Alberta is leading the way for interprovincial migration, despite having a relatively slower start in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the first quarter of 2023.
In Q1, 89,408 migrants came to the province, which is 8.9 percent lower than the number of migrants entering Alberta in 2023, according to Discover Airdrie’s Anna Ferensowicz.
However, Alberta (+12,482) was still one of three provinces to have a net gain in their exchanges with other provinces or territories in Q1 of 2024, the others being New Brunswick (+1,627) and Yukon (+60).
“This was the 11th straight quarter of net gains for Alberta, following losses in 19 out of 24 quarters from the third quarter of 2015 to the second quarter of 2021,” as per Statistics Canada.
“The largest contributors to the net gain in Alberta were people moving there from Ontario (9,398 in-migrants) and British Columbia (9,218 in-migrants). Conversely, when people left Alberta for other places in Canada, they tended to move to British Columbia (5,744 out-migrants) and Ontario (3,893 out-migrants).”
Read More
The Future of Business Immigration to Canada: Trends and Predictions
Canada Immigration Minister Says Lack Of Consensus On Status For Undocumented People
Canada’s Population Exceeds 41 Million, Driven by Strong Immigration
In terms of net migration (a combination of both interprovincial and international movement), Alberta had an influx of 45,375 compared to 43,424 in Q1 2023, which is an increase of 4.5 percent.
In Q1 2024, there were 32,893 net migrants to Alberta from international origins, 12.5 percent increased from Q1 2023, while in the same period 12,482 net migrants came from other Canadian provinces, -11.9 percent down from the year before.
Alberta was the province with the third highest net migration for Q1 2024, after Ontario (83.7 thousand) and Quebec (48.52 thousand).
The StatsCan report highlighted that in the first quarter of 2024, Canada’s population overtook 41 million, largely due to immigration.
99.3% of the growth (240,955 people) in the first quarter of this year was attributable to international migration, encompassing both permanent and temporary immigration.
Permanent immigration was the prime contributor to the growth, with the country welcoming more than 100,000 immigrants each quarter since the third quarter of 2021.
The Maritime provinces saw record numbers of immigrants, with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick each welcoming 3,999 immigrants and Prince Edward Island receiving 1,330.
