Aging amongst immigrants in Canada: population drift

In Canada, two interesting demographic trends have been underway: an agingpopulation and a growth based upon immigration. These patterns combine toform a new group that seems to have evaded notice. According to the 2001Census of Canada, immigrants are older than the national average and almost31% of the immigrants from Europe are over 65 years of age. Of the total seniorpopulation, 28.4% are immigrants with 5% of Asian descent. Overall, 7.2% ofthe senior’s population is a visible minority. These patterns have implicationsfor policy development and service delivery. As immigrants age in Canada, they will have very different expectations for services than non-immigrants and immigrants who aged in their home country. This paper offers recommendations for policy planners and service providers in health and social welfare services.