Introduction

Immigration is a defining feature of Canada and its history. Canada has always welcomed people from around the world to visit, study, live and work, and make important contributions to its economy. Canada defines itself as a multicultural society. Immigrants currently represent 1 in 5 people in the country.

Over the years, Canada has consistently emerged and is still the most popular destination where people wish to immigrate due to its friendly ecosystem and policies designed to attract students, skilled workers and entrepreneurs.

In 2018 and 2019, Canada welcomed the highest number of permanent residents since 1913 with over 300,000 admissions. This was necessitated to ensure that the economy continues to grow and can rely on a diverse and skilled supply of labour to compete globally .

Immigration Supports Canada’s Economic Growth and Demographic Needs

Immigration will continue to be a key driver in advancing Canada’s economy. It is interesting to note that 34% of people working in scientific research and development services across Canada are foreign-born. Nearly 500,000 immigrants working in Canada are trained in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Immigrants represent 24% of the national workforce but account for 39% of computer programmers, 41% of engineers and more than 50% of all chemists.

International students represent 12% of students in the country’s post-secondary education system but account for 27% of all students enrolled in mathematics, computer and information sciences programs and 19% of all students in architecture, engineering and related programs.

Further, in the field of business, immigrants account for 33% of all business owners with paid staff, creating important local jobs in all sectors of our economy such as construction, professional services, healthcare and retail trade.

Immigration to Canada is especially important in the context two demographic trends. Canada has a low birth rate. Canada’s birth rate was 10.376 births per 1,000 people in 2019, representing a small 0.73% decline from 2018. By comparison, the general fertility rate in the United States in 2019 was 58.2 births per 1,000. Canada’s low birth rate is coupled with an aging workforce. Those aged 65 and over made up 16.1% of the population in 2015 and are expected to exceed 24% by 2035. Given these demographic trends, immigration is key to achieving net labour force growth. By the early 2030s, it is expected that Canada’s population growth will rely exclusively on immigration.

Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023

Canada recently made headlines with the announcement of its historic immigration initiative. On October 30, 2020, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) presented the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan. The stated purpose of the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan is to bolster Canada’s economy through immigration. The Immigration Levels Plan aims to welcome 1.2 million immigrants in the next three years. The table below represents the ambitious Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023 with visa category-wise allocation of targeted admissions.

New immigrants are expected primarily to fill jobs in sectors experiencing shortages as a result of the pandemic. Randstad Canada, a human resources consulting firm, released its predictions for 2021 on the top jobs in Canada. The following are some of the positions that are expected to be in high-demand throughout 2021:

1. Customer Service Representative
2. Driver
3. Registered nurse
4. General labourer
5. Electrical engineer
6. Software developer
7. Accountant
8. HR manager
9. Financial advisor
10. Tech Sector

Role of Immigration in Shaping Canada’s History

Canadian history captures the experience of a young country that has grown into a bilingual and multicultural economic powerhouse. It is often referred to as a land of immigrants because millions of newcomers have settled here and helped to build a peaceful, cosmopolitan and entrepreneurial way of life.

Immigration started with settlers from France, England and the United Kingdom including Scotland and Ireland. Later waves drew immigrants from Sweden, Germany, Holland and Italy, among many other continental European countries. In 1937, John Buchan, the 1st Baron Tweedsmuir and Governor General of Canada (1935-40), said that immigrant groups “should retain their individuality and each make its contribution to the national character,” a philosophy that is carried forward in Canada’s Multiculturalism policy.

After an initial unsuccessful foray by Vikings to settle in Canada in approximately 1,000 AD, Europeans arrived in Canada during the age of colonial expansions. In 1497, King Henry VII of England set the Italian John Cabot on an expedition to Newfoundland. Cabot discovered great riches of fish off the Canadian coastline.

By the 1530s, the French sent their own expedition to explore and seek to settle the Canadian territories. Frenchman Jacques Cartier sailed into the inner continent through the St. Lawrence River during the 1530s, claiming the territory as French, and referring to that land as New France.

