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

Part B: Who Are the Recent Immigrants?

Origin, immigration category and religion

Asian origins are increasingly important

Victoria’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 4,800 residents of Victoria who had landed in Canada between 1996 and 2001. The most common country of birth for these immigrants was the United States, accounting for 10% of these new residents, followed by Taiwan, also supplying 10%. In general, the birth origins of Victoria’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 increasingly important among those who immigrated in the 1980s and 1990s.

Among Victoria’s earlier immigrants—those who landed in Canada before 1986—the United Kingdom and the United States were the most common countries of birth, accounting for one-half of this immigrant group. The United States and the United Kingdom remain important sources of new immigrants in more recent years.

Victoria's share of recent immigrants varies by country of birth

Of the 69,700 United Kingdom-born individuals who immigrated since 1986 and were living in Canada in 2001, 1,750 or 2.5% were living in Victoria. Victoria is home to a larger share of recent immigrants from South Africa, Germany and the United States than of immigrants generally. On average, 0.6% of recent immigrants chose Victoria as their place of residence. A larger share of Canada's earlier immigrants makes Victoria their residence (1.1% of all earlier immigrants). Victoria is home to a slightly smaller share of the 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 Victoria’s share being 0.1% or more.

Large majority immigrated through family and economic categories

Statistics published by Citizenship and Immigration Canada show that the number of immigrants who reported Victoria as their destination when they landed in Canada increased by 1,200 between the second half of the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s and decreased by 1,700 in the second half of the 1990s. The rise was concentrated in the family and economic immigrant categories. Throughout the 1990s, 50% of immigrants arriving in Canada and destined for Victoria entered through the family category and slightly fewer 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.

The number of immigrants entering through the family class increased in the first half of the 1990s. Within the family class, the number of spouses peaked in the early 1990s and then declined in the most recent period. The number of other relatives—parents and grandparents, sons and daughters, and fiancés—fell sharply from about 1,600 during the 1991-1995 period to 800 during the 1996-2000 period.

As for refugees, government-assisted and privately-sponsored refugees became much less numerous. Four hundred government-assisted refugees were destined to Victoria when they landed during the 1986-1990 period, almost none in the following period, and 100 in 1996-2000. About 100 privately-sponsored refugees entered in the second half of the 1990s, one-half of the number that entered in the second half of the 1980s. The number of asylum seekers increased from minor importance to the same level as the other two refugee categories.

Skilled workers and their dependants account for the lion's share of economic immigrants. The flow of these new entrants destined for Victoria peaked in 1991-1996 and has fallen slightly in the most recent five-year period.

Religions changing with countries of origin

While many very recent immigrants are Christians, the shares adhering to Muslim and Buddhist faiths are higher than among earlier immigrants. Almost all of the Canadian-born adhere to Christian denominations or report having no religion.

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

Protestants are relatively more numerous among the Canadian-born than among immigrants in Victoria. Nearly two-fifths of the Canadian-born are Protestant, with the Anglican Church having the largest following among the major Protestant churches, accounting for 17% of the Canadian-born population. The share of very recent immigrants who are Protestants is about one-fifth.

Age and gender

Nearly one-half of very recent immigrants are 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 in the 25-44 age group and proportionally fewer seniors and persons aged 45 to 64. Nearly one-half of very recent immigrants living in Victoria were between the ages of 25 and 44, compared to three-tenths of Canadian-born individuals. Fifteen percent of very recent immigrants were aged 45 to 64, compared to one-quarter of their Canadian-born counterparts.

Children under 15 years of age accounted for nearly one-fifth of the very recent immigrant population and the Canadian-born population and a much smaller share of other immigrant cohorts. This latter fact is partly 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 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 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, Victoria Census Metropolitan Area, 2001 (percentage distribution)

More women than men

The proportion of women in the recent immigrant population in Victoria is similar to but, at 53% to 55%, higher than that of the Canadian-born population. More than 71% of recent immigrants from Japan, the Philippines and Ukraine are women.

