June 11, 2020 – People looking for immigration solutions (residency, citizenship) have several options, from skilled workers to investment immigration programs.
While new countries, not traditionally known as immigration destinations, have established solid immigration programs in the recent past, Canada remains on the top of the list of most would-be business immigrants willing to apply to obtain a permanent residency status in the country.
Canada: A country of Immigrants
Canada is a country of immigrants. From its inception, it has welcomed people from all around the world seeking for a better life. By 2021, it is projected that a quarter of Canada’s population will be from a minority or indigenous groups.
Canada is one of the countries that welcomes the most immigrant per capita, with an annual target of nearly 1% of its population or 341 000 newcomers for 2020.
| Permanent Residents Admitted in 2019, by Top 10 Source Countries | |||
| Rank | Country | Number | Percentage |
| 1 |  India |
85,585 | 25.1% |
| 2 |  China |
30,260 | 8.9% |
| 3 |  Philippines |
27,815 | 8.2% |
| 4 |  Nigeria |
12,595 | 3.7% |
| 5 |  United States |
10,800 | 3.2% |
| 6 |  Pakistan |
10,790 | 3.2% |
| 7 |  Syria |
10,120 | 3.0% |
| 8 |  Eritrea |
7,025 | 2.1% |
| 9 |  South Korea |
6,110 | 1.8% |
| 10 |  Iran |
6,055 | 1.8% |
| Top 10 Total | 207,155 | 60.7% | |
| Other countries | 134,025 | 39.3% | |
| Total | 341,180 | 100% | |
Canada’s Social Safety Net
Social benefits are offered to permanent residents upon their arrival to Canada with the objective of creating a level plain field and accelerate their integration to the society.
The Canadian universal public healthcare system gives access to free medical services to its population. Canada has the 7th best life expectancy at 82.8 years according to the World Health Organization.
As for the public education system, Canada is ranked among the highest counties list of most educated in the world, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). An OCDE study shows that more than a third of Canadian young adults are from families with both immigrant parents and are performing at the same level as their classmates.
The BBC, in its 2017 article “How Canada became an education superpower”, ponders whether Canada’s education success may be explained by its focus on providing equal chance to students, no matters their economic or cultural background.
Canada’s Economy: thriving and diversified
While Canada can count on substantial natural resources to drive its economy, it has also developed tertiary industry (finance, IT, video game, AI, clean technologies, etc.) opening opportunities to well-educated immigrants. This dynamic ecosystem explains Canada’s traction among foreign entrepreneurs willing to develop innovative ideas in the country (see, Start-up Visa Program):
- 10th highest gross domestic product (GDP)
- 9th, on the economic freedom scale
- 12th on the corruption perceptions index
- World’s soundest bank system.
Canada shares a border with the United States of America and signed free-trade agreements with several countries, having access to a market of 1.4 billion consumers.
Canada: Safe and Inclusive
Canada’s reputation as a friendly, safe and inclusive is supported by facts:
- It is the 6th safest country in the world according to the Global Peace Index in 2020.
- It is 1st on the 2020 Best Countries Rankings in terms of Quality of life, the 4th to raise a family, 5th best country for women’s rights, the 6th best place to retire and the 10th for green living.
- It is the 6th most reputable countries according to a survey conducted by the Reputation Institute.