The English and French settlers were, however, never quite “discoverers” of the Canadian territories. Aboriginal populations with rich histories lived throughout the land that would become Canada. The Mohawk, Algonquin and Hurons tribes lived in south-eastern Canada across Quebec and Ontario. The Black Foot and Cree tribes lived in the Prairie provinces. The Haida and related tribes made their homes in the Pacific Northwest (today’s British Columbia). And, finally, the Inuit tribes lived in the great Northern West Territories and the Yukon. The aboriginal peoples of Canada are today referred to as the First Nations, and their unique heritage, cultures and outstanding achievements are firmly part of Canada’s multicultural society. Every year, National Aboriginal Day is annually held on June 21 to coincide with the summer solstice, a day that holds cultural significance in many aboriginal cultures.

In 1604, the French made a renewed attempt at a European settlement in the Canadian territories. The most successful endeavor was led by Samuel de Champlain, who founded Port-Royal in Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia) and claimed “New France” for the French crown. Champlain would go on to spread settlements along the St. Lawrence River, most famously in Quebec City, in what would become the capital of Canada’s French-speaking province of Quebec. Forty years later missionaries founded a fur trading outpost on the Island of Montreal in what would become Montreal, Canada’s second-largest city and its cosmopolitan meeting point of French and English cultures.

Rivalry between French colonists in the Quebec territory and English settlers in the south in the territories of Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York guaranteed that the Canadian territories would become embroiled in the struggle for dominance between these two great powers. Eventually, after the Seven Years War, in 1763, the Treaty of Paris handed New France to Britain.

The British Crown, however, maintained the French language, forms of government and Catholic religious affiliations through Quebec in 1774. The Quebec Act served to maintain French culture and traditions in Quebec, thereby eventually leading to French becoming one of Canada’s two official languages along with English.

Starting in 1776, the War of Independence between the British Crown and the 13 colonies that would become the United States raged to the south. Britain’s Canadian colonies, however, remained firmly under British rule and did not join their American cousins. The War of Independence created a new southern boundary between Canada and the United States, whereby the Great Lakes were used to draw up this boarder.

During and after the War of Independence, British Empire Loyalists – British subjects who refused to become part of the United States – flooded north from the 13 American colonies into Canada. These immigrants were joined by wave of immigrants: Dutch, German, British, Scandinavian, Aboriginal and other origins and from Presbyterian, Anglican, Baptist, Methodist, Jewish, Quaker and Catholic religious backgrounds.

Due to the demands from the new Canadians the Crown passed the Constitutional Act 1791, dividing Quebec into Lower Canada and Upper Canada, being mostly French and English respectively.

The names “upper” and “lower” come from their position along the St. Lawrence River. Upper Canada was up river, closer to the source, and Lower Canada was down river, closer to the mouth of the great waterway. To travel “up river” you had to paddle against the current. To travel “down river” you would be paddling with the current as it flowed to the Atlantic Ocean.

A century on and another wave of immigrants came to Canada. The cheap land in Upper Canada and the discovery of gold in British Columbia was sufficient to draw the attention of many Europeans and Americans.

The Naming of a Nation: “Canada”

The name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “Kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to Kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Standalone, the site of the present-day City of Québec. For lack of another name, Cartier used the word “Canada” to describe not only the village, but the entire area controlled by its chief, Donnacona.

The name was soon applied to a much larger area; maps in 1547 designated everything north of the St. Lawrence River as Canada. Soon explorers and fur traders opened up territory to the west and to the south, and the area known as Canada grew. In the early 1700s, the name referred to all French lands in what is now the American Midwest and as far south as present-day Louisiana.

The first use of Canada as an official name came in 1791, when the Province of Quebec was divided into the colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. In 1841, the two colonies were united under one name, the Province of Canada. In 1867, the Province of Canada was joined with two other British colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia through Confederation, forming a self-governing entity named Canada. The new country expanded by incorporating other parts of British North America, finishing with Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949.

The official birth of Canada was in 1867 after Britain passed the British North American Act whereby Canada had the liberty to govern itself and became the first Dominion of the British Empire. When Canada became a country in 1867, the first Prime Minister was an immigrant. Sir John Alexander Macdonald was born in Scotland on January 11, 1815, and he came to Upper Canada as a child.

Dominion Lands Act was the 1872 piece of legislation that granted a quarter section of free land (160 acres or 64.7 hectares) to any settler 21 years of age or older who paid a ten-dollar registration fee, lived on his quarter section for three years, cultivated 30 acres (12.1 hectares) and built a permanent dwelling.

