High‐income Indian immigrants in Canada

Abstract

The paper develops a socio‐economic profile of the Indo‐Canadian diaspora, arguably one of the largest Indian diaspora in the world and the second largest immigrant group in Canada, by analyzing landing records, tax data, and census and micro data files. The study suggests that Indian immigrants in Canada can be viewed as forming two broad streams: those who achieve incremental upward mobility with time in the country; and, those who do not experience much upward mobility even after residing in the country for many years. In particular, it examines the key determinants of the success of high‐income earners. The paper compares the Indo‐Canadian economic experience with that of the general Canadian population as well as other immigrants, principally Chinese immigrants. The paper argues that Canada has not benefited from the economic edge Indian and other transnational professionals and entrepreneurs offer.