Immigration

6 Pages 1500 Words

Immigration

Immigration is a worldwide phenomenon. Canada is an increasingly

ethnically diverse country. Canada’s reflection of ethnic diversity is due to the

increasing flow of immigration. The vast majority of Canadians are born in

Canada, and most of them are from European descent.

Close to, half of all immigrants that came to Canada between 1991 and

1996 reveal a first language other than French or English. During this time,

many immigrants came from Asia and the Middle East. It’s been reported

that 29 percent of Canadians have more than one ethnic origin. Native

peoples make up about 3 percent and blacks about 2 percent of the

population.

Canada has an open immigration program that accepts newcomers

approximately from every other country in the world. The estimated population

in 2002 was 31,902,268.

Immigration is important in maintaining Canada’s population. The

current childbearing generation has smaller families than earlier generations:

the fertility rate is 1.6, less than the population replacement rate of 2.1. At

the same time, older people are living longer, so that the average age of the

population is higher. In 2002, Canada’s rate of natural increase was 0.36

percent, resulting from a birth rate of 11.1 per 1,000 persons and a death rate

of 7.5 per 1,000. There is a downward trend in the birth index—in 1981, it was

15.3—and the likely result will be zero growth or population loss. For this

reason the Canadian government in the 1980’s decided to balance the low

birth rate by allowing more immigration into the country.

The way immigrants adjust to life in Canada has much to do with the

reason why they came here. Most modern immigrants are motivated to

relocate far from their homelands by the desire to improve their and their

family’s lives. Such people are known as economic immigrants. They r...