During the early 1900s although Canada was in possession of its own government, its powers were still constrained. Not only was Canada restricted from signing its own treaties but it did not have representatives in international meetings or foreign embassies.

The passing of the Statute of Westminster in 1931 recognized that Canada had become equal with the United Kingdom. After the Constitution was patriated in 1982, adding to it the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada shed the final vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.

Canada currently consists of ten provinces and three territories, is a parliamentary democracy and has a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state.

History of Great Migration to Canada

Between 1901 and 1914, over 750,000 immigrants entered Canada from the United States. While many were returning Canadians, about one-third were newcomers of European extraction – Irish and Scots, Germans, Hungarians, Norwegians, Swedes, and Icelanders – who had originally settled in the American West.
Before 1914, some 170,000 Ukrainians, 115,000 Poles, and tens of thousands from Germany, France, Norway and Sweden settled in the West and developed a thriving agricultural sector.

Between 1928 and 1971, one million immigrants came to Canada through Pier 21 alone. By the 1960s, one-third of Canadians had origins that were neither British nor French, and took pride in preserving their distinct culture in the Canadian fabric.

Today, most immigrants come from China, Philippines and India. Approximately 24% of Canada’s population speaks languages other than English and French.

Why is Migrating to Canada so attractive?

Thriving Economy
Canada’s infrastructure and economy work in perfect unison to produce a well-run country. Canada is ranked 11th among the wealthiest countries in the world and is also a member of the Group of 7 industrialized countries and the OECD. Canada has maintained a steady economic growth, with GDP in the range of 1.5% to 3% per year over the last 10 years. Despite having the 38th largest population in the world, Canada has the 10th largest economy.

Top 10 Safest Countries in the World
Canada regularly ranks among the top 10 safest nations in the world on various polls and indexes. According to the Global Peace Index of 2018, Canada was ranked the 6th most peaceful nation in the world.

Access to Universal Healthcare

Canada’s universal healthcare system offers all citizens and permanent residents of Canada access to healthcare and hospital services. Since its inception in the 1960s, Canada’s version of universal healthcare has been tremendously successful, achieving a balance between access and quality. Under the universal healthcare system, every Canadian province or territory offers a public health insurance system that allows people to select their doctors and receive medical care without paying for private insurance or out-of-pocket expenses. Canada’s universal healthcare system is paid through income taxes for individuals and companies.

Free Public Education

No matter where you live in Canada, as a resident, your children have access to free public education, from primary school through to the end of high school. Universities and colleges in Canada are considered among the best in the world, and are also very economically accessible. When you arrive in Canada as an immigrant or a temporary foreign worker, you are authorized to enroll your children for free public education in your local area.

Canada’s Education System is World-Class

Canada spends more on education per capita than any other industrialized nation in the world. Canada’s K-12 public education system is regarded as one of the best in the world. Canada is also home to some of the world’s top research universities, with McGill University, the University of Toronto, McMaster University, the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia ranking among the world’s top 100 institutions.

Canada is the most attractive country for International Students

Canada ranks in the top 4 international study destinations in 2019. In 2019, 827,586 international students held valid study permits in Canada. Of these, 402,427 new study permits were issued (a 15% increase from 2018). In 2019, 11,566 study permitholders were granted permanent residency. Over the past decade, the number of postgraduation work permitholders in Canada has increased from 95,455 in 2014 to 186,055 in 2018.

Did you know that you may be eligible for domestic tuition fees at UBC if?
• You are in Canada with a full-time, long-term work permit; or
• You are the dependent or spouse of an individual who is in Canada with a full-time, long-term work permit.

Here is a list of tuition fees at some of the top-ranked Canadian universities:
• University of Toronto: 15,750–57,050 CAD/year
• University of British Columbia: 1,300–52,300 CAD/year
• McGill University: 2,230–58,300 CAD/year

There are significant advantages to becoming a permanent resident if you are planning to pursue education in Canada. For example, if you want study science at the University of British Columbia as a Canadian permanent resident, you pay just over $5,000 per year in tuition fees, rather than the nearly $38,000 per year you would have had to pay before you became a permanent resident.

One of the most Inclusive Countries in the World

Beyond being multicultural, Canada is known for its diversity and inclusivity in other ways. The country has strong support for the LGBTQ community. In 2005, Canada became the 4th nation in the world to legalize same-sex marriage and the first outside of Europe.

