Citizenship & Immigration
Citizenship status, immigrant period of arrival, and non-permanent residents. — 2021 Census of Population
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Non-Citizens (%)
Not Canadian citizens as percentage of total
Distribution by riding
Share of residents who are not Canadian citizens by federal riding, 2021 Census. Median 6.5%; range 0.6% (Avalon; Terra Nova—The Peninsulas) to 28.7% (Willowdale); half of ridings between 2.9% and 12.2%. Canada: 8.8%.
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- Canada 8.8%
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Vertical axis: Share of residents who are not Canadian citizens (%)
Each dot is one federal riding (343 with a figure; 2023 Representation Order), placed by its value and spread across the axis so that dots do not overlap. The line marks the value for Canada as a whole (8.8%). Prairies: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Atlantic: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. North: Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population.
Highest and lowest ridings
Share of residents who are not Canadian citizens by federal riding, 2021 Census. 343 ridings ranked from highest (1) to lowest; tied values share a rank. Bars start at zero on one scale; the vertical line marks the value for Canada (8.8%).
10 highest
| Rank | Riding | Bar | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WillowdaleON | 28.7% | |
| 2 | Surrey NewtonBC | 28.1% | |
| 3 | Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-SoeursQC | 27.6% | |
| 4 | Surrey CentreBC | 27.2% | |
| 5 | Vancouver CentreBC | 24.6% | |
| 6 | Don Valley NorthON | 24.4% | |
| 7 | Brampton SouthON | 24.0% | |
| 7 | Burnaby CentralBC | 24.0% | |
| 7 | Spadina—HarbourfrontON | 24.0% | |
| 10 | Brampton WestON | 23.8% |
10 lowest
| Rank | Riding | Bar | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 342 | AvalonNL | 0.6% | |
| 342 | Terra Nova—The PeninsulasNL | 0.6% | |
| 341 | Central NewfoundlandNL | 0.7% | |
| 339 | JonquièreQC | 0.8% | |
| 339 | Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel BeltON | 0.8% | |
| 332 | Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill RiverSK | 0.9% | |
| 332 | Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—ListugujQC | 0.9% | |
| 332 | Lac-Saint-JeanQC | 0.9% | |
| 332 | Laurentides—LabelleQC | 0.9% | |
| 332 | Long Range MountainsNL | 0.9% |
All 343 ridings, ranked
Value: Not Canadian citizens as percentage of total. Riding names link to the riding's dissemination-area map for this topic.
Citizenship & Immigration — 2021 Census
Auto generated. Flag an issue.Citizenship & Immigration in Canada
Canada admitted over 1.3 million new permanent residents between 2016 and 2021, pushing the immigrant share of the population to its highest level in a century. The 2021 Census found that 23 percent of the population was born abroad, and an additional 3.5 percent were non-permanent residents (international students, temporary workers, asylum claimants). The citizenship topic maps these flows geographically, revealing which ridings are absorbing the country's rapid population growth through immigration.
Non-Citizens
The share of non-Canadian citizens captures both recent immigrants who have not yet naturalized and non-permanent residents. Willowdale leads at 28.7 percent non-citizen, followed by Surrey Newton (28.1%) and Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest (27.3%). The Ville-Marie figure is notable — it includes a large international student population at Montreal's four universities, many of whom are counted as non-permanent residents.
Recent Immigrants (2016–2021)
Ridings with the highest recent immigrant shares are the front line of Canada's immigration system. Spadina–Harbourfront leads at 12.4 percent, where new arrivals concentrate in the dense rental towers of CityPlace and the waterfront. Willowdale (11.8%) and Saint-Laurent (10.7%) follow. Calgary Skyview and Calgary McKnight represent the growing western gateway for immigrants who bypass the traditional Toronto-Vancouver corridor.
Non-Permanent Residents
Non-permanent residents — international students, temporary foreign workers, and asylum claimants — concentrate in downtown university ridings. Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest leads at 16.4 percent, reflecting Montreal's status as a major international student destination. Laurier–Sainte-Marie (13.9%) and Outremont (13.5%) are adjacent Montreal ridings with major university campuses. Surrey Newton and Surrey Centre (both 10.3%) represent the temporary foreign worker pipeline in BC's agriculture and services sectors.
Canadian-Born Population
The ridings with the highest share of non-immigrants (Canadian-born) are the mirror image of the immigrant map. Central Newfoundland and Terra Nova–The Peninsulas (both 98.6%) and Lac-Saint-Jean (98.6%) are communities where immigration has made virtually no demographic impact — fewer than 2 percent of residents were born outside Canada.
Riding Rankings
Highest Non-Citizen Share
| Rank | Riding | Non-Citizen % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willowdale | 28.7% |
| 2 | Surrey Newton | 28.1% |
| 3 | Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Île-des-Soeurs | 27.3% |
| 4 | Surrey Centre | 27.1% |
| 5 | Vancouver Centre | 24.6% |
| 6 | Don Valley North | 24.5% |
| 7 | Spadina–Harbourfront | 24.0% |
| 8 | Brampton South | 24.0% |
| 9 | Outremont | 23.8% |
| 10 | Brampton West | 23.7% |
The list splits between immigrant-settlement suburbs (Willowdale, Surrey, Brampton, Don Valley North) and downtown cores with large international student populations (Ville-Marie, Vancouver Centre, Outremont). In these ridings, roughly one in four residents cannot vote in federal elections — a significant democratic representation gap.
Highest Recent Immigrant Share (2016–2021)
| Rank | Riding | Recent Immigrant % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spadina–Harbourfront | 12.4% |
| 2 | Willowdale | 11.8% |
| 3 | Saint-Laurent | 10.7% |
| 4 | Calgary Skyview | 10.6% |
| 5 | Brampton West | 10.3% |
| 6 | Calgary McKnight | 10.0% |
| 7 | Vancouver Centre | 10.0% |
| 8 | Mississauga Centre | 9.8% |
| 9 | Winnipeg South | 9.8% |
| 10 | Surrey Centre | 9.6% |
The presence of two Calgary ridings in the top six reflects Alberta's growing role as an immigrant destination, driven by economic opportunity and a provincial nominee program that has expanded rapidly. Winnipeg South's entry represents Manitoba's aggressive provincial immigration program, which has made Winnipeg one of Canada's fastest-growing immigration destinations per capita.
Highest Non-Permanent Resident Share
| Rank | Riding | Non-Permanent % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ville-Marie–Le Sud-Ouest–Île-des-Soeurs | 16.4% |
| 2 | Laurier–Sainte-Marie | 13.9% |
| 3 | Outremont | 13.5% |
| 4 | Vancouver Centre | 10.9% |
| 5 | Papineau | 10.4% |
| 6 | Surrey Centre | 10.3% |
| 7 | Surrey Newton | 10.3% |
| 8 | Willowdale | 9.7% |
| 9 | Brampton South | 9.7% |
| 10 | Winnipeg South | 9.3% |
Montreal claims three of the top five, driven by international students at McGill, Concordia, UQAM, and the Université de Montréal. Surrey's high rates reflect temporary foreign workers in agriculture and logistics. Since 2021, non-permanent resident numbers have surged further — these census figures represent the beginning, not the peak, of Canada's temporary migration wave.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population. Riding boundaries reflect the 2022 Federal Electoral Districts. Adapted from Statistics Canada; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population. Adapted from Statistics Canada, Census of Population, 2021. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.