The last few years have seen a general move by Canada to welcome more immigrants, with the country and indeed the communities that welcome people, largely hoping for a long-term relationship.  New research from Western University suggests that the age of the eldest child is a key factor in how mobile immigrants prove to be after landing in their new home.

The researchers highlight how the country is looking to attract immigrants in a bid to ensure regions have access to the skilled labor they need to thrive.  The study attempts to understand the migration patterns of immigrant families and their motivations for moving after arriving.

“Families with older children are more likely to stay put,” the researchers say. “It seems that parents time their move to not interfere with their children’s high school attendance.”

Home sweet home

The researchers paired income-tax data and administrative immigration files with census data to try and understand the mobility patterns of migrants in the country.

“If we were to qualitatively ask an immigrant parent why they move, they often say they want better educational and lifelong opportunities for their children,” the researchers explain. “If you are coming from a country with a lot of human capital, and a lot of resources, you have a lot of expectations for your children’s educational success, you invest in it, and you look to achieve upward mobility.”

It should, of course, be said that this approach is not confined to immigrants, and many native citizens also anchor themselves in one place when their children are in high school for the very same reasons.  Indeed, the authors cite Barack Obama’s decision to remain in Washington after leaving office for the same reason.

There are exceptions, of course, and the data suggests that immigrants arriving in large, gateway cities, such as Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto often move on in the search for affordable housing.

“As the children are growing older, families may move to suburban areas outside of the gateway cities, still within their metropolitan areas but outside of their census tract, to find more spacious housing and a lower cost of living,” the researchers explain.

The need for talent

The authors highlight the crucial role immigrants play in fueling productivity in Canada, but, as elsewhere, there are political and economic issues with the movement of people that require understanding to mitigate.  Not least among these are potential regional inequalities as areas struggle to attract the talent they dearly need.

“A lot of places, like Atlantic Canada and rural communities in the Prairies, have great difficulty in both recruiting, as well as retaining, immigrant populations,” the researchers explain.

Indeed, the data suggests that over 90% of immigrants are located in the 20 largest metropolitan areas, with over 60% of immigrants living in Montreal, Vancouver, or Toronto.

“A bulk of the focus for different immigration agencies in regions like Atlantic Canada are to attract a lot of immigrants, but it seems to me that in order for them to have a stable labour force, comprised at least partially of immigrants, more attention should be paid to immigrant retention,” the researchers conclude. “They should consider recruiting families with children attending school.”

Previous works have shown that the provision of things such as multicultural community centers, safe schools, and a range of employment-related services are often crucial to retaining immigrant families.