Women also have a strong voice in Canada. Basic women’s rights such as voting, access to birth control and abortion are long-established and protected. Canadian women have a high workforce participation rate, with 82% of women between the ages of 25 to 54 opting to work outside of their home. Beyond being multicultural, Canada is known for its diversity and inclusivity in other ways.

When Justin Trudeau was elected Prime Minister in 2015, he committed to a cabinet with 50/50 representation between genders.

Canada has a world-class public transport system
Commuting in and around Canada is effortless as there a number of airports and other functional bus, train and other transit systems in place to get commuters where they need to be safely and on time. Public transit keeps Canadian cities moving – getting people to work and school, reducing congestion and air pollution and keeping city centers vibrant. Transit is clean, safe and efficient; and considered an essential part of Canadians’ quality of life.

Open Work Permit for Spouse
Many immigrants are also curious to know whether or not their spouse or partner may join them in Canada while they are studying. As with children, a person applying for a study permit or temporary work permit is welcome to include their spouse on their application. If an application is approved with their accompanying spouse, the spouse will be eligible for an open work permit, enabling them to work full-time for any employer in Canada.

Expanding Tech Industry in need for Young IT Professionals
The tech industry across Canada is booming. It is reported that by 2020 Canada will face a shortage of 200,000 programmers and other IT professionals. The federal government is making it easier for Canadian and multinational tech firms to bring in skilled foreign workers by shortening approval visas, making work permits more readily available and offering grants and other tools available to help Canadian startups. Canada is rapidly becoming a destination of choice for employers seeking skilled tech talent. Toronto leads the pack, with big names like Google’s Sidewalk labs, Shopify, Salesforce and Facebook setting up shop in the city.

Provincial Nominee Programs Offer Additional Avenues for Immigration
The federal government works cooperatively with provincial governments on the selection of immigrants. Specifically, provinces offer a wide range of avenues to nominate eligible candidates in the skill-based and investment-based categories. These could be International Students, Skilled Workers and Entrepreneurs. There are 11 provinces which participate in the Provincial Nominee Program.

Once approved, the Provinces issue a Nomination Certificate which will give an additional 600 points towards the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and effectively guarantee an invitation to apply in a future Federal Express Entry draw.

Understanding the Canadian Immigration System
Express Entry is the most common pathway to Canadian immigration. Established in 2015, it is a selection process which provides the Government of Canada the means to manage the intake of applications and select candidates based on a ranking system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (“CRS”).

What is the Comprehensive Ranking System?
The Comprehensive Ranking System is the Government of Canada’s unique points system for ranking Express Entry candidates based on factors including age, education, skilled work experience and proficiency in English or French. An Express Entry candidate can obtain up to 1,200 points under the CRS, which is distributed across several factors.

Who can apply under The Express Entry Program?
Those who qualify for permanent residence under the following federal economic programs may apply under the Express Entry Program. These are as follows:
• Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Some Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams
• Federal Skilled Trades (FST)

How does the Express Entry Program work?
Candidates who meet the minimum criteria are entered into a pool, awarded points based on their profile and ranked by the CRS. Candidates with the highest ranking in the pool are invited to apply online for permanent residence following regular invitation rounds. The Canadian government aims to process applications within 6 months.

How do I know which program is suitable for me?
Each of the Federal economic programs under the Express Entry Program have their minimum eligibility criterion and selection factors.

Famous Canadian Immigrants

Immigrants help grow Canada’s future through their contribution to various industries. We discuss below information about key sectors like healthcare, business, arts, and culture and sports, and highlight how immigration has impacted these fields and famous immigrants who have made significant contributions in their respective fields.

Impact of immigration in healthcare
• Immigrants account for 1 out of every 4 healthcare sector workers.
• Immigrants make up 36% of all pharmacists and family physicians across Canada, as well as 39% of all dentists, 27% of all licensed practicing nurses and 35% of nurse aides and related occupations.
• More than 40% of all newcomers to Canada between 2011 and 2016 who were working in the healthcare sector were employed in the important areas of nursing and residential care facilities, as well as home healthcare services.

Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui: Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui immigrated to Canada from China. He and a team of scientists from the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto discovered the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis. He’s an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame among many other achievements.

