Transcript Immigration Data Collection: Context, Process and Challenges Margaret Michalowski Statistics Canada UNECE Workshop on international migration statistics for countries of CIS and South Eastern Europe Nov.

Immigration Data
Collection: Context,
Process and Challenges
Margaret Michalowski
Statistics Canada
UNECE Workshop on international migration statistics for
countries of CIS and South Eastern Europe
Nov. 23-24, 2006, Edinburgh, Scotland
Key Canadian data sources
 Census of population
 Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB)
 Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC)
 Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS)
 Other household surveys



Labour Force Survey
General Social Survey
Canadian Community Health Survey
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The Canadian context
 Canada has welcomed more than 13 million international migrants since 1901
with the largest intake at the beginning of the 20th century and increasing
numbers since the 1990s.
 Immigration is an increasingly important component of population growth in
Canada – about 70% of growth in 2000s due to immigration.
 At the beginning of the 21st century, Canada has a higher proportion of foreignborn than the United States, but lower than Australia.
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Canada: 18%
Australia: 22%
United States: 11%
 Immigrants disproportionately settle in Canada’s largest cities, which they
choose because of friends and family already settled there.
 Immigrants to Canada are largely coming from Asia and the Middle East, Africa
and Latin and South America, thereby increasing the “visible minority”
population in Canada. By 2017, one in five in Canada could belong to a visible
minority group.
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Ways to identify target
populations
 Landed immigrant status
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Landed immigrant
Non-immigrant
Non-permanent resident
 Place of birth
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Inside Canada
Outside Canada
 Generational status
 Citizenship
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Canadian citizen by birth
Canadian citizen by
naturalization
Not a Canadian citizen
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First generation:
immigrants
Second generation:
children of immigrants
Third generation and
beyond
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Census of population
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Census process
 Content Determination Process

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The Consultation Process
Content Testing Program
Approval by Cabinet
 Census communications

Before May 16, 2006: Making Canadians aware of the Census and
encouraging participation. After Census day, the Communications
program is responsible for providing support for dissemination of data.
 To assist people whose first language is neither English nor French,
questions have been translated into 62 other languages, including 18
Aboriginal languages.
 Census dissemination – getting the information out to the public and
to the data users.
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Place of birth, citizenship and
immigration questions
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Figure 6A. Permanent and Non-permanent Residents: Place of Birth
Nonimmigrant
population
(persons who
are Canadian
citizens by
birth)
Permanent
residents
Total
population
(excluding
institutional
residents)
Immigrant
population
(persons who
are, or have
been, landed
immigrants)
Non-immigrant
population born
in Canada
Non-immigrant
population born
outside Canada
Immigrant
population born
outside Canada
Canadianborn
population
Foreignborn
population
Immigrant
population born
in Canada
Nonpermanent
residents1
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People who held a study or employment permit or who were refugee claimants, as well
as family members living with them, at the time of the census.
Place of birth of parents
question
 This question is used
to derive
generational status in
Canada

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
First generation
Second generation
Third generation plus
 Another measure of
diversity in Canada
that captures
immigration history
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What the Census data tell
us
 Size & origins of the immigrant population, children of
immigrants and ethnic groups.
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An important source of data for the development and
evaluation of immigration policy.
An indicator of future immigrants’ ability to adapt to Canadian
society
 Settlement & mobility patterns of immigrants over time
 Citizenship is one of the indicators of integration. One of
the benefits of citizenship is the right to vote.
Governments use this data for electoral planning.
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Advantages and limitations
of census data
 Advantages
data available for small geographic areas: cities, neighborhoods and rural
areas
 more than 100 years of historical data
 large sample size – 20% of the population is sampled
 Limitations
 no longitudinal data – cannot follow the same respondent over time
 no year of arrival information
 asks when year of landed immigrant status was obtained
 no immigration program information
 i.e. Categories of admission, landing characteristics
 outcome measures, rather than process

