Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021
Age at immigration

Definition

Age at immigration refers to the age at which an immigrant first obtained landed immigrant or permanent resident status.

Statistical unit(s)

• Immigrant

Classification(s)

• Age categories by five-year age groups

Reported in

2021 and 2016 (25% sample); 2011^{Footnote 1} (30% sample); 2006, 2001, 1996, 1991, 1986 and 1981 (20% sample).

Reported for

Persons in private households who are, or who have ever been, landed immigrants or permanent residents.

Question number(s)

Derived variable: Question 4 and year of immigration.

Data on year of immigration were obtained from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) administrative records.

Responses

Individual years of age, ranging from 0 (less than 1 year) to the maximum age on the Census of Population.

Remarks

Age at immigration is derived from the immigrant's date of birth (Question 4) and year of immigration obtained from IRCC's administrative records.

Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. In the 2021 Census of Population, "immigrant" includes immigrants who were admitted to Canada on or prior to May 11, 2021, the reference date for the 2021 Census of Population.

To better understand the relationship between the concepts of immigration, place of birth and generation status, please refer to Figure 2.5.

To better understand the relationship between the concepts of immigration and citizenship, please refer to Figure 2.6.

For more information on immigration variables, including information on data quality and their comparability with other sources of data, please refer to the Place of Birth, Generation Status, Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide, Census of Population, 2021.

Note(s)