Canada's Biggest Consumer Opportunity Is Choosing Brands Today
Toronto, Ontario, August 11, 2025 - By 2041, 1 in 3 Canadians are projected to be immigrants – that’s 15.1 million people, larger than Quebec and British Columbia’s current populations combined. Despite the recent changes to the immigration policy, by 2026, Canada’s immigrant population is estimated to reach 10.7 million, more than 4 times the Atlantic Provinces’ population. The Newcomer Perspective study, a large-scale research project conducted jointly by Ipsos and the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), reveals that while newcomers feel welcomed and experience freedom in Canada, they struggle with basic needs - mirroring challenges faced by all Canadians.
Newcomers Feel Welcome, But Struggle with Affordability
Despite facing challenges while they settle in their early years, 9 in 10 newcomers feel welcomed and believe they are not treated any differently than other Canadians, quickly developing a strong sense of social belonging. Their sense of connection leads to community engagement, with almost half donating money to charities and one-third volunteering for social causes annually as they further integrate into society. However, they face significant obstacles in meeting basic needs like housing and affordability, with 8 in 10 newcomers indicating that finding affordable housing in Canada is worse than they expected, highlighting a contrast between their social acceptance and economic challenges.
Newcomers Quickly Integrate, But Retention Concerns Persist
Newcomers are primarily aged 18-55 and quickly integrate into the workforce. Those who immigrated via Express Entry as skilled workers reach household income levels comparable to other Canadians by their second year, making them a growing and permanent part of the consumer landscape. While 7 in 10 newcomers plan to stay in Canada, those considering leaving cite housing affordability, financial reasons, and job market concerns as primary factors. Aligning with the challenges they face, newcomers express the need for settlement services like employment and career counseling, housing assistance and financial guidance.
Understanding Newcomers: The Consumer Market Hiding in Plain Sight
This complex picture of newcomer experiences highlights the importance of understanding this cohort for businesses, governments, and non-profits. While priorities have shifted towards strategizing around tariffs and bracing for inflation impacts, there is a consumer base larger than all of Quebec in Canada right now – and growing fast.
Organizations have already invested in this market, whether they hired among them, served them, or built infrastructure for them. In a country where immigration has been a strong foundational pillar, newcomers are not imaginary future customers; they are already here and have been telling organizations exactly what they need. Yet while external economic pressures are making the headlines, this massive consumer segment who is here to stay, contribute and spend is being pushed to the back burner.
While competitors focus on economic distractions, those that double down on understanding and serving newcomers are securing a competitive advantage in Canada’s largest growing market.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to prioritize newcomers. It’s whether you can afford not to.
The Newcomer Perspective: Connect & Unlock Power of New Canadians
These are just a small portion of key findings and topics covered in this groundbreaking syndicated research program, The Newcomer Perspective. In months to come, Ipsos and the ICC will continue to explore newcomers’ outlook, habits, attitudes, and interactions across multiple industries. This ongoing research will allow tracking of evolving trends and behaviours and deep diving into results by a wide array of key segments, including country of origin, immigration category, province of residence, number of years in Canada, age, education levels and so much more.
About this release
These are some key findings of ‘The Newcomer Perspective’ research program, which surveyed 20,000 newcomers in 2024. Participants for the survey were permanent residents and Canadian citizens who have recently moved to Canada. Respondents were members of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship’s (ICC) Canoo Cultural Access Pass, which represents the largest and highest quality member base of Canadian newcomers.
About The Newcomer Perspective Study
The Newcomer Perspective is a partnership between Ipsos and the ICC which brings the voices of newcomers to Canadian leaders in the private and public sectors, providing the insights they need to play their part in making Canada a welcoming country that newcomers fall in love with and contribute to. The study unites Ipsos’ syndicated study expertise with ICC’s revolutionary Canoo App and offers the most robust and diverse sample of newcomers in Canada, combined with Ipsos’ expertise as Canada’s leading research company in transforming data into powerful, strategic insights.
About the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC)
The ICC works to unlock Canada for newcomers, facilitating and encouraging the journey towards full and active Canadian citizenship. Thanks to its pioneering Canoo Cultural Access Pass, the ICC serves more newcomers than any other organization in Canada. Headquartered in Toronto, the ICC has a presence across the country, including staff in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, and Montréal.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
For Ipsos:
Asad Amin
Senior Vice President, Head of Syndicated Solutions
[email protected]
Mauricio Vieira
Vice President
[email protected]
Beliz Can
Senior Account Manager
[email protected]
For the Institute of Canadian Citizenship:
Alex Nanoff
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating
in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
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Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120, Mid-60 indices, STOXX Europe 600 and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD). ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP
