German Immigrants to Canada | Annual Arrivals and Census Trends

In 2025, 685 German immigrants were admitted to Canada as permanent residents.

• In 2025, 393,530 immigrants were admitted to Canada, German immigrants accounted for 0.17% of the annual immigration intake.
• From 2020 to 2025, a total of 5,900 German immigrants were admitted to Canada as permanent residents.
• The immigration data highlights growing trend pre-pandemic levels, a sharp decline in 2020, a 2021 peak, and continues declines through 2025.

German Immigration to Canada in Recent Years

Since 2020, German immigration to Canada has continued at modest but steady levels, primarily through economic immigration programs such as Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Programs, and skilled worker streams, along with family sponsorship. German citizens admitted as permanent residents numbered in the low hundreds annually in the early pandemic years before stabilizing at modest volumes, with economic categories accounting for the majority of arrivals. Many Germans settle in Ontario, particularly the Greater Toronto Area, as well as in British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec, attracted by professional opportunities, quality of life, bilingual environments in some regions, and existing cultural or family ties. Economic immigrants form the large majority, supported by transitions from temporary work or study statuses. The Germany-born population in Canada reached approximately 126,470 according to the 2021 Census, while the broader German-origin community stands at nearly 3 million by ancestry, reflecting one of Canada’s largest historical ethnic groups with more limited recent inflows.

2016 Census

• According to the 2016 Census, German immigrants (145,845) were among the largest foreign-born groups in Canada.
• In 2016, most German immigrants resided in Ontario and British Columbia.

GERMANS IN CANADA (2016)