Ahmedabad:Gujarati is the third most-spoken language among Indian immigrants in Canada, following Punjabi and Hindi. According to data from Statistics Canada, around 87,900 Gujarati-speaking immigrants have settled in Canada since 1980, with a notable 26% of them arriving in the country between 2016 and 2021.
During this latter period, Punjabi speakers constituted the largest linguistic group at 75,475, followed by Hindi speakers at 35,170. Gujarati speakers ranked third, with 22,935 immigrants, while Malayalam and Bengali speakers followed with 15,440 and 13,835, respectively.
The data also revealed that Gujarati immigrants experienced the second-highest decadal growth among major linguistic groups, with a 26% increase between 2011 and 2021, following a 22% rise among Punjabi speakers. Hindi speakers saw a dramatic growth of 114% during the same period. Kutchi — another language from Gujarat — also featured in the statistics, with a decrease in migration from 460 speakers between 2001 and 2010 to 370 from 2011 to 2021.
The migration trend for Gujaratis surged after 2011 as Canada became a favoured alternative to US and other English-speaking countries. “US was a hot favourite for decades, but people struggled with visa processing and high costs. With UK, Australia, and New Zealand also introducing restrictions, Canada’s easier permanent residency process and lower educational costs made it an attractive option for students,” immigration consultant Sameer Yadav said.
To put this growth into perspective, the number of Gujarati-speaking immigrants was 13,365 between 1991 and 2000, rising to 29,620 in the following decade, and reaching 37,405 from 2011 to 2021.
However, recent changes to immigration policies have raised concerns within the community. Increased housing challenges, job market saturation, and stricter permanent residency requirements have already led to an alarming 80% drop in visa applications for Canada from Gujarat, according to a visa consultant in Ahmedabad.
“With fewer visa opportunities, enquiries from students and professionals have dramatically declined, with most applications now coming from those who already hold Canadian PR seeking to bring over family members,” the consultant said.