By Geoff Smith (@GeoffSmithLNN on Twitter)

Philippines represents one in four new immigrants living in Lethbridge: Census

Oct 25, 2017 | 9:58 AM

LETHBRIDGE – New numbers from the 2016 census suggest a changing picture of Lethbridge’s immigrant population.

Out of all residents in the Lethbridge census metropolitan area (CMA) who identified as immigrants, the top five places of birth were the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Philippines, the United States, and Mexico.

But when looking only at those who arrived between 2011 and 2016, the Philippines takes the lead, representing one in four newcomers. The top five is rounded out by Bhutan, Nepal, the U.K. and India, with Syria coming in sixth.

In the Lethbridge CMA, 15,365 people or 13.5 percent of the population, were born outside Canada. Three per cent of Lethbridge residents, or 3,400, immigrated in the last five years.

Nationally, 21.9 per cent said they were or had been a landed immigrant or permanent resident. That’s close to the 1921 record of 22.3 per cent.

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Statistics Canada said 17.1 per cent of recent immigrants to Canada settled in Alberta, even more than British Columbia, and a large increase of the share from 6.9 per cent in the 2001 census. The prairie provinces have doubled their share of new immigrants to Canada over the past 15 years.

However, 56 per cent of new immigrants still settled in Canada’s three largest metro areas: Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.