Waterloo Region releases 2024 immigration profile highlighting growth and diversity

Waterloo Region – The Region of Waterloo and the Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership have released the 2024 Immigration Profile, offering a comprehensive overview of regional immigration trends and demographic changes based on 2021 census and other data from Statistics Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The Immigration Profile is updated every census cycle. It is a planning tool to support organizations with appropriate infrastructure development and policy planning, investment decision-making, and service planning across Waterloo Region.

Key findings:

• Growth in immigration: Immigration in Waterloo Region now makes up 25.4 per cent of the region's population. Between 2016 and 2021, 27,835 people settled directly in the region after immigrating to Canada.
• Increase in temporary residents: The number of temporary study and work permits nearly doubled over the last five years, from 17,630 in 2018 to 36,840 in 2022, with international students making up the majority of these permits.
• Demographic shifts: Recent immigrants (those who arrived between 2016 and 2021) are more likely to belong to racialized groups, with South Asian, Black, and Arab being the largest. English, Arabic, and Punjabi are the most common first languages among recent immigrants.
• Economic challenges: Recent immigrants face high unemployment rates and lower median employment incomes compared to established immigrants and Canadian-born individuals. Additionally, 17 per cent of recent immigrants live below the Market Basket Measure, Canada's official measure of poverty based on the cost of a specific basket of goods and services low-income threshold, compared to six per cent for established immigrants and the Canadian-born population.

“The Immigration Profile brings together important data to help inform our planning as we respond to the significant growth Waterloo Region is undergoing now and prepare for anticipated growth in the future,” said Chair Karen Redman. “With one million residents forecast by 2050, we have an exciting opportunity to shape a community that benefits everyone.”

This Profile work supports the Region’s Strategic Plan Growing with Care and the Immigration Partnership’s strategy for Building Community Through Immigration. Itprovides the Region and many community partners with data to deliver equitable services and opportunities and ensure immigrants can reach their full potential and contribute to a thriving community for all.

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