Prof. Lakshmi P. Kotra: Prof. Lakshmi P. Kotra immigrated to Canada from India. He discovered a new anti-malaria agent through his research at the University Health Network in Toronto. Prof. Kotra now leads an international association with India for the development of drugs targeting malaria. He has won numerous awards, including the Province of Ontario Premier’s Research Excellence Award and the Canadian Society for Pharmaceutical Sciences Young Investigator Award.

Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla: Born in India, Dr. Dhalla is a professor and research scientist focusing on cardiovascular health and heart disease therapy. He’s the promoter and founder of the International Society for Heart Research and the International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences. He’s also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Member of the Order of Canada and a recipient of the Order of Manitoba. He was inducted into the Citizens Hall of Fame in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in London, Ontario.

Dr. Julio Montaner: Born in Argentina, Dr. Montaner’s work has had a tremendous impact on stopping the transmission of HIV/AIDS in Canada and globally through his highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) treatment. His honours include the Rx&D Health Research Foundation Medal of Honour and Albert Einstein World of Science Award. Dr. Montaner is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Order of British Columbia and is currently head of the division of AIDS at the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Vladimir Hachinski: Ukrainian-Canadian Dr. Vladimir Hachinski is an international authority in the field of stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s research. He has contributed significantly to the treatment and prevention of stroke and dementia and to the development of the Hachinski Ischemic Score (HIS), the standard method of identifying the treatable component of dementia. He became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Impact of Immigration in Business
• Immigrants account for 33% of all business owners with paid staff, creating important local jobs in all sectors of our economy such as construction, professional services, healthcare and retail trade.
• There are more than 600,000 self-employed immigrants across the country, and over 260,000 of them have paid employees.
• There are more than 47,000 immigrants in senior management roles across the country, including over 15,000 in finance, communications and business services sectors 12,000 in trade, broadcasting and other services, and more than 12,000 in construction, transportation, production and utilities.

Aldo Bensadoun: Born in Morocco, Aldo Bensadoun founded ALDO Group, a footwear and accessories company based in Montréal that operates in more than 100 countries around the world. On top of his retail success, Mr. Bensadoun is an active supporter of many educational, healthcare and arts institutions. Among his many other awards and distinctions, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012 and in 2014, was also named knight of L’Ordre National du Québec.

John Molson: John Molson immigrated to Canada from England and in 1786 established the brewery that still bears his name. Mr. Molson was also involved in Canada’s earliest banking, steamship and railway companies. The country continues to benefit from his family’s business and philanthropic ventures.

Peter Tielmann: Peter Tielmann immigrated to Canada from Germany and is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian furniture company EQ3. Based in Winnipeg, EQ3 products are mostly made in Canada. All of the upholstery is made in a Winnipeg factory.

Ajay Virmani: Ajay Virmani from India is the President and CEO of Cargojet, the largest cargo airline in Canada. Cargojet provides cargo services domestically and internationally and employs over 800 employees. It was named one of Canada’s Top 50 Best Managed Companies in 2005, and Virmani received the RBC Entrepreneur Award in 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cargojet dedicated multiple flights to the delivery of personal protection equipment for healthcare workers in Canada.

Karim Hakimi: Karim Hakimi is the founder of Hakim Optical, an optician chain with over 600 employees serving Canadians in 161 stores across the country. When his father died as a child, he supported his mother and siblings by grinding magnifying glass from old windowpanes in his native Iran. He continued his craft in Germany and Switzerland before coming to Canada and starting his now 40-year-old business.

Rola Dagher: Rola Dagher immigrated to Canada from Lebanon as a teenager. She worked her way up the tech industry ladder to become the head of Cisco Canada, with 1,700 employees. Not only does she advocate for mental health here at home, she has also inspired Cisco to put in place supports for employees globally. In February 2020, she was recognized for her leadership and named one of Canada’s Top 25 Women of Influence.

