Canada is among the top five countries in the world when it comes to its immigrant-friendly policies, according to a new ranking.
The ranking comes after the Migration Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) released its international scorecard, which ranks the policy performance of 52 countries from five continents.
Canada received a high score of 80, placing it fourth from the top in recognition of its comprehensive, immigrant-friendly policies that emphasize equal rights, opportunities, and security for newcomers.
“The MIPEX scores allow us to gauge how well our policies support or hinder newcomers on their path to settling into Canadian society,” says Anna Triandafyllidou, the Canada Excellence Research Chair (CERC) in Migration and Integration at Ryerson University. “The index helps us compare our performance over time and identify where we have room for improvement or the potential to learn from other countries.”
The MIPEX Index is an international benchmark for integration policies and the most used by policymakers, civil society, researchers, and the media. The policies that governments put in place affect how easily newcomers can find jobs, access language and education opportunities, develop a sense of belonging, and grow to become citizens who participate fully in society.
“Among English-speaking countries, Canada is becoming a more attractive and inclusive global destination,” says Thomas Huddleston, Director of Research for the Migration Policy Group. “Canada… is taking the place of previous top-ranking countries such as Australia, the UK, and the United States, which all go down in the MIPEX rankings this round, under pressure from populist political forces.”
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According to MIPEX research, integration policies emerge as one of the strongest factors shaping the public’s willingness to accept and interact with immigrants and immigrants’ own attitudes, sense of belonging, participation, and even health in their new home country.
Canada’s overall score increases by two points due to improvements in access to healthcare for asylum seekers and improvements to the 2017 Citizenship Act. The last MIPEX index was reported in 2015, where Canada ranked sixth overall.