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THE SHIFTING IDENTITIES OF THE BULGARIAN-CANADIAN DIASPORA, 1900-2015
Year Bulgarians | Romanians Greeks Italians Ukrainians
1996 827 3,945 221 476 2,684
1997 665 3,916 190 491 2,518
1998 759 2,976 141 399 2,702
1999 757 3,468 149 410 2,836
2000 1,097 4,431 150 383 3,345
2001 1,188 5,589 135 410 3,513
2002 1,474 5,668 107 374 3,515
2003 1,424 5,466 117 321 2,757
2004 1,945 5,658 120 334 2,431
2005 1,685 4,964 100 344 2,269
2006 1,419 4,468 74 325 1,970
2007 1,172 3,834 110 316 2,218
2008 994 2,836 106 370 1,935
2009 784 2,076 118 429 2,364
2010 556 1,922 101 434 3,159
2011 365 1,776 102 374 2,516
2012 451 1,588 146 438 2,263
2013 512 1,512 299 545 2,484
2014 451 1,553 373 652 2,539
2015 371 1,183 477 832 2,378
Figure 2: Bulgarian, Romanian, Greek, Italian, and Ukrainian Immigration to
Canada, 1996-2015°
Ihere are various reasons for the declining interest of Bulgarians in Canada.
The EU membership made labor migration from Bulgaria to Western Europe
quite easy with minimum bureaucratic formalities and the low-cost airfares
allowed Bulgarians to reach the wealthier EU member countries almost for
free. In comparison, legal immigration to Canada has always been a long
and expensive process and in recent years, the Canadian authorities have
tightened the rules even further with new requirements for official language
test results, job offers, etc. The misleading promotion of Canada is another
factor. Immigration applicants often believe that by receiving the necessary
points to immigrate to Canada, their education and qualifications would
automatically be recognized by Canadian employers, whereas the real picture
"7 Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Facts and Figures: Immigration Overview —
Permanent and Temporary Residents, Ottawa, Government of Canada, 2005, 44 and Facts
& Figures 2015: Immigration Overview — Permanent Residents — Annual IRCC Updates,
Ottawa, IRCC, 2015.
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