Migration

Until the end of the 1960s, Chile’s stability and prosperity meant that there was little reason for large-scale emigration. In fact, Chile itself attracted immigrants from other countries, especially from Europe and to a lesser extent from other Latin American and Arab countries.

Allende undertook a major reorganization of the Chilean economy, in particular to correct the unequal distribution of income and the concentration of economic resources. Many Chileans considered these changes to be the first steps towards communism. Thus, between 1970 and 1973 a small number of Chileans, adversely affected by the changes made by the socialist government, left the country, moving to other Latin American countries, the United States, Australia, and, to a lesser degree, to Europe and Canada.

Conditions in Chile worsened after the fall of the Allende government in 1973 and the imposition of military rule by General Pinochet. The systematic repression of leftist political parties and organizations led to the detention, torture, and in some cases the death of thousands of people. Reacting to the widespread violation of human rights in Chile, many countries opened their borders to Chileans who were fleeing their homeland because of political persecution. Most of the political refugees went to other Latin American countries and to Europe, in particular to the countries of the former Soviet bloc in eastern Europe. The Canadian government, in response to successful lobbying efforts on the part of many non-governmental organizations, created a special immigration program for those Chileans who wanted to emigrate for political reasons, a program that was later used to formalize the status of political refugees in the 1978 Immigration Act.

The wholesale transformation of the Chilean economy by the Pinochet government also led to Chilean emigration for economic reasons. The military regime created a new economic structure based on the neoconservative principles of the free market, private enterprise, and private property. State subsidies and protective tariffs were lifted, and many companies found themselves unable to compete with heavily subsidized production in other countries. The high levels of unemployment and the significant increase in poverty that resulted from the new policies prompted many Chileans to emigrate in search of better working conditions and a more secure future. Canada was one of several nations that attracted Chileans emigrating for economic reasons because it offered a stable economy and good prospects for employment.

In general, political migration mainly took place during the 1970s, while migration for economic reasons was a phenomenon of the 1980s. In many individual cases, however, the political and economic causes were indistinguishable. Many persons were unable to find employment for political reasons, and some immigrants who claimed political repression were simply people who were escaping the untenable economic conditions in Chile.

It is difficult to obtain precise data about the number of Chileans who immigrated to Canada or about their characteristics. Canadian census and immigration statistics are problematic for several reasons. For example, “country of last permanent residence” does not take into account those Chileans who immigrated to Canada from a third country, while “country of birth” leaves out people who became Chilean citizens after they immigrated to Chile. Finally, “country of citizenship” does not consider those persons who, in spite of being citizens of another country, still consider themselves Chileans.

According to the 1991 Canadian census, 12,800 individuals define their single ethnic origin as Chilean, and another 3,650 list Chile among their multiple ethnic origins, for a total of 16,450 individuals in Canada who identify themselves as Chileans. This figure, however, does not identify the total number of Chileans living in Canada because many Chileans make a distinction between nationality and personal ethnic background. For example, many Chileans report their ethnic origin as Spanish because their forebears emigrated from Spain to Chile many generations earlier. The 1991 census also recorded 22,870 persons who reported Chile as their place of birth. Statistics gathered by Immigration Canada, which include the total number of Chileans who have become permanent residents since 1974, indicate that 26,711 individuals can be classified as Chileans.

This figure, however, ignores those Chileans who have a different country as their place of birth, as well as those whose legal status in Canada is other than “landed immigrant.” In short, the official figures do not provide an entirely reliable estimate of the number of Chileans in Canada.

The Chilean community estimates that there are approximately 50,000 Chileans in Canada, a figure which is clearly exaggerated. A more reasonable estimate would be between 23,000 and 25,000 persons, a number which is closest to that reported by the 1991 census. Official data collected by the Canadian government allow us to analyse certain characteristics of Chilean immigrants, such as their age, gender, and class. Data published by Immigration Canada for the period 1974–92, based on the age of the immigrant at the moment in which she or he became a permanent resident of Canada, show that Chilean immigrants were fairly young: 82 percent were under forty years of age, and 48 percent were between the ages of twenty and thirty-nine. Thus, most of the Chilean immigrants were either people who had recently entered the labour force or were children or young adults who were still dependent at the moment in which they became residents. Only 3 percent of the Chilean immigrants were over sixty-five years of age.

The Canadian censuses show a similar age structure for Chilean immigrants. According to the 1991 census, 69 percent of Chilean immigrants belong to what is described as the adult or working-age population, those between fifteen and sixty-four years of age, and most of them are under forty years of age. Of those who make up the dependent non-working-age population, 28 percent are children under fifteen years of age. Only 2.5 percent are people who are sixty-five years of age or older.

In regard to gender, there are minor differences between males and females. Although the 1991 census data indicate that approximately 49 percent of those who reported Chile as country of birth are female, the proportion of females tends to become higher in older age groups. According to Immigration Canada statistics for the period 1987–92, the proportion of females among immigrants between the ages of twenty and thirty-nine was only 46 percent, while for the group sixty-five years of age or older it was 69 percent. Two factors may explain this situation. First, because single males find it easier to migrate than females, there is a larger proportion of males among the younger age groups. Secondly, the higher proportion of females among the older age groups is related to the “sponsorship” of relatives by Chileans who have already been accepted as permanent residents in Canada. In Chile, females have a longer life expectancy than males, and many Chilean immigrants already living in Canada bring their widowed mothers to live with them.

Immigration Canada statistics classify Chilean immigrants according to several categories: refugees; immediate family (spouses, children, or parents); assisted relatives or others not part of the immediate family; entrepreneurs and self-employed persons; and independent immigrants. Refugees account for the largest percentage of Chilean immigrants (36 percent). Family members who have been brought to Canada by immigrants are the second-largest group (34 percent). “Independent” immigrants make up the third significant group (23 percent). The category “assisted relative” is significantly less important, with only 6 percent. All other classes are statistically insignificant, which means that Chilean immigration is characterized by the absence of entrepreneurs, self-employed persons, and investors. Thus, Chilean immigration has two basic characteristics: first, it is composed mainly of individuals whose skills and experiences are sold in the labour market; secondly, given the predominance of refugees, Chilean immigrants are a highly politicized group.