Ahmedabad:Gujarati is the third most-spoken language amongst Indian immigrants in Canada, following Punjabi and Hindi. In accordance with knowledge from Statistics Canada, round 87,900 Gujarati-speaking immigrants have settled in Canada since 1980, with a notable 26% of them arriving within the nation between 2016 and 2021.
Throughout this latter interval, Punjabi audio system constituted the most important linguistic group at 75,475, adopted by Hindi audio system at 35,170. Gujarati audio system ranked third, with 22,935 immigrants, whereas Malayalam and Bengali audio system adopted with 15,440 and 13,835, respectively.
The info additionally revealed that Gujarati immigrants skilled the second-highest decadal development amongst main linguistic teams, with a 26% enhance between 2011 and 2021, following a 22% rise amongst Punjabi audio system. Hindi audio system noticed a dramatic development of 114% throughout the identical interval. Kutchi — one other language from Gujarat — additionally featured within the statistics, with a lower in migration from 460 audio system between 2001 and 2010 to 370 from 2011 to 2021.
The migration pattern for Gujaratis surged after 2011 as Canada grew to become a favoured various to US and different English-speaking international locations. “US was a scorching favorite for many years, however individuals struggled with visa processing and excessive prices. With UK, Australia, and New Zealand additionally introducing restrictions, Canada’s simpler everlasting residency course of and decrease instructional prices made it a horny choice for college students,” immigration guide Sameer Yadav mentioned.
To place this development into perspective, the variety of Gujarati-speaking immigrants was 13,365 between 1991 and 2000, rising to 29,620 within the following decade, and reaching 37,405 from 2011 to 2021.
Nonetheless, latest adjustments to immigration insurance policies have raised considerations inside the neighborhood. Elevated housing challenges, job market saturation, and stricter everlasting residency necessities have already led to an alarming 80% drop in visa functions for Canada from Gujarat, in line with a visa guide in Ahmedabad.
“With fewer visa alternatives, enquiries from college students and professionals have dramatically declined, with most functions now coming from those that already maintain Canadian PR in search of to carry over relations,” the guide mentioned.
