Based on our data, the profile that emerges is that immigrant women educated and experienced in STEM fields tend to be drivers of the decision in choosing Canada, and their decision is in large part based on non-economic factor of personal well-being, safety, security, and mobility.
- 67% of our participants were the primary applicants on their immigration file, which means that in Canadian Immigration’s points-based system, their labour market fit was deemed highly relevant, with their skills assessed to be in high demand in order to be listed under Economic Class.
- That said, career-related reasons were not the main factor for these women in choosing Canada, an assumption that is common amongst the stereotypes of why highly-skilled people choose to come to Canada.
- At the time of landing in Canada, our participants’ average age was 36 years old (in a participant age range of 23-60) - meaning the majority of them had 7+ years of work experience upon arrival.
- While 48% of our participants immigrated to Canada on their own, 52% came with a spouse, and 29% had at least one child at the time of landing
- 81% of the participants rated their English proficiency upon landing at good command / good working knowledge or higher, and 25% also had at least a basic command (or higher) of French.
- 99% of our participants had acquired a bachelor’s degree (BSc, BEng, BA, BBA, BTech, BComm) before they landed, 54% also ha a Masters degree (MD, MA, MSc, MBA, MPH, MEng) with 22% having also completed a PhD in their chosen STEM fields.
- As part of their work experience, 50% of participants had lived and worked in at least one other country besides their home country prior to landing in Canada, bringing with them robust experiences of international work.