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

Part B: Who Are the Recent Immigrants?

Origin, immigration category and religion

Twenty percent of recent immigrants are from France

Québec’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 5,300 residents of Québec who had very recently landed in Canada, between 1996 and 2001. The top ten source countries of these very recent immigrants are scattered over five different continents.

France has been the top source country of immigrants to Québec for a long time and is the country of birth of 22% of the total immigrant population of Québec. The countries of birth of Québec’s immigrant population are different from those of immigrants to Canada in general, with five of the ten top countries of birth of very recent immigrants—France, Morocco, Algeria, Romania and Haiti—being French-speaking or having historical connections to France and its language.

Among Québec’s earlier immigrants—those arriving in Canada before 1986—France and the United States were the most common countries of birth, accounting for 38% of this group. In general, the birth origins of Québec’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 in the 1970s. More recently, the source countries of immigrants to Québec have become much more diverse.

Québec’s share of recent immigrants varies by country of birth

For some immigrant groups, Québec is a preferred city of residence. Of the 27,500 France-born individuals who immigrated to Canada since 1986, 2,100 or 7.7% were living in Québec in 2001. Québec is also home to 3.2% of Canada’s recent immigrants from Morocco, 3.1% of Canada’s recent immigrants from Colombia, and 2.9% of Canada’s recent immigrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina. On average, 0.4% of recent immigrants in Canada chose Québec as their place of residence, compared to 2.7% of the country’s Canadian-born population.

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 Québec’s share being 0.1% or more.

Large numbers of economic immigrants and refugees

Statistics published by Citizenship and Immigration Canada show that the number of immigrants who reported Québec as their destination when they landed in Canada increased by 2,600 between the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, and decreased by 100 in the second half of the 1990s. The rise was concentrated in the economic immigrant and family class categories. Approximately 45% of the 1996-2000 immigrant cohort destined for Québec entered Canada as economic immigrants, 20% as family class immigrants and 35% as refugees. The share of refugees in 1996-2000 is nearly three times as large as for Canada as a whole.

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. Immigration categories are described in the Glossary.

The number of immigrants entering through the family class increased in the first half of the 1990s, and then fell back to the 1990 level during the 1996-2000 period. Within the family class, the number of spouses decreased by one-quarter over the three five-year periods. The number of other relatives—parents and grandparents, sons and daughters, and fiancés—increased from about 600 during the 1986-1990 period to 700 during the 1996-2000 period.

Nearly 2,000 government-assisted refugees were destined to Québec during the 1991-1995 period and 2,300 in the second half of the 1990s. Only 100 privately-sponsored refugees were destined to Québec when they landed in the second half of the 1990s—one-half the number that entered in the second half of the 1980s. During the 1990s, 500 asylum seekers and dependants entered Canada intending to settle in Québec.

Québec attracted a large number of skilled workers and their families—3,200 in both the first and second half of the 1990s as well as 100 entrepreneurs with their families in each of the five-year periods.

Religions changing with countries of origin

Recent immigrants are changing the religious landscape of Québec. While the majority of very recent immigrants living in Québec are Christians, the shares affiliated with the Muslim faith and those reporting no religious affiliation are higher than among earlier immigrants.

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 more than ninety percent of the Canadian-born population residing in Québec. Although Roman Catholics are numerous among earlier immigrants, their share has fallen among more recent immigrants. Seventy percent of immigrants who arrived before 1986 reported Roman Catholicism as their faith—among very recent immigrants the share has fallen to 43%.

Age and gender

One-half of recent immigrants are young adults

The age distribution of the very recent immigrant population (those arriving between 1996 and 2001) is markedly different from that of the Canadian-born population, with a larger proportion in the 0-14 years and 25-44 years age groups, and proportionally fewer adults 45 years of age and over. In 2001, one-half of very recent immigrants living in Québec were between the ages of 25 and 44 years, compared to 30% of the Canadian-born. Seniors 65 years of age and over accounted for only 2% of the recent immigrant population compared to 12% of the Canadian-born population, while persons 45 to 64 years of age accounted for only 6% of very recent immigrants compared to 28% of the Canadian-born population.

Children less than 15 years of age account for 30% of the very recent immigrant population compared to 19% of immigrants who landed during the 1986-1995 period and 16% 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-born 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 less than 15 years of age among immigrants who arrived 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 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 arrived more than thirty 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, Québec Census Metropolitan Area, 2001 (percentage distribution)

More women than men among recent immigrants

The proportion of women in the recent immigrant population in Québec is the same as that in the Canadian-born population overall, but for some countries of birth it is much higher. More than 61% of recent immigrants from China, the United States and Mexico are women.