Impact of Immigration in Arts and Culture There are more than 80,000 immigrants working in professional and technical occupations in arts and culture across the country.
• 1 in 4 people employed as an artisan or craftsperson in Canada is an immigrant.
• Over a quarter of theater, fashion, exhibit and other creative designers are immigrants (26% of the total).
• 29% of independent artists, writers and performers are immigrants.
• Across the country, there are more than 3,000 businesses in the arts and culture sector owned by immigrants

Michael Ondaatje: Author Michael Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka and immigrated to Canada from England. He’s perhaps best known for his novel The English Patient, which was adapted to film and won 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He has won numerous literary awards such as the Man Booker Prize and the Giller Prize. He’s also an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Kim Thúy: Author Kim Thúy came to Canada as a refugee from Vietnam and settled in Quebec. A graduate in translation and law, she worked as a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer, restaurant owner and food commentator. She has published several acclaimed novels as well as a Vietnamese cookbook. Kim Thúy has received many honours and awards. Her first book, Ru (2009), won the Governor General’s Award for French-language fiction and the 2015 edition of Canada Reads. She was named Chevalière of the Ordre national du Québec and Compagne des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Domee Shi: Storyboard artist and director Domee Shi immigrated to Canada from China and studied animation at Sheridan College. She worked on major animated films for Pixar and was the first woman ever to direct a Pixar animated short, Bao. Set in Toronto, Bao won the Oscar for the Best Animated Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.

Deepa Mehta: Oscar-nominated film director and screenwriter Deepa Mehta immigrated to Canada from India. Her films include the Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005), as well as Midnight’s Children, all of which have gained international recognition. Water was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best International Feature Film category. Mehta was the Creative Executive Producer and one of the Directors for the Netflix Original Series, Leila. She’s the recipient of the Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, the Order of Ontario and more than 15 honorary degrees.

Ins Choi: Actor and playwright Ins Choi immigrated to Canada from South Korea. He’s best known for his award-winning play and television show Kim’s Convenience. The show is about a Korean immigrant family who run a Toronto convenience store.

Rohinton Mistry: Born in India, Rohinton Mistry is an award-winning Canadian author, best known for his novels Such a Long Journey, A Fine Balance and Family Matters. He has won the Governor General’s Literary Award, Commonwealth Writers Prize, Giller Prize and Neustadt International Prize, among others. He became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.

Moshe Safdie: Moshe Safdie is an Israeli-Canadian architect known for designing almost a hundred projects globally. Among his works are the 1967 World’s Fair (Expo ’67), Habitat ’67 (housing complex in Montréal) and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. He was awarded the Gold Medal from both the American Institute of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada among other accolades. He also became a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2004.

Dan Hanganu: Romanian-born Dan Hanganu was a recognized Canadian architect. His award-winning designs include several Montréal landmarks like the Pointe-à-Callière Museum of Archeology and History, HEC Montréal and other residential, institutional and cultural buildings around Québec and internationally. He was recognized by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Ordre des architects du Québec among others. He became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2009.

Mena Massoud: Mena Massoud is an Egyptian-Canadian actor who quickly rose to fame in 2019 for his lead role in Disney’s adaptation of the film Aladdin.

Rupi Kaur: Rupi Kaur is an Indian-Canadian from Toronto, Ontario, who became a New York Times bestselling author for her debut poetry book Milk and Honey, which sold over a million copies worldwide.

Raffi Cavoukian: Born in Egypt, Raffi Cavoukian is a celebrated children’s singer, author and advocate. His gold and platinum-selling records include Baby Beluga, which has millions of views on YouTube. He founded the Raffi Foundation for Child Honouring in 2015 to advance his work on respecting the earth and children. He became a Member of the Order of Canada in 1983 and received the Order of British Columbia in 2001.

Impact of immigration in Sports
• There are more than 2,800 immigrants working as athletes, coaches, officials and referees across the country.
• Immigrants make up 20% of all people working in Canada as sports coaches.
• There are more than 16,000 immigrants who earn their living as program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness.

Geraldine Heaney: Geraldine Heaney immigrated to Canada from Northern Ireland and became a pioneer in women’s hockey. She was a member of the Canadian national women’s hockey team in the first 7 Women’s World Championships, winning gold each time. She’s a 2-time Canadian Olympian (silver in 1998, gold in 2012). She was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

Donovan Bailey: Donovan Bailey immigrated to Canada from Jamaica. He won 2 Olympic golds in sprinting for Canada in 1996 with one run recorded as the fastest time ever made by a human. He was also inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

Wally Buono: Wally Buono immigrated from Italy to become one of the most legendary coaches in the Canadian Football League (CFL). After playing college football in the United States, he became a linebacker for the Montréal Alouettes. He was head coach and general manager of the Calgary Stampeders and then the BC Lions, where he retired at the end of the 2018 season. Wally’s impressive CFL career spanned a remarkable 46 years.

