The World Competition for skilled workers

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Canada is in fifth place among OECD members for attracting immigrants, based on data collected up until 2012, even though it attracted 258,000 new permanent residents, or a gain of 4%, in 2012 alone.

Compare that to the U.S., which drew in 1.03 million more people in the same year, although 3% fewer than in 2011. Germany leap-frogged into second place from eighth position in 2009, attracting nearly 400,000 immigrants in 2012, up 38%. Filling out the top 10 were the U.K., in third place, Spain in the fourth spot, followed by Italy — coming after Canada — then Australia (about 150,000), France, Switzerland and Sweden.

Since the European Crisis, Spain has been selling cheap citizenship. Buy a house for 250,000 euros in Spain and you can a get a citizenship which gives you full access to the European Union.

Between 2000 and 2010, immigrants accounted for a 31% increase in Canada’s highly educated labour force, according to the OECD study. During the same period, skilled workers made up 21% of new employees in the U.S., and 14% in Europe.

There was a study of Canada’s economic demand for new immigrants out 2022. If the Canadian Immigration policies are adjusted to match that economic need then Canada would likely get back to third place in terms of total immigrants assuming Germany, Spain and the UK maintain stable levels of immigration.

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