2000/2001 PCERII Funded Research Abstract

The majority of immigrants to Canada settle in greater Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Proponents of regional immigration policy argue that settlement in other cities and in rural areas should be encouraged. This would enhance the economic development of those areas, and distribute the benefits and costs of immigration more equally in the urban system. Based on recent legislative changes in Australia, one policy measure that has been suggested is easier access to permanent resident status for international students. It is argued that they will be more likely to live outside of Canada’s three largest city-regions because of the geography of the international student population, and anecdotal evidence that they often settle in the city or region where they studied. Their settlement cost would also be lower.

This project would assess, in a preliminary way, whether such a policy measure would indeed result in more spatially diversified settlement, and which areas and cities might benefit most. These issues will be examined through a questionnaire sent to all international students registered at two universities in the Prairie Provinces. Focus groups with those who have applied for permanent resident status, and successful applicants, will examine the information sources international students use to learn about staying permanently, the difficulties they encounter, and where they intend to live. Interviews with the staff of international student centres, who are important information sources for foreign students, will explore resource considerations that would result if international students were given easier access to permanent residence.