The Windsor area is just one of ten communities with a higher proportion of immigrants compared to all of Canada
The latest release of 2021 census data shows that the 23.3 per cent of the population in the Windsor area was made up of immigrants, tenth highest out of 41 large urban centres.
Fred Francis, Executive Director of the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County, says immigration is vital for our prosperity.
"Most immigrants come to Canada under economic status, so these are people coming to hit the ground running. They're your professionals, your engineers, your medical professionals, doctors, nurses. It's going to be vital," he says.
The figure is just above the national average of 23 per cent as more than 8.3 million people in Canada were, or had been, a landed immigrant or permanent resident.
Just over 1.3 million new immigrants settled permanently in Canada from 2016 to 2021, the highest number of recent immigrants recorded in a Canadian census. Of that figure, 1.2 per cent of immigrants came to the Windsor during that time frame, a total of 15,830 people.
Francis says the figures speak to the welcoming nature of our area.
"For whatever reason, I think it's cultural, I think it's a welcoming community. But people that come to Windsor from other countries are able to settle and become successful relatively quick and perhaps even quicker than other parts of the country and other parts of the continent," he says.
Francis says immigrants are usually attracted to job opportunities and economic opportunities.
"That's always been the case in Windsor with the Big 3 and jobs in manufacturing where you can get a good paying job, raise your family, educate your kids and build a better life for yourself from the country you're immigrating from. With the EV battery plant coming, and more job and economic opportunities, I expect that will be an attraction," he adds.
Statistics Canada says immigration is the main driver of population growth, in part because of the aging population and low fertility rates in the country.
Previously, the majority of immigrants to Canada came from Europe, but now most immigrants come from Asia, including the Middle East.
One in five immigrants to Canada were born in India, making it the top country of birth for recent arrivals.
The Statistics Canada report says new immigrants tend to join existing immigrant communities already established throughout the country, especially in its largest cities. Family, friends, jobs, housing and lifestyle are some of the key factors that immigrants consider when selecting their new home.
The large urban centre of Toronto has the largest proportion of immigrants overall. In 2021, close to half (46.6%) of the population living in the Toronto CMA were immigrants.
With files from the Canadian Press