Chris in Ottawa: There's another way to look at this. When I was still in the working world, I was (at first) surprised to hear from some immigrant co-workers that they came to Canada because it was the easiest Western country to which they could move, and in particular it was easier to move here than to the U.S, which was often their preferred choice.  So, Canada is not the first choice for many immigrants but apparently for many it will do until something better comes along. I believe that according to a Stats Can study about one-third of skilled immigrants and their immediate family members leave Canada after arriving here.