OTTAWA — A significant number of highly educated and skilled individuals are departing Canada within five years of attaining permanent residency, according to a new report that warns this “onward migration” is severely undermining the country’s economic objectives.
The report, titled “The Leaky Bucket 2025” and released by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), highlights a troubling immigrant retention crisis. The findings show that individuals with doctorates are leaving Canada more than twice as fast as those with bachelor’s degrees. This phenomenon is largely linked to immigrants finding employment that offers insufficient income growth, exacerbating their economic challenges.
ICC Chief Daniel Bernard issued a strong warning, stating that this continuous “onward migration” represents a major setback for Canada’s efforts to tackle financial difficulties and increase trade with non-US countries. The specialized workers who are quickly departing are primarily concentrated in critical sectors, including Construction, Engineering, IT, and Finance.
The report notes that this retention problem has persisted for four decades and urges the government to take immediate and decisive action focused on keeping immigrants in the country rather than solely focusing on recruitment. The ICC projects that if the current trend continues unabated, over 20,000 immigrants will have left Canada by 2031.
