Historic Number of Immigrants Leaving Canada in Recent Years: Study

The study says the first major spike occurred in 2017, and a growing numbers of immigrants are deciding to move on.

New Canadian citizens take an oath at a ceremony hosted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada at Government House in Halifax on Nov. 20, 2017. Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press

A historically high number of immigrants left Canada between 2017 and 2019, a new study that is shining a spotlight on the nation’s long-term retention issues, has discovered.

On average, 0.9 percent of people granted permanent residence in or after 1982 leave Canada each year, a study by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) and the Conference Board of Canada has found.