Arrival and Settlement

Chileans were not classified as a specific group in immigration statistics until 1973; until then they were included in a more general category of “South American.” In 1973 Chileans were classified for the first time as a specific group. In that year 493 persons who indicated Chile as their country of last permanent residence were accepted as permanent residents in Canada. The following year, the Canadian government decided to increase the immigration quota for Chileans in order to help those who were being politically persecuted by the military regime, a decision that made the Chilean presence in Canada significantly more important.

After 1973 it is possible to distinguish four stages in the process of Chilean immigration to Canada. The first phase, from 1974 to 1978, was characterized by the highest levels of immigration. In 1974 the number of Chileans who became permanent residents was 2,104, practically four times higher than in the previous year. In 1975 the number increased even more, to 3,127. After that the numbers decreased to 2,776 in 1976, 2,249 in 1977, and 2,023 in 1978. In comparison to the total number of immigrants, however, the proportion of Chileans among immigrants to Canada steadily increased. In 1974 it was 1 percent, rising to 1.66 percent in 1975, 1.85 percent in 1976, 1.96 percent in 1977, and 2.34 percent in 1978, the highest proportion in the short history of the Chilean presence in Canada.

The first phase is characterized by a significant presence of political immigrants who came either directly from Chile or from other Latin American countries where they had previously sought refuge. It is interesting to note the significant differences between the data for the categories “country of last permanent residence” and “country of birth.” In 1975, for example, the number of people who reported Chile as the “country of last permanent residence” was 2,297, while those who reported Chile as the “country of birth” was 3,127. In that year more than 25 percent of the Chileans came to Canada from other countries. For example, Argentina was the country of last permanent residence for a group of 500 Chileans who immigrated to Canada in 1975.

The second phase of Chilean immigration took place between 1979 and 1982. This phase involved a significant annual decline in the number of Chileans who became landed immigrants. The annual average number of Chilean immigrants during this period was 1,170, a substantial decrease given that the average for the previous phase was double that figure. The proportion of Chileans among the total number of immigrants to Canada also declined to around 1 percent.

The third phase, which covered the period from 1983 to 1986, had the lowest immigration levels since 1974. The average annual number of Chileans who became landed immigrants during this period was 663, a very small number when compared to the first phase, and the proportion of Chileans among the total number of immigrants also declined, from 0.89 percent in 1983 to 0.64 percent in 1986.

The fourth phase occurred between 1987 and 1992. In contrast to the third stage, there was an increase in the number of Chilean immigrants. The average annual number of Chileans who became landed immigrants for this period was 1,298, almost double that for the previous period. The proportion of Chilean immigrants to the total number of immigrants to Canada, however, presents significant fluctuations, going from approximately 1 percent in 1987 to less than 0.5 percent in 1992.

In the last three phases, from 1979 to 1992, Chileans immigrated to Canada primarily to escape severe economic conditions that resulted from the massive transformation of the Chilean economy, although there were still a large number of immigrants who claimed political problems as the main reason for their immigration to Canada. The reduction in the number of immigrants, especially during the third phase, does not reflect a reduction in the number of people who wanted to immigrate to Canada but rather a decision on the part of the Canadian government to reduce their numbers. There is no doubt that even in the 1990s there are still many individuals who would relocate if Canada would accept more immigrants from Chile.

Many Chilean immigrants have expectations of returning to Chile, a view especially prevalent among the immigrants who came during the 1970s. Many of them were forced to leave Chile because of political conditions that they expected would change, so that they could eventually return. As a result, many Chilean newcomers resisted the idea of integration into the Canadian culture. Such attitudes have mostly disappeared with the years, although the idea of returning – more feasible now, with the restoration of civilian rule in Chile – is still present in the minds of many Chileans, and some have returned. The only precise information on the number who have returned is a study by J. del Pozo of Chileans who obtained advanced academic degrees in Quebec. The study reports that only 11 percent of those who finished their advanced studies in Quebec returned to Chile. The existence of children and grandchildren born in Canada and the difficulties of making a career in Chile after many years in Canada are serious obstacles to returning. Thus, many of those who did return to Chile have decided to come back to Canada.

Table 1 shows the destination of Chilean immigrants in Canada by province and is based on statistics produced by the departments of Manpower and Immigration (for the period 1973–76) and Employment and Immigration (for the period 1977–92). Almost 70 percent of the Chilean immigrants arrived in the largest provinces, Ontario and Quebec. The prairie provinces – Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta – were the point of destination for 23.8 percent, while British Columbia received 6.3 percent. The Atlantic provinces, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories were practically ignored by the immigrants as points of destination.

After their arrival many Chilean immigrants moved to other regions for reasons related to employment or because they had friends or relatives in other areas. Table 2 shows the provincial distribution of Chileans for

Sources: Manpower and Immigration, Immigration Statistics, 1973–76; Employment and Immigration, Immigration Statistics, 1977–92.

Sources: Statistics Canada, 1981 Census, Ethnic Origins; Population and Dwelling Characteristics (1989); 1991 Census, Ethnic Origins.

the years 1981, 1986, and 1991. Since it is based on census data on ethnic origin, it does not account for the total number of Chileans living in each province.

The 1981 census, which took place seven years after the start of substantial Chilean immigration to Canada, indicates that over 30 percent of Chilean immigrants were residents of Quebec, followed by Alberta with almost 25 percent and Ontario with less than 20 percent. The statistics from Immigration Canada, however, for the period 1973–81, based on the point of destination of immigrants when they arrive in Canada, show a different distribution. Ontario was chosen as a point of destination by 33 percent, followed by Quebec with 27 percent, Alberta with 19 percent, Manitoba and British Columbia with approximately 8 percent each, and Saskatchewan with 4 percent. A simple comparison between these data and the information for 1981 in Table 2 indicates that many of the Chileans who arrived in Ontario before that year appear to have migrated either to the west – mainly Alberta and Manitoba – or, to a lesser extent, to Quebec, after they first settled in Canada.

Table 2 gives information on some general patterns in the interprovincial migratory movement of the Chileans during the 1980s. Quebec, at the beginning of the 1980s, maintained the largest proportion of Chilean immigrants, more than 30 percent, although there seemed to be a minor decline during the second half of the 1980s. Ontario started the decade with less than 20 percent of the Chilean immigrants and ended with nearly 30 percent. Manitoba and Alberta both had a strong Chilean presence in 1981 and a sharp decline by the end of the 1980s.

Quebec has tended to maintain the most stable number of Chileans, possibly because most of the Chilean immigrants who arrived in Quebec learned French rather than English, and their geographical mobility was thereby limited. Elsewhere there seems to have been a continuous process of geographical movement between Ontario and the west, depending on the economic conditions of the regions. Thus, in the 1970s, when the west’s economy was booming, many Chileans moved to Alberta or Manitoba looking for better prospects, while in the late 1980s economic growth in Ontario and British Columbia made these provinces attractive.

Since Chile is a very urbanized country, Chilean immigrants have tended to settle in urban rather than rural areas. Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and other cities have been the primary centres of settlement. Within the cities, Chileans are dispersed rather than concentrated in specific neighbourhoods.