This Year, Over 36,000 Immigrants Made Alberta Their Home

10 Dec 2013

Recently, there has been a surge in the number people migrating to Canada’s Western provinces. Alberta - which has welcomed the largest number of immigrants to Canada – is considered as Canada’s Powerhouse in terms of migration, employment and economy.

The rise in population because of immigrants can be felt more clearly in Alberta than in any other province. With the arrival of so many workers, the number of people in Alberta aged between 30 and 44 years is 4 times larger than any other part of Canada.

Alberta is also seeing an all-time high in Canadian immigration with more than 36,000 immigrants settling in the province.

The cities of Edmonton, Calgary and their neighboring towns are home to around three quarters of the population in Alberta. According to TD Bank’s 2003 study, the high salaries in the province allow many residents to gain a ‘US level of wealth’ while preserving a ‘Canadian-style quality of life’ with social services like public healthcare.

Immigration plays a large role

This year, out of all the Canadian provinces, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, had the highest rates of immigration, relative to their populations.

Part of the attraction for these provinces is the way they have organized their immigration programs. Most Canadian territories and provinces operate PNPs (Provincial Nominee Programs), which nominates eligible applicants for Canadian PR (Permanent Residency).

In Western Canada’s success, PNPs play a major role. This may be because each province has the liberty to modify their programs to draw immigrants to Canada who have the probability of succeeding in Canada’s labor markets and unique communities.