There are 400 more women than men among the 11,200 recent immigrants in Québec. The number of women is particularly high among recent immigrants from China (490 more women than men out of 720 recent immigrants) and the United States (170 more women than men out of 350 recent immigrants). Two-thirds of recent immigrants aged 25 to 64 from the United States are women.

At the opposite end of the spectrum of gender mix are Portugal, Morocco and El Salvador. Fifty-five percent or more of recent immigrants from these countries are men. Men outnumber women by 80 among the 430 recent immigrants from Morocco and by 40 among the 320 recent immigrants from El Salvador. The gender balance, by country of origin, has not changed greatly since 1996.

Language and education

Almost all very recent immigrants speak French or English

A large majority of Québec’s immigrants 15 years of age and over report being able to carry on a conversation in at least one of Canada’s two official languages. Even among very recent immigrants, who arrived in Canada during the 1996 to 2001 period, almost all reported being able to speak an official language in May 2001. Less than 5% of these very recent immigrants could not speak either official language. Knowledge of official languages is about the same among those who immigrated during the 1986-1995 period and even higher among earlier immigrants—99% of both men and women who immigrated before 1986 indicated they were able to speak an official language.

The proportion of Québec’s immigrants who report being able to carry on a conversation in French or English decreases with age. Among younger immigrants who landed in Canada between 1996 and 2001, virtually all are able to speak an official language and there is little difference between men and women in this regard. The shares are almost as high in the 25 to 44 age group. Among those aged 45 years and over, however, the percentage that can speak French or English is lower.

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 the cohort who landed in the five years prior to the 1996 Census.

One-quarter of very recent immigrants speak a foreign language at home

For some of Québec’s recent immigrants, the language spoken most often at home is one other than French or English. Slightly more than one-quarter of recent immigrants—both very recent immigrants and those who immigrated between 1986 and 1995—most often speak a foreign language in their homes. The use of a foreign language at home is lower among the earlier immigrant population. Ten percent 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, Québec Census Metropolitan Area, 2001 (percentage)

The use of foreign languages in the home among Québec’s very recent immigrant population was lower in 2001 in comparison to 1996. Thirty-seven percent of the very recent immigrant cohort who landed in the five-year period prior to the 1996 Census reported use of a foreign language in the home. Québec’s share of very recent immigrants reporting use of a foreign language in the home is also low in comparison to most other cities in Canada, where more than one-half of very recent immigrants use a foreign language at home.

Many university graduates among very recent immigrants

There are large differences in educational attainment between the Canadian-born and the various immigrant cohorts. University degrees are more common among all immigrant groups than among the Canadian-born. In particular, very recent immigrants boast a high proportion 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 immigrants have a much higher level of education than older groups, whether born in or outside Canada. In almost all cases, the proportion of Québec’s immigrants 25 years of age and over without a high school diploma is similar to or lower than the Canadian-born of the same age. The proportion of immigrants with post-secondary qualifications is higher than the Canadian-born for persons 25 years of age and over.

Three-quarters of recent immigrants aged 25-44 years—both men and women—have a post-secondary diploma or degree, compared to 64% of Canadian-born men and 68% of Canadian-born women in this age group. Only twelve percent of Québec’s recent immigrants less than 45 years of age do not have a high school diploma compared to 13% of the city’s Canadian-born population in this age group.

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

Sixty percent of men who immigrated after 1995 and have a post-secondary diploma or degree majored in physical sciences, engineering or trades, compared to one-half of Canadian-born men. Among women with a post-secondary diploma or degree, one-quarter of very recent immigrants have studied physical sciences, engineering or trades—twice the share of Canadian-born women in this field of study.

Recent immigrants are also strongly represented in the social sciences, education and arts, with a share of post-secondary graduates similar to that of the Canadian-born (35%). Their presence in commerce, management and business administration is slightly lower than that of the Canadian-born. The share of health professionals among recent immigrants is similar to that of the Canadian-born.

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 years age groups.

School attendance, of course, is much higher in the youngest age group—persons 15 to 24 years of age—than in the older age groups. School attendance among recent immigrants is higher than among their Canadian-born counterparts. By and large, school attendance rates were similar for all immigrant cohorts to those in 1996.

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