After you land
What immigrants actually earn after landing
Statistics Canada links immigration records to tax records, so it can say what people admitted under each program went on to earn — by province, and by how long ago they landed. This reads those tables and shows the working.
The profile to look up
Median employment income
Each column below is a different group — the people admitted that many years before 2023 — all measured in the same tax year. It is a snapshot across cohorts rather than one group followed through time. The chart underneath is that.
1 year in
$50,500
115,650 tax filers · Admitted 2022, measured 2023
3 years in
$68,500
53,305 tax filers · Admitted 2020, measured 2023
5 years in
$70,300
83,305 tax filers · Admitted 2018, measured 2023
10 years in
$64,900
53,685 tax filers · Admitted 2013, measured 2023
The same people, year after year
One admission cohort followed through every tax year it appears in. This is the honest answer to “does it improve”, because it is the same group each time.
The same people, year after year as a table
| Years in Canada | Tax year | Median employment income | Tax filers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 2014 | $37,900 | 56,180 |
| Year 2 | 2015 | $42,400 | 56,880 |
| Year 3 | 2016 | $44,900 | 57,390 |
| Year 4 | 2017 | $48,500 | 57,115 |
| Year 5 | 2018 | $52,300 | 56,585 |
| Year 6 | 2019 | $55,300 | 55,850 |
| Year 7 | 2020 | $57,200 | 55,190 |
| Year 8 | 2021 | $61,800 | 54,675 |
| Year 9 | 2022 | $63,100 | 54,225 |
| Year 10 | 2023 | $64,900 | 53,685 |
By economic region
The economic regions where immigrants admitted under “Economic Immigrant, principal applicant” were earning most, 5 years after landing.
| Economic region | Province | Median employment income | Tax filers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | Ontario | $87,800 | 2,835 |
| Kitchener--Waterloo--Barrie | Ontario | $83,600 | 2,990 |
| Hamilton--Niagara Peninsula | Ontario | $82,700 | 2,675 |
| Toronto | Ontario | $81,100 | 26,390 |
| Northeast | Ontario | $76,700 | 175 |
| Cariboo | British Columbia | $75,700 | 145 |
| Halifax | Nova Scotia | $75,100 | 1,120 |
| Windsor--Sarnia | Ontario | $74,200 | 640 |
| Muskoka--Kawarthas | Ontario | $73,100 | 110 |
| Fredericton--Oromocto | New Brunswick | $72,400 | 190 |
| Laurentides | Quebec | $71,900 | 345 |
| Monteregie | Quebec | $71,500 | 1,820 |
These regional figures come from a different Statistics Canada table than the provincial ones above. It places people by the postal code on their tax return and leaves out anyone whose postal code is missing, while the provincial table uses their province at taxation. Where the two overlap they land about 0.3% apart — so the regions above do not add up to the province.
Regions with fewer than 100 tax filers are left out of this list. A ranking built on twenty people ranks noise.
By where people were born
National figures, 5 years after landing, for people admitted under “Economic Immigrant, principal applicant”. Where somebody was born is not something they chose, and this is not a ranking of people — it is a reading of how differently the same program has worked out.
| Born in | Median employment income | Tax filers |
|---|---|---|
| United States of America | $113,900 | 830 |
| Brazil | $98,000 | 1,395 |
| Iran | $94,000 | 1,675 |
| United Kingdom | $90,400 | 1,380 |
| Nigeria | $85,300 | 3,870 |
| Columbia | $84,700 | 360 |
| Lebanon | $84,600 | 300 |
| Egypt | $83,100 | 725 |
| Mexico | $82,200 | 620 |
| Pakistan | $82,100 | 1,930 |
Areas with fewer than 100 tax filers are left out of this list, because a ranking built on twenty people is a ranking of noise. Choose a birth area above to see its figure with its count, however small.
These are what people already in Canada reported earning, not a prediction about anyone in particular. Half of each group earned less than the figure shown, and half earned more.
Every figure is in 2023 constant dollars, which is how Statistics Canada publishes them and the only basis on which an older figure and a newer one belong in the same column.
Tax data lags. The most recent tax year here is 2023, released 8 December 2025. These are not this year’s wages.
Source: Statistics Canada — Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) — 43-10-0026; Statistics Canada — Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) — 43-10-0027; Statistics Canada — Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB) — 43-10-0029. Data current as of 8 December 2025. Every figure is in 2023 constant dollars, which is how Statistics Canada publishes them and the only basis on which an older figure and a newer one belong in the same column.