Bianca Andreescu: Born in Canada to Romanian parents, Bianca Andreescu became the first Canadian woman to win a tennis Grand Slam title at the 2019 U.S. Open Final. She’s currently ranked fifth worldwide by the Women’s Tennis Association.

Denis Shapovalov: Israeli-born Denis Shapovalov is the top-ranking Canadian male tennis player and fifteenth in the world. In 2017, he was named the Association of Tennis Professionals’ Newcomer of the Year and most improved player of the year.

Elvis Stojko: Elvis Stojko, of Hungarian/Slovenian descent, represented Canada at the World Figure Skating competitions. He won titles in 1994, 1995 and 1997. He’s also a 2-time Olympic silver medalist at the 1994 and 1998 Olympic Winter Games. Elvis Stojko was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Conclusion

We at Donoso & Partners believe that this is an exciting time for people interested in immigrating to Canada. In the year 2020, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held 26 rounds of draws in total and 11 all-program draws post March 18 where 5,000 invitations were issued every two weeks. While many of us are aware about the popularity of the Express Entry program, there are a plethora of other options available at both federal and provincial level for students, entrepreneurs and skilled workers. In 2019, Canada achieved its highest level of permanent resident admissions in recent history with 341,180 admissions, which was 6.3% higher than in 2018.

Canada’s policies during the COVID-19 crisis too have also depicted a strong support in favor of the international student community. Canada’s decision to allow international students whose fall 2020 courses were shifted to online mode to be eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) garnered global attention and was widely appreciated.

In 2018, the top 5 invited occupations to Canada through various provincial programs were software engineers and designers, information systems analysts and consultants, computer programmers and interactive media developers, financial auditors and accountants, and administrative assistants. Consistent with 2017 and 2018, occupations in information technology, and business and financial services continued to dominate among candidates invited to apply for permanent residence.

As reported by IRCC, India was, by a large margin, the most common country of citizenship among principal applicants and their accompanying family members admitted to Canada through Express Entry in 2017 (40%), 2018 (43%), and 2019 (46%).

Canada has also become popular for its investment led-immigration programs providing entrepreneurs across the globe an opportunity to contribute to the economy both through its Federal Programs like the Start-Up Visa Program, International Mobility Program and Intra-Company Transfer Program as well as the Provincial Nominee Programs.

Canadian companies made it to the 2019 CNBC Upstart 100 list. The ranking of the world’s most promising start-ups included Deep Genomics; Attabotics, Calgary; Nobul, Toronto; Cmd, Vancouver; and Reno Run, Montreal. Collectively these fledglings raised over $77 million in venture capital. Their funding success is indicative of a broader phenomenon. According to the Canadian Venture Capital Report, published by CPE Media Analytics, Canadian venture capital funds poured about $2.2 billion into 249 financings in the first half of 2019. The growth has been driven by scale-ups like Sonder Canada, an Airbnb partner, which raised the equivalent of $250 million in funding this past summer, the report found. With entrepreneurship percolating, Tech Toronto, a community for entrepreneurs, now estimates there are 2,500 to 4,100 active tech start-ups in that city alone.

Big tech companies such as Airbnb, Facebook and Google have a presence in cities such as Montreal and Toronto, adding to the energy of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Intel has announced plans to build a graphics-chip design lab in Toronto, Canada’s largest city. Choosing Toronto was a strategic move for Intel, which was drawn in by the city’s thriving technology landscape, as everyone from NVIDIA to Samsung has opened AI or research labs in the city in the past year. At the same time, car-hailing service Uber Technologies will be opening a massive engineering hub there as well.

At Donoso & Partners, LLC, we offer a full range of Canadian immigration services for businesses, investors and families. We have decades of experience in assisting investors, technology companies, start-up businesses and professionals from all over the world to successfully live and work in Canada. We have successfully assisted thousands of individuals and corporates in immigrating to Canada and work with all our clients to create a personalized strategy which addresses their unique needs and helps achieve their immigration goals.