More than 15 per cent of immigrants decide to leave Canada either to return to their homeland or immigrate to another country within 20 years of their arrival, according to a new study.

Statistics Canada examined the emigration of immigrants from 1982 to 2017 in the study  released Friday.

StatCan found that emigration is slightly more common from three to seven years after admission.

This period may reflect the length of time that immigrants try to integrate into Canada by attempting to find a job and a place to live and adapting to life in Canada, StatCan said in a statement posted to its website. Some immigrants may also emigrate if they encounter challenges in integrating or because they intended to from the outset.

The proportion of emigrants varies by characteristic, including their country of birth.

Which immigrants likely to emigrate

For instance, immigrants born in Taiwan, the United States, France, Hong Kong or Lebanon and those admitted in the investor and entrepreneur categories are more likely to emigrate.

More than 25 per cent of immigrants born in these countries emigrated within 20 years of admission to Canada. These countries can continue to be attractive to their nationals because of a higher standard of living or because settling in Canada was part of a larger migration strategy, StatCan wrote.

Additionally, more than 40 per cent of immigrants admitted in the investor category and 30 per cent of those admitted in the entrepreneur category emigrated within 20 years of admission. These categories include wealthy immigrants who tend to be highly mobile and who may—even when they are admitted—intend to leave Canada in the future, StatCan explained.

The study used data from the Longitudinal Immigration Database to analyze the socioeconomic situation of immigrants after their admission to Canada, including employment income and mobility.The database includes information for all immigrants since 1952 and non-permanent residents since 1980. It also uses tax files since 1982.

StatCan measured immigrant emigration using indirect criteria because it said no national database exists that measures the number of people who leave Canada. The study identifies emigrants through information in T1 tax returns and in the Permanent Resident Landing File from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The results of this study were compared with results from other sources and have a high degree of coherence, according to StatCan.