Foreign