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Canada competes with countries around the world to attract highly skilled immigrants and international students. But how do these in-demand prospective immigrants decide to which country to migrate?
INTRODUCTION
What information and factors have the greatest influence on their decision? And, how might times of global uncertainty affect the choices they make?
The findings of this study will help Canadian employers, educational institutions, settlement service agencies and policymakers optimize recruitment and integration strategies, and ultimately improve the outcomes of those who choose Canada.
Follow the links to the scrollytelling presentation of our study, organized according to the three main areas of our inquiry:
How might global uncertainty affect the choices migrants make?
Pandemic effects
How might times of global uncertainty affect an individual's decision to migrate?
Information sources
What kind of information and what sources did potential migrants use to help them with their decision?
Decision drivers
What are the key factors that influence an individual's decision to migrate to Canada?
Be sure to also view the documentary film project Why Canada?, a companion to this study that provides an in-depth account of the experiences of a select group of migrants from this study.
Choosing Canada is not available for mobile viewing at this time. Please view this site on a desktop or laptop device.
ABOUT THE STUDY >
Related publications
Castaneda, R.A., Niraula, A. & Triandafyllidou, A. (2024). Complex Pathways of Indian
Highly Skilled Migrants and International Students to Canada. In India Migration Report 2023 (pp. 42-68). Routledge India.
Niraula, A.,Triandafyllidou, A., & Akbar, M. (2022). Navigating Uncertainties: Evaluating the Shift of Canadian Immigration Policies during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Canadian Public Policy.
Niraula, A. & Triandafyllidou, A. (2022/9). Highly Skilled Migrant Decision-Making under Uncertainty: A literature review. CERC-TMCIS Working Paper.
Niraula, A. & Castaneda, R. A. (2022, Nov. 29). The pandemic created challenges and opportunities for Canadian immigration. The Conversation.
Our study comprised a survey (n=1,007) and interviews (n=131). Participants came from as many as XX countries and X continents and were equally balance between females and males. Since it was unknown if the prospective immigrants to Canada with whom we spoke would end up migrating, we also surveyed and interviewed those who were already here, so we could have a full picture of the decision-making process, recognizing that the experience once in Canada could change their reflection on their migration experience.
With the pandemic as a backdrop to this study, we learned migration decisions entail inherent risks and uncertainties, which can be exacerbated by changing conditions around the world. Surprisingly, our research showed that the pandemic was only a barrier for a brief period of time for both highly skilled migrants and international students who were intent on coming to Canada. While there were clear challenges – like delays in visa applications, difficulty finding work and greater isolation – migrants continued to take the bold step to migrate. We postulate that for some would-be migrants, the pandemic actually made it easier to search for information and save the funds needed to lay the foundation for migrating abroad.
For our study, we define a “highly skilled” migrant, as someone who holds a university-level education, and an “international student” as someone who requires a study permit to reside in Canada. Both of these types of individuals enter Canada as temporary residents and later may, or may not pursue permanent residency status.
Breakdown of respondents
This scrollytelling info graphic provides a sampling of visual highlights of the study. There are many more data and insights than what we have provided here. Researchers interested in viewing the entire data set can reach us at the contact information below. Also, please refer to the current and forthcoming publications on the subject listed below.
About the study
For more information contact: ashika.niraula@torontomu.ca