foreign language is also high among other immigrant cohorts. More than one-half of those who immigrated between 1986 and 1995 and nearly one-quarter of those who immigrated prior to 1986 most often speak a foreign language at home.

Figure B-2: Immigrants by period of immigration—15 years of age and over — use of a foreign language at home, Ottawa Census Metropolitan Area, 2001 (percentage)

The use of foreign languages in the home was slightly more common in 2001 than in 1996, for a given length of stay in Canada. Of very recent immigrants in 1996, 65% reported use of a foreign language in the home. Among those who had lived in Canada from 5 to 15 years, 53% commonly used a foreign language in 2001, compared to 48% in 1996.

Very high level of education among very recent immigrants

The share of immigrants with only a minimal education is three times as large as the share of the Canadian-born with a minimal education. The Canadian-born are more likely than immigrants to have some high school, a high school diploma or a college or trade diploma. University degrees, however, are more common among all immigrant groups than among the Canadian-born. In particular, very recent immigrants boast a remarkable number of university graduates. This high proportion of university graduates is most likely a result of immigrant selection policy, which places a large emphasis on education for immigrants in the economic category.

When education levels are compared by age group, the younger generation has a much higher level of education than older groups, whether born inside or outside Canada. Seven in ten Canadian-born persons under 45 years of age have a post-secondary diploma or degree, compared to 45% of men age 65 and over and 31% of women age 65 and over. A similar difference in educational qualifications is observed among immigrants.

Eighty-six percent of aged 25-44 who immigrated during the 1996-2001 period have a post-secondary diploma or degree, compared to 68% of Canadian-born men. Eight in ten very recent immigrant women in the same age group have a post-secondary diploma or degree, also surpassing their Canadian-born contemporaries. The pattern in other age groups for post-secondary degrees and diplomas is similar. In 1996,1 immigrants who had landed in the five years prior to the census were not as well educated as very recent immigrants in 2001.

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

Seven out of ten men who immigrated after 1986 and have a post-secondary diploma or degree majored in physical sciences, engineering or trades. This compares to five out of ten Canadian-born men. Among women with a post-secondary diploma or degree, almost four in ten recent immigrants have studied some physical science or technology, compared to just over one in ten Canadian-born women with similar education levels.

By contrast, recent immigrants are represented in smaller proportions than the Canadian-born in the social sciences, education and the arts (taken as a group), and commerce, management and business administration (taken as a group). Nearly one-half of Canadian-born women have diplomas or degrees in social science, education and the arts compared to one-third of very recent immigrant women. For men, the share of diplomas and degrees in social sciences, education and the arts is twice as large for the Canadian-born as for very 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.

Recent immigrants more likely to attend school

Very recent immigrants are relatively likely to be in school. School attendance is at least twice as high among very recent immigrants as among the Canadian-born in both the 25-44 and 45-64 age groups, and it is also relatively high among those who landed during the 1986-1995 period.

School attendance, of course, is much higher in the youngest age group, persons of 15 to 24 years of age, than in older age groups. Here, also, we find a higher rate of attendance among recently immigrated men and women than among their Canadian-born counterparts. By and large, school attendance rates for all immigrant cohorts were similar in the 1996 Census.

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