Report finds highly skilled immigrants leaving Canada at rising rates

(CANADA) One in five immigrants leaves Canada within 25 years of arrival, and the people most likely to go are often the ones the country says it wants the most, according to a new report that raises sharp questions about the future of Canada’s immigration model. The study, titled The Leaky Bucket 2025, released by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) and the Conference Board of Canada, finds that highly educated and professionally successful newcomers are leaving at much higher rates than others, often within their first five years in the country.

Key finding: attraction but poor retention

The report’s authors describe a system that works well at attracting global talent but struggles badly to keep it. They note that overall departures are highest in the early years after landing, and that economic immigrants — selected specifically for their skills and potential to drive growth — are more likely to leave than refugees or family-sponsored immigrants.

These findings suggest Canada’s promise of opportunity does not match the day‑to‑day reality many skilled newcomers face once they arrive.

Education, occupations and who is leaving

One of the starkest warnings in The Leaky Bucket 2025 concerns education levels. Immigrants with doctorates are nearly twice as likely to leave within five years as those with only a bachelor’s degree. This pattern repeats across many advanced credentials and shows up clearly in the labour market.

Occupations with the highest out-migration include:

• Senior managers in business and finance
• Information technology professionals
• Engineers
• Healthcare workers
• Scientists
• Construction managers

These are exactly the sectors Canadian governments often highlight when defending high immigration targets.

Unemployment, credentials and pressure to leave

Unemployment plays a key role. For immigrants with graduate degrees, periods without work sharply increase the chances they will decide to move on.

• 4.6% of unemployed immigrants with doctorates leave Canada five years after arrival.
• That is nearly double the rate for unemployed immigrants with only secondary education or less.

This pattern points to a mix of financial pressure and frustration: people who invested heavily in their education and passed Canada’s selection filters often find themselves shut out of the jobs they trained for.

Licensing barriers and the lack of bridging programs

Licensing hurdles are a major part of the problem, especially in regulated fields such as healthcare and science. The report cites:

• Professional licensing barriers
• Lack of strong “bridging” programs
• Long, confusing processes to have credentials recognized

Many newcomers are told to repeat large parts of their training even after years of experience abroad. Without clear and timely pathways, a growing number decide to look elsewhere — including back to their home countries or to competitors such as the United States 🇺🇸 or other advanced economies.

Regional differences: Newfoundland and Labrador example

The national picture hides sharp regional differences. The report highlights Newfoundland and Labrador as a particularly troubling case: more than half of the immigrants who first land there eventually leave Canada altogether after moving to other provinces.

This pattern raises questions about how smaller provinces and Atlantic communities can build lasting immigrant populations if even those who initially choose them later give up on the country entirely. It suggests that relying mainly on attraction — through incentives or marketing campaigns — is not enough to build long‑term retention.

Projected losses and economic impact

Despite these concerns, Canada continues to plan for high immigration levels. The report forecasts that of roughly 380,000 permanent residents expected to be admitted in 2026, more than 20,000 could leave by 2031 if current patterns hold.

That loss represents not just people but years of human capital, integration work, and public investment walking out the door. Analysis by VisaVerge.com suggests this kind of long‑term outflow can slowly weaken the economic impact of immigration, even if annual intake numbers remain high on paper.

Quick reference table: notable figures

Voices and reactions

Daniel Bernhard, chief executive of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), warns that the economic and social cost of losing so many skilled immigrants is mounting.

“Canada wins when talented people choose to play for our team,” Bernhard said.
“Too many of the people we most need are packing up and leaving.”

His comments reflect growing concern among business leaders and provincial governments that Canada’s reputation as a top destination for global talent may be at risk if these trends continue.

Recommendations: a national talent retention strategy

The Leaky Bucket 2025 calls for a national talent retention strategy to stop the outflow. The report urges federal, provincial, and professional bodies to work together on:

• Targeted settlement support for highly skilled newcomers
• Clearer licensing pathways in regulated professions
• Personalized settlement plans tailored to individual career paths
• Better bridging programs that help immigrants move into their professions faster

Rather than leaving individuals to figure things out alone, the authors want a coordinated national policy framework aimed at keeping the people the country has already worked hard to attract.

Government response and limits of federal tools

Officially, the federal government continues to promote Canada as a welcoming, rules‑based destination, emphasizing tools like the Express Entry system and long‑term pathways to citizenship. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada points to its settlement services and information for newcomers available through Canada’s official immigration site.

However, the findings from the Conference Board of Canada and ICC suggest information alone will not solve deeper structural issues — especially in the job market and professional licensing systems that lie partly outside federal control.

Individual choices and the policy imperative

For individual immigrants, the choice to leave is often deeply personal, shaped by work prospects, family needs, and their sense of whether Canada offers a real future for their skills. The report’s numbers show many choices are leading away from Canada, especially among those with the highest levels of education and experience.

For policymakers, the message is uncomfortable but clear: attracting talent is only half the task. Without faster, fairer ways to turn permanent residence into stable, meaningful careers, the country risks turning its immigration system into exactly what the report’s title suggests — a leaky bucket that cannot hold the people it works so hard to bring in.