Immigrants from China, 1885-1952

Search for records of Chinese immigrants who came to Canada and Newfoundland between 1885 and 1952. Also included are some records for people born in Canada to Chinese parents. Some records may contain photos.

Many of the records in this database exist because of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885, which was the first immigration law in Canada to exclude individuals on the basis of ethnic origin. This Act, and the later Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, introduced discriminatory policies such as the Head Tax and heavily restricted Chinese immigration into the country. The final legislative restrictions on Chinese immigration to Canada were only lifted in 1947.

Search Immigrants from China, 1885-1952

Search tips

In the All these words box, enter a name
Optional:
- In date, enter a specific year or time period
- For Specific terms, select "Certificate Number" and enter it in the box to the right
  - You can also search by certificate number only
- For Type of record, select a type from the drop-down menu
  - If you select "Newfoundland register" or a "C.I.9 certificate", you can add keywords such as "laundryman", "student", "scholar", or place of birth to the field marked any of these words.

About the records

The records are organized in five series.

General registers of Chinese immigration, 1885 to 1949

R1206-165-1-E / RG76-D-2-a, volumes 694 to 703 and 1061 to 1068, microfilm reels C-9510 to C-9513 and T-3484 to T-3486

The registers list the names of Chinese immigrants arriving in Canada between 1885 and 1949.

Some names are residents who arrived in Canada before 1885, but who were not registered until 1885 or later.
The names in the registers are arranged by serial number and date

These details are recorded in the registers:

Column 1: Ottawa Serial Number; Port C.I.4 Number; or Port Number Statement and Declaration
Column 2: Names
Column 3: Port or Place Where Registered
Column 4: Date of Registration
Column 5: Certificate Issued C.I.5
Column 6: Certificate Issued C.I.6 or File Number
Column 7: Fees Paid-Amount
Column 8: Sex
Column 9: Age
Column 10: Place of Birth: City or Village
Column 11: Place of Birth: District
Column 12: Place of Birth: Province etc.
Column 13: Title, Official Rank, Profession or Occupation
Column 14: Last Place of Domicile
Column 15: Arrival in Canada-Port or Place of
Column 16: Arrival in Canada-Name of Vessel, Railway or Other Conveyance
Column 17: Arrival in Canada-Date of
Column 18: Physical Marks or Peculiarities

Port of New Westminster register of Chinese immigration, 1887 to 1908

R1206-166-3-E / RG76-D-2-b-i, volume 693, microfilm reel C-9510

This register lists the names of Chinese immigrants who paid the head tax at New Westminster, British Columbia in the years 1887 to 1898, 1907 and 1908.

This is the only register for this port
Names in this New Westminster register should also be found in the General Registers
The names are arranged in numerical order by declaration number

These details are recorded in the register:

Column 2: No. of Statement and Declaration
Column 3: Name
Column 5: Date of Registration
Column 6: Certificate Issued C.I.5
Column 7: Certificate Issued C.I.6
Column 8: Fees Paid-Amount
Column 9: Sex
Column 10: Age
Column 11: Place of Birth: City or Village
Column 12: Place of Birth: District
Column 13: Place of Birth: Province etc.
Column 14: Title, Official Rank, Profession or Occupation
Column 15: Last Place of Domicile
Column 16: Arrival in Canada-Port or Place of
Column 17: Arrival in Canada-Name of Vessel, Railway or Other Conveyance
Column 18: Arrival in Canada-Date of
Column 19: Physical Marks or Peculiarities
Column 20: Remarks

Newfoundland register of arrivals and outward registrations, 1906 to 1949

R1206-174-2-E / RG76-D-2-d-v, volume 1071, microfilm reel T-3487

Newfoundland was not part of Canada until 1949, so these names are not part of the general registers. This register contains two separate lists of names.

Chinese immigrants who entered under the Newfoundland Chinese Immigration Act of 1906

The people in these lists entered Newfoundland from June 4, 1910 to March 26, 1949 and were given NF 63 certificates (numbered 1 to 384). These details are recorded in the register:

Date
Name
Age
NF 63 Certificate Number
Conveyance (Ship)
Birthplace
Occupation
Amount of Head Tax Paid
Case File Number

Chinese people who left Newfoundland temporarily or permanently

The people in these lists left Newfoundland from September 6, 1906 to February 24, 1950 and were given Newfoundland C.I.9 certificates. These details are recorded in the register:

Date
Name
Alias
Age
C.I.9 Certificate Number
Date of Readmission
Birthplace
Original Year of Entry

C.I.9 certificates

R1206-170-5-E / RG76-D-2-d-i, microfilm reels T-6038 to T-6052. Note that there are no volume numbers

Between 1885 and 1952, Chinese people leaving Canada for a short time had to formally register with immigration authorities. They were given a C.I.9 certificate that was valid for a limited time only.

This database includes these C.I.9 certificates:

issued in Vancouver between 1910 and 1919 for people born outside Canada
issued in Vancouver between 1915 and 1939 for people born in Canada
issued in Victoria between 1910 and 1920 for people born outside Canada
issued in Victoria between 1913 and 1952 for people born in Canada

The certificates contain these details:

Date
Name
Alias
Age
Birthplace
Original Year of Entry
Current Occupation
Current Place of Residence in Canada
C.I.9 Certificate Number
Intended Destination
Photograph of the individual

For other C.I.9 records that are not yet included in the database, see Records of entry and other records (RG76 Accession 1999-00132-X). Use finding aid 76-165 for the certificate numbers that correspond to the microfilm reel. Those reels have been digitized on Héritage.

C.I.44 forms and indexes

R1206-294-1-E / RG76-D-2, microfilm reels T-16156 to T-16163 (index cards) and microfilm reels T-16164 to T-16184 (individual forms).

The C.I.44 is a one-page form for people of Chinese origin or descent in Canada, who were required to register under section 18 of the Chinese Immigration Act of 1923, commonly known as the Chinese Exclusion Act. The index cards are organized roughly in alphabetical order. They can be used to access the forms by searching an individual’s name.

The forms contain the following information:

Name, aliases
Address
Age
Birthplace
Date of arrival, port of entry and ship
Occupation
Marital status
Name and address of spouse and/or children in Canada
Amount of Head Tax paid
Other certificate number (C.I.5, C.I.28, C.I.30 or C.I.36)
Photograph

Other places to look

Passenger lists 1865 to 1935
- There are no passenger lists for:
  - arrivals in British Columbia before 1905
  - arrivals in Newfoundland
  - ships leaving Canada (some Chinese immigrants were allowed to visit family in China)
- For Chinese residents leaving Newfoundland, you may find their names in the passenger lists for arrivals at the port of North Sydney, Nova Scotia

Access the records

Individual records are digitized in the database.

You may also browse through the images on the digitized microfilm at Héritage:

Page details

2026-02-16

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