There are 1,200 more women than men among the 14,200 recent immigrants in Victoria. The number of women is particularly high among recent immigrants from the Philippines (400 more women than men out of 900 recent immigrants) and Japan (150 more women than men out of 350 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, over 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 France, Yugoslavia and Romania. More than 60% of recent immigrants from these countries are men. Men outnumber women by 60 among the 210 recent immigrants from Yugoslavia and by 80 among the 100 recent immigrants from France.

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

Language and education

Almost all very recent immigrants speak English or French

A large majority of Victoria’s immigrants of 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 from 1996 to 2001, almost all (95% of men and 94% 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 is about the same among those who immigrated during the 1986-1995 period and even higher among those who immigrated before 1986: 98% of women and 99% of men who immigrated before 1986 indicated that they were able to speak an official language.

The proportion of Victoria’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. Among those aged 45 to 64, however, the percentage that can speak English or French falls, and more so for women than for men. For seniors aged 65 and over, having ability to converse in English or French is least likely, with the percentage being lower for men than for women.

Ability to converse in either or both official languages has improved with the very recent immigrant cohort: 5% more men and 6% 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 share of economic immigrants and perhaps also greater awareness among immigrants of the need to speak Canada’s languages before and after arrival.

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

For a large number of Victoria’s recent immigrants, the language spoken most often at home is one other than English or French. Nearly one-half of immigrants who landed between 1996 and 2001 most often speak a foreign language in their homes.

The use of foreign languages is also high among other immigrant cohorts. More than one-third of those who immigrated between 1986 and 1995 and one in ten of those who immigrated prior to 1986 most often spoke 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, Victoria Census Metropolitan Area, 2001 (percentage)

The use of foreign languages in the home among very recent immigrants was nearly as high in 2001 as in 1996, when exactly one-half of the latest arrivals reported the use of a foreign language in the home. However, among those who had lived in Canada from five to 15 years, 36% commonly used a foreign language in 2001, compared to 31% in 1996.

Many university graduates among recent immigrants

The share of immigrants with only a minimal education is slightly higher than the share of the Canadian-born with a minimal education. The Canadian-born are more likely than recent immigrants to have some high school. Very recent immigrants, however, boast a high number of university graduates. The high proportion of university graduates is most likely a result of immigrant selection policy. A large share of very recent immigrants have entered as economic immigrants, and education is an important admission criterion in this 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. Only 12% of women and 17% of men under 45 years of age born in Canada have not completed high school, compared to four in ten seniors. Slightly less than two-thirds of Canadian-born persons under 45 years of age have a post-secondary diploma or degree, compared to two-fifths of persons of 65 years of age and over. A similar difference in educational qualifications is observed among immigrants.

Fields of study quite similar

The educational choices of immigrants with post-secondary training are on the whole quite similar to those of the Canadian-born. Five in ten men who immigrated after 1985 and have a post-secondary diploma or degree majored in physical sciences, engineering or trades, a share similar to that of Canadian-born men. However, among women with a post-secondary diploma or degree, one-fifth of recent immigrants have studied some physical science or technology. This is twice the share of Canadian-born women in this field of study.

Recent immigrants are also strongly represented in the social sciences, education and the arts and commerce, management and business administration, with a share of post-secondary graduates in these fields similar to that of the Canadian-born. The share who studied for health professions among very recent immigrant men is about the same as among Canadian-born men. For recent immigrant women, study in the health professions was chosen by 16%, compared to 21% of Canadian-born women.

Recent immigrants more likely to attend school

Very recent immigrants are relatively likely to be in school. School attendance is at least eight percentage points higher for this group than 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, persons of 15 to 24 years of age, than in older age groups. Here we find a higher rate of attendance among recently immigrated men and women than among their Canadian-born counterparts. School attendance rates for all recent immigrant cohorts are higher in 2001 than in 1996.

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