As the federal government prepares to unveil its immigration targets for the next three years, a new study has found that immigrants to Canada are increasingly leaving the country in search of opportunities elsewhere.

The number of immigrants who left Canada in 2017 and 2019 increased, according to a study conducted by the Canadian Citizenship Institute and the Canadian Conference Board. These increases represent a 31 percent rise above the historical average.

However, even excluding these two years, the study found that ongoing migration, or the process by which a person moves from a country they immigrated to and settles elsewhere again, has steadily increased since the 1980s. Among those who arrived in the 1980s, the average cumulative migration rate was 18%. This number rose to 21 percent among those who obtained permanent residence in the first half of the 1990s.

The study also stated that "Canada's future prosperity depends on immigration," citing previous research by the Canadian Conference Board which showed that immigration leads to GDP growth, improves the ratio of workers to retirees, and alleviates labor shortages that increase inflation. Welcoming newcomers also helps achieve Canada's humanitarian goals.

"The benefits of immigration are realized over the time immigrants spend in Canada – the longer their stay, the greater their benefit and contribution. Immigrants who thrive are more likely to remain."

The study found that immigrants to Canada are most likely to migrate again four to seven years after their arrival, suggesting that positive early experiences may be key to enticing immigrants to stay. For these reasons, the authors urged the federal government to make newcomer retention a priority.

The study also noted: "For Canada to achieve its immigration goals, the country must not only attract newcomers but also retain them. However, few attempts have been made to assess immigrant retention rates in Canada." "Immigrant retention must be a key performance indicator for the Canadian immigration strategy, given the central role immigration is supposed to play in supporting population and economic growth."