Immigrant Children More Likely To Succeed Than Canadian Born Children

In their report released 22^nd March 2021, Statistics Canada concluded that Immigrant children that arrive in Canada before the age of 15, are more likely to succeed than their Canadian born peers.

The data used to form this report was gathered in 2018 from Canada’s longitudinal immigration database, which discovered that although Immigrant children are more likely to grow up in lower income families, they were more likely to attend post- secondary education and have a higher earning potential compared to their Canadian born counter parts.

Immigrant children in post-secondary education:

The report concludes that 70% of 20 year-old immigrant children who had entered Canada before the age of 15, were now enrolled in or completed post- secondary education compared to 56% of the overall 20 year-old in Canada.

Immigrant children earning potential

With more immigrant children obtaining post-secondary education, the report also confirms that immigrant children also have a better earning potential than their Canadian born peers.

In a comparison of 25 year-olds, the overall Canadian population had a median wage of $29,710 compared to the median wage of $30,300 for 25 years-olds who immigrated to Canada as children. By the age of 30, this pay gap increased to over 13% difference in the amount immigrants earned in comparison to the general population, with the general population earning a median of $41,810 and people who immigrated as children earning a median of $47,400.

Children whose family immigrated through an Economic class program are more likely to succeed.

Among all immigrant children observed, those admitted under Canada’s “economic class” had the highest post-secondary education rate as well as the higher medium wage in comparison to children who were admitted to Canada through other immigration programs.

The report shows that 75 % of immigrant children admitted to Canada with their families under an economic class program were pursuing post secondary education in Canada. In comparison, 60% of children admitted through family sponsorship programs where in post secondary education and only 51% of children admitted as refugees were pursuing post secondary education.

Likewise, people admitted as children in economic immigrant families had a median wage of $52,400 compared to $41,600 for immigrants admitted as children in refugee families and $40,100 for immigrants admitted as children in sponsored families.