Age at immigration

Part A - Short definition:

Not applicable

Part B - Detailed definition:

Age at immigration refers to the age at which the respondent first obtained landed immigrant/permanent resident status.

A landed immigrant/permanent resident is a person who has been granted the right to live permanently in Canada by immigration authorities. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Some immigrants are Canadian citizens, while others are not. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada. In the 2011 National Household Survey, 'Immigrants' includes immigrants who landed in Canada prior to May 10, 2011.

Reported in:

2011

Reported for:

Persons in private households who are, or have ever been, landed immigrants

Question number(s):

Derived variable: Questions 3 and 12

Responses:

Range of values: single years of age from 0 to 110

Remarks:

Age at immigration is calculated using the year of immigration, the year of birth, and an estimated month of immigration.

Respondents who answered 'Yes' to the landed immigrant status question (Question 11) were asked to answer the year of immigration question (Question 12) by reporting the year in which they first obtained landed immigrant status. Some immigrants have resided in Canada for a number of years, while others have arrived recently. Some immigrants are Canadian citizens, while others are not. Most immigrants are born outside Canada, but a small number are born in Canada. In the 2011 National Household Survey, 'Immigrants' refers to immigrants who landed in Canada before the reference date, May 10, 2011.

Respondents who answered 'No' to Question 11 are not landed immigrants, will not have gone through the immigration process and, thus, did not have to answer the year of immigration question (Question 12). These people are either Canadian citizens by birth (non-immigrants) or are non-permanent residents. A non-permanent resident refers to a person from another country who has a work or study permit or who is a refugee claimant, and any foreign-born family member living in Canada with them.

For further information on immigrants, non-immigrants and non-permanent residents, refer to Figures 1.5 and 1.6.

For more information on the other immigration variables, refer to the definitions for Immigrant status and Year of immigration.

For additional information on the collection and dissemination of age of immigration data, refer to the Place of Birth, Generation Status, Citizenship and Immigration Reference Guide, National Household Survey, 2011.