Dictionary, Census of Population, 2021
Province or territory of intended destination

Definition

Province or territory of intended destination refers to the place where the immigrant intends to live in Canada, as indicated in their first application for permanent residence. The province or territory of destination is specified according to geographic boundaries current at the time of admission.

In the 2021 Census of Population, data on the province or territory of intended destination are available for immigrants who were admitted to Canada between January 1, 1980, and May 11, 2021.

Statistical unit(s)

• Immigrant

Classification(s)

• Standard Geographical Classification (SGC) 2021

Reported in

2021 (25% sample).

Reported for

Persons in private households who are, or who have ever been, landed immigrants or permanent residents since 1980.

Question number(s)

Data on the province or territory of intended destination were obtained from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) administrative records.

Responses

Remarks

New for 2021, information on the province or territory of intended destination was integrated into the census for immigrants who have been admitted since 1980.

Province or territory of intended destination indicates the province or territory where the immigrant intends to live for the first time in Canada at the time of their admission. The variable is used to evaluate the migration patterns of the immigrant population within Canada.

To better understand the relationship between the concepts of immigration and place of birth, 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 their 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.