Immigrants Contribute to Ottawa's Highly Educated Workforce

New immigrants make an enormous contribution to the pool of people in Ottawa with post-secondary qualifications. The number of new immigrants coming to Ottawa in 2001 with a bachelor's degree - 2,276 - is roughly equivalent to the total number of BAs granted by Carleton University in that same year. Similarly, the number of immigrants with a doctorate, at 223, exceeded the annual number of Ph.D.s granted by Carleton University and the University of Ottawa combined. In total, 51 per cent of new immigrants in 2001 held a university degree. A further 15 per cent held some other form of post-secondary credential such as a non-university diploma or trade certificate. The mix of education levels among new immigrants in part reflects the selection process and basic goals of Canada's immigration system. Refugees for example, are far less likely to have a university degree than immigrants entering Canada through the skilled worker stream.

It may also be significant to note that in the past three years, the number of new Ottawa-bound immigrants holding a university degree has increased from 2,410 in 1999 to 3,309 in 2001 - a 37% increase. Ottawa has been particularly successful in attracting immigrants with university, and in particular, graduate level degrees. In 2001, 6.3% of all Canada's new immigrants with a Ph.D. intended to settle in Ottawa, almost twice the overall Ottawa settlement rate of 3.3%.