Migration and Settlement

Immigration by Indonesians to Canada began in a small way in the late 1960s during the unrest that followed the fall of Sukarno, and it continued steadily throughout the next two decades, when the average annual intake was about 250 persons. According to the 1991 census, there were 7,610 persons listed as born in Indonesia. In the same census, 5,510 claimed their ethnic origin was Indonesian. Of the latter, 2,215 claimed a single ethnic origin, probably meaning that they were pribumi. The other 3,295 individuals, who reported more than one origin can reasonably be assumed to be Indonesians of Chinese ancestry. These proportions correspond to those of the community in Toronto. There and in Vancouver the ratio of Chinese to pribumi, at four to one, shows the greater propensity of the Chinese to emigrate.

Approximately half of all Indonesians entering Canada settle in Ontario, most of them in the greater Toronto area. In 1981, 2,780 persons of Indonesian birth were resident in that province, while in the mid-1990s the estimate of the Indonesian consul general placed the size of the Toronto community at just over 3,000. As well, in any given year between 300 and 500 Indonesian students are resident in Canada. Thus it is reasonable to assume that at least 10,000 persons wholly or partially of Indonesian background live in this country. Most Indonesians who are eligible have already become Canadian citizens, a process that is particularly important for those older Chinese who never gained full citizenship in Indonesia.

In most years, female arrivals have outnumbered males by a margin of about 5 percent, possibly as a result of the higher proportion of women among elderly family-class immigrants sponsored by relatives. Most Indonesians arrive as members of family groups. Any delay between the emigration of one spouse and the other tends to be less than one year, while grandparents usually arrive within about five years. In the wider Indonesian community there are small clusters of kin and intermarried families who either immigrated at the same time or whose networks made possible the subsequent arrival of those not eligible for family-class sponsorship. These Indonesians tend to be geographically mobile, and many now resident in Canada have lived elsewhere and applied for entry to this country from outside Indonesia, particularly from Singapore, Germany, or the Netherlands. A few families have already left for Australia or the United States to take advantage of new opportunities in those places. Thus Canadian Indonesians have kin in a variety of countries around the world.

Although they are no longer subject to persecution in Indonesia, the history of the Chinese until the late 1960s, together with their minority status vis-à-vis the indigenous pribumi and the forced acculturation policies, has pushed many of them to emigrate. For most, the education and future of their children is a high priority, while their own professional and technical skills have enabled them to take advantage of opportunities in Western countries and integrate easily. Over 50 percent possess a university degree or professional qualifications, while about 20 to 25 percent enter Canada each year in the small-business or entrepreneurial classes. For some, migration has not prevented their continuing to invest and do business in the homeland and may even have enhanced their careers and options there. The most common occupations among Canadian Indonesians as a whole are accountancy, engineering, medicine, chemistry, the civil service, real estate, and business activities relating to technical products. Middle- and younger-aged women, both married and single, are generally employed in occupations ranging from hairdressing to pharmacy, the public service, bank telling, and sales.