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How census data are used
 Data are used by all levels of government, the
private sector and social and community groups.
 Census information may be used in program
planning and development by governments.
 Businesses may use it to assess demand and
help market their products.
 Academic community and media may use to stay
abreast of topics of current interest and identify
trends in Canadian society.
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Longitudinal Immigration
Database (IMDB)
 Administrative database of linked
immigration files with taxation files
 Supported by a federal-provincial
consortium, led by the department of
Citizenship & Immigration Canada
(CIC)
 Longitudinal: updated annually


all landed immigrants from 1980
on (tracking for 16 years since first
filing tax)
tax data from 1980 on
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Content of the IMDB
 Designed to address the need for detailed, policy-relevant data
on the immigration program
 Content includes:
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demographic data & characteristics of landing
program & selection information
detailed income data over time
geographic location over time
 Related dataset – Longitudinal Administrative Database (LAD)

LAD includes a subset of immigrants and the Canadian-born
with longitudinal tax information
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What the IMDB can tell us
 Link between immigrant policy levers (e.g., selection
criteria) and economic outcomes
 Labour market behaviour of different categories of
admission of immigrants over time
 Secondary inter-provincial & inter-urban migration of
immigrants
 Potential information on immigrant children
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Advantages and
Limitations of the IMDB
 Advantages
link between admission information and economic
outcomes
 secondary inter-provincial & inter-urban migration of
immigrants
 combined with the LAD – can compare immigrants with
the Canadian-born population
 Limitations
 no information on human capital acquired after migration
 no family/household information

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Longitudinal Survey of
Immigrants to Canada (LSIC)
 Objectives

longitudinal survey designed to study
how new immigrants adjust to life in
Canada during the initial years

to provide information on the factors
that can help or hinder this adjustment
 Target population

arrived in Canada between October
2000 and September 2001

landed from abroad

age 15 and over
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Sampling Frame and
Design
 Sampling frame

administrative immigration files provided by Citizenship and Immigration
Canada (CIC)
 Design

includes representative samples of as many immigration categories as
possible

longitudinal – same respondent interviewed 3 times: approximately 6
months, 2 years and 4 years after landing in Canada

Computer Assisted Interviewing (CAI), face-to-face interview environment

average household visit of 90 minutes

interviews are conducted in 15 different languages
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LSIC Questionnaire Content
Information on many aspects of the adjustment process
of newcomers – all from the immigrant’s perspective

Socio-demographic information (Wave 1 
only)

Reasons for coming to Canada (Wave 1

only)

Values and attitudes
Citizenship
Perceptions of settlement

Social interactions

Income

Language skills


Housing
Event history analysis for housing,
employment & education experiences
since arrival

Education
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
Employment
Problems encountered, type of help
needed & sources of help received

Health
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Labour Force Survey
 The Labour Force Survey provides estimates of employment and
unemployment which are among the most timely and important
measures of performance of the Canadian economy.
 New content of the survey include monthly estimates of:
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Country of birth
Landed immigrant status
Year of immigration
Month of immigration
Collection started in January 2006 survey
Will provide for the foreign-born and immigrant populations:
 Labour market characteristics
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Employment and unemployment characteristics
Demographic and education information
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Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS)
 Survey Objectives:
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to provide information on the ethnic & cultural backgrounds of people
in Canada and how these backgrounds relate to their lives today

to better understand how Canadians of different ethnic backgrounds
interpret and report their ethnicity
 Target population:

population aged 15 and over living in private dwellings in the 10
provinces, excluding Indian Reserves and Aboriginal population
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EDS content
 Content modules and themes:
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Ethnic self definition: ancestry & identity
Background: immigration history, citizenship, religion, language
Socio-economic characteristics
Family interaction
Social networks
Civic participation
Interaction with society: feeling uncomfortable or out of place,
discrimination or unfair treatment in the past five years as a
result of ethno-cultural characteristics
Attitudes
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Other household surveys

Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
 sample size – 132,000
 20,000 immigrants
 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID)
 2 cross-sectional panels at any one time plus a longitudinal component
 3,500 – 4,000 immigrants in each panel
 Potential for 7,000 immigrants if combining 2 cross-sectional panels
 General Social Survey (GSS)
 sample size – 25,000
 4,200 immigrants
 Other research potential
 Workplace and Employment Survey (WES)
 Youth in Transition Survey (YITS)
 International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALS)
 World Values Survey
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Census on the World Wide
Web
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Immigration data
disseminated to the public
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