Over 90% of Canada’s population are citizens.

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Over 90 of Canadas population are citizens.
Canadas population are citizens.
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Statistics Canadas recent census reveals some
key insights into the path to, and trends
surrounding obtaining Canadian citizenship for
immigrants.
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Canada at a glance

• The main report on citizenship A portrait of
  citizenship in Canada from the 2021
  censusrevealed that out of a population of 33.1
  million in Canada, the majority (91.2)
  were citizens, either by birth or
  by naturalization. Citizenship by naturalization
  (the path for immigrants) occurs when a former
  non-Canadian resident of Canada, eventually
  becomes eligible and earns the legal status of a
  citizen.
• The remaining 8.8 of the population were
  non-Canadian (either permanent residents or tempor
  ary residents).

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Moving from non-Canadian to Citizen

• In 2021, four out of five (80 of) eligible immigr
  ants had obtained Canadian citizenship. the
  naturalization rate (percentage of eligible
  immigrants who have obtained Canadian
  citizenship) has dropped from 87.8 in 2011.
• This drop in the naturalization rate is a key
  concern for the government and is likely
  exaggerated by certain policy changes that Canada
  has already moved to correct. For example

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• correct. For example
• Physical presence requirements for naturalization
  changed between 2015 and 2017, increasing from
  three to four years, and with no ability for
  applicants to claim time spent as temporary
  residents. After changes to the Citizenship Act
  in 2017, this requirement returned to three
  years, with applicants once more able to claim
  time spent in Canada as temporary residents and
• The fee to apply for a citizenship
  grant increased in 2015 (currently it is 630
  CAD). The Liberal government had promised in late
  2019 that they would waive these fees, to reduce
  the financial burden on lower-income households
  while they are yet to follow through on this
  promise, it is likely that once fees are waived
  more lower-income households will be eligible for
  naturalization.

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The natural move to citizenship

• While the last ten years have seen a decline in
  the rate of naturalization, they do similarly
  show that as time increased in the country,
  people were increasingly likely to pursue
  citizenship.
• For example, of immigrants admitted to Canada
  before 2001, 94 had obtained Canadian
  citizenship by 2021. Comparatively, of immigrants
  admitted from 2011-2015, little more than half
  had obtained citizenship.
• These findings suggest that there is a natural
  process by which more and more people from each
  immigrant cohort pursue and/or become eligible
  for Canadian citizenship as time passes.

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The need for non-citizens

• One of the key findings from the study was that
  while the median age of Canadian citizens was
  41.2 years of age, the median age of non-Canadian
  citizens living in Canada (temporary or permanent
  residents) was 33.6 years.
• This is a crucial discovery that is in line with
  Canadas immigration aims, as in the face of an
  aging population and low birth rate, Canada will
  look to address labour shortages and market needs
  through immigration.

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Where will the Canadians of tomorrow hail from?

• Among both permanent residents and temporary
  residents, the most reported citizenship
  was Indian, accounting for more than a quarter of
  all temporary residents.
• Roughly one in ten permanent and temporary
  residents reported Chinese citizenship with the
  Philippines trailing close behind in terms of
  permanent residents.

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• The third most common nationality among
  non-permanent residents was French.
• These findings make it increasingly clear that
  Asia will continue to be a key source region of
  not just immigrants, but also future Canadian
  citizens.
• Additionally, the increasing number of
  non-permanent residents who were French meets the
  policy aims of both the Quebec and federal
  governments, who will be looking to
  increase Francophone immigration across Canada.

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Key takeaways

• Immigration remains a key concern for Canada, and
  the gradual lowering of the naturalization rate
  will likely be a focal point for the federal
  government and Immigration Refugees and
  Citizenship Canada (IRCC) moving forward
  especially as the median age of non-Canadians in
  Canada is within prime working ages.
• This being said, Canadas high quality of life
  continues to guarantee strong rates of
  immigration and immigrant retention, meaning that
  even if the naturalization rate is low, Canada is
  still likely to have high rates of new immigrants
  and permanent residents every year (as evidenced
  by targets within the new Immigration Levels Plan.

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