Educational Profile of Students From Immigrant Families: 1994-1995 to 2003-2004

The arrival of migrants, be they from another country or another province, plays an important role in the growth of Québec's population, especially in the current context where, since 1971, not enough children are being born to replace generations. Each year, Québec welcomes more immigrants from other countries than it loses citizens. Since 1996, between 30 000 and 40 000 immigrants have settled in Québec each year, whereas approximately 10 000 Canadians living in Québec leave the country (Duchesne, 2004). Although more Quebeckers leave for another province than other Canadians come to settle here, the arrival of foreigners by far compensates for this loss. With immigration being part of Québec's history, Québec has a number of generations of immigrants, and this is reflected in Québec's ethnically and culturally diverse school population.