Canada faces challenges keeping skilled immigrants, new report shows. CTV
Canada faces a tough moment. The country defends itself in a trade fight with the United States. At the same time, a new report raises fresh concerns about Canada’s ability to keep global talent. The study says many skilled newcomers arrive with hope but leave soon after.
The Institute for Canadian Citizenship released the report on Tuesday. The study carries the title “The Leaky Bucket 2025.” It shows a clear trend. One in five immigrants leave within 25 years of becoming permanent residents. The numbers rise sharply at the five-year mark, when many start to look for better opportunities elsewhere.
Highly Educated Newcomers Leave the Most
The report shows troubling patterns. People with a doctorate leave at more than double the rate of those with a bachelor’s degree. The rate climbs even higher when newcomers face jobs that offer no path to higher income. Many feel stuck. They search for places that value their skills.
Daniel Bernhard leads the institute. He says the growing doubt around immigration harms the country. He fears this trend will weaken Canada during a period of serious economic strain. He says this talent loss could make it harder for Canada to compete and grow.
Prime Minister Mark Carney wants Canada to double its non-U.S. exports over the next decade. Bernhard says the country cannot reach that goal if skilled newcomers keep leaving. Many immigrants arrive with global work experience. He says that experience offers a clear advantage.
“These are the people who have built exactly the things – the railways, the infrastructure, the housing projects – in other countries, where they do it better than us, faster than us and cheaper than us. They’re the ones who can help us catch up. When we lose those people, we lose critical expertise that helps Canada succeed,” Bernhard said.
Strategists Warn of Rising Economic Risks
The federal government plans to hold permanent resident admissions steady at 380,000 per year until 2028. But the institute projects a loss of more than 20,000 immigrants by 2031 if the trend continues. Bernhard says the country harms itself when it fails to keep the very people it needs. “The people who are uniquely positioned to help us realize our own goals … are the ones who are leaving the fastest,” he said.
The report highlights the fastest-growing fields with weak retention. These include business and finance management, information technology, engineering, architecture, manufacturing, and processing. The numbers show that managers and executives leave at almost double the average rate. Health-care workers leave at higher rates as well.
Call for a Strong National Retention Plan
The institute used four decades of linked tax and immigration data. More than 60 per cent of the immigrants in the sample entered as economic applicants. They came to fill skilled roles. Bernhard says the trend of onward migration has stayed steady for 40 years. He says this shows a clear need for a new plan.
He says many supports focus on newcomers who need language help. Highly skilled immigrants rarely use those services. He wants Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to rethink its role. “Is (IRCC) the recruiter and making sure people come here and succeed or is it the security guard to make sure that the bad people don’t come in?” he asked.
