Black Habits - Immigrants often not staying

About one-third of working-age immigrant men left Canada within 20 years of arriving from 1980 to 2000 -- 60% within a year, a Statistics Canada study says.

Economics, safety and family ties are key factors for newcomers staying, authors Abdurrahman Aydemir, of StatsCan, and Chris Robinson, of the University of Western Ontario, said in their report, released yesterday.

The 49-page study, based on more than 100,000 men's tax forms, immigration records and census reports, could not tally those who never filed tax forms.

More immigrants left Canada during a business downturn in 1980, then after the 1990 recession, but some returned within 10 years, the authors reported.

EFFECT OF NAFTA

Men who came during boom periods were more likely to sink roots, as were 70% of those helped by relatives and 80% of those who claimed refugee status. The report also noted a trend of migrant foreigners coming and going from Canada increased since the introduction of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994.

HIGHLY MOBILE

"Recent immigration appears to be characterized by frequent return and onward migration," the authors say. "A substantial part of migration to Canada is temporary," particularly among skilled workers and entrepreneurs, who tend to be "highly internationally mobile.

The highest number who left quickly -- 60% -- came from the U.S. and Hong Kong. The authors said more Europeans and Caribbean natives stayed, about 50%.

The study said short-term immigrants or those who use the country as a revolving job door also pose problems for policy-makers.

"If immigration policy is designed to attract permanent immigrants," the authors said officials must understand why some leave and others keep returning.

Note: By IAN ROBERTSON, TORONTO SUN