Racialized immigrants across Canada, and especially racialized immigrant women, are now more educated than ever, according to a recent Statistics Canada (StatsCan) study. release.
By comparing Canadian census data collected in 2006 and 2021, StatsCan has put together its findings on what it calls “the evolution of education for people aged 25 to 64 by racialized group, gender and immigrant status.”
Note: The data below covers only information relevant specifically to racialized immigrants. Click here for the full StatsCan release, which discusses general information on racialized groups in Canada and more.
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Educational achievements of racialized immigrants in Canada in 2021
Among racialized immigrants ages 25 to 64, the percentage of people “with a bachelor’s degree or higher” has increased by more than 14% over time.
Specifically, among racialized immigrants who were admitted to Canada before 2011, this percentage was 41.5%. However, when evaluating racialized immigrants who were admitted to Canada between 2011 and 2021, this percentage rises to 55.8%.
Note: In total, 46.4% of all racialized immigrants in Canada had at least a bachelor’s degree as of 2021.
Click here to see the full StatsCan chart, which breaks down these results by different racialized* groups in Canada.
*StatsCan says the term racialized group “is derived directly from the concept of ‘visible minority.’ The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as ‘persons, other than Aboriginal people, who are not of white race or colour.’”
Racialized women and recent immigrants among Canada’s most educated people
In 2021, racialized women and recent racialized immigrants* were among the most educated people in Canada.
*StatsCan defines recent immigrants as those who “landed in Canada in the 10 years prior to the 2021 census.”
StatsCan also noted that “the increases in educational attainment among racialized immigrant women were greater than the increases…among racialized nonimmigrant women.”
As an example, StatsCan notes that, between 2006 and 2021, there was a 15.3% increase in the number of racialized immigrant women with at least a bachelor’s degree. Specifically, this figure increased from 31% in 2006 to 46.3% in 2021. Meanwhile, among racialized non-immigrant women across Canada, this increase was only 9.9% over the same period (42.1% in 2006 to 52% in 2021).
Why there are now more educated racialized immigrants in Canada than ever before
StatsCan suggests that these growth levels can generally be attributed, at least in part, to the types of immigration programs that are welcoming these recent racialized immigrants.
According to available data for 2021, more than half of all immigrants living in Canada who were 15 years old or older (53.2%) came to this country through an economic immigration program/category.
Separated by date of arrival in Canada, 58.0% of these immigrants arrived here between 2011 and 2021, while 50.8% of these immigrants arrived in Canada before 2011.
StatsCan notes that economic immigration categories and programs are often signals of higher education because “in most immigration programs in Canada, higher educational achievement is part of the criteria for admission into the economic category.”
reference: www.cicnews.com