Top 4 Cities to Immigrate to in Canada if You're Asian
One of the hallmarks of North American life is the fact that whether you live in the United States or Canada, you’re living in a nation which was not only built by immigrants, but likewise given its character by them as well. You can’t think of metropolises such as New York, Los Angeles or Toronto without thinking of the vast number of different ethnicities and groups which have carved out special places for themselves in the overarching narrative of their city and nation’s respective cultures. Say “Chinatown” and you conjure up an image of a people, place, and time which is as alive in its present as it was in its storied past.
The last 125 years has seen a steady stream of immigrants “Coming to America” (and Canada) from Asia. This trend has only accelerated over the last 25 years, as the makeup of both the United States and Canada becomes increasingly diverse.
Making up as much as 15% of the overall Canadian population, Asian-Canadians are the largest “visible minority” in Canada. They’ve carved out a place for themselves in Canadian society, and have created notable sub-communities throughout the provinces. Chinese-Canadians are the largest sub-minority within then overarching term “Asian-Canadians,” followed closely by Indian-Canadians.
The question remains, however— where are the best places for those looking to immigrate to the Great White North from Greater East Asia? Here to help four of the most popular and populous locales for Asian expatriates in Canada.
Toronto
Toronto [Public Domain]
More than a third of Toronto’s citizenry can trace its lineage back to an Asian country, making it a definite hotspot for incoming immigrants currently living on the continent proper. What’s more, Toronto, in its very social makeup is one of the most cosmopolitan and diverse cities in North America, meaning that immigrants aren’t just welcome, but part of the fabric of Toronto society, and just part of life in the greater Ontario area.
That’s one factor which is often overlooked when immigrating to another city and country. You do definitely want to choose somewhere that’s “used” to receiving immigrants, and therefore has a social mindset which is more amenable to newcomers than a more homogenized area. Take Quebec, for example. Quebec is notorious for being extremely proud about its unique sense of place and cultural distinctiveness apart from the rest of nation; indeed, those from the region are often at least as proud of being “from Quebec” as they are “from Canada,” and identify with the former at least as much if not more than the latter. This is a classic case of a homogenized community, forged over hundreds of years, and while the unique “sense of place” and comradeship which emerges from that is admirable, it also makes it all the harder for newcomers to make their way and find acceptance, in much the same way as it can be difficult to penetrate an extremely close-knit clique.
Ethnic Background
Number
Percentage of Total Immigrants in Toronto
Chinese 132,145 10.55%
Filipino 102,520 8.19%
Indian 78,870 6.30%
Sri Lankan 59,220 4.73%
Italian 53,485 4.27%
Jamaican 45,670 3.65%
English, Scottish or Welsh 45,260 3.61%
Portuguese 39,525 3.16%
Hongkonger 39,340 3.14%
Guyanese 36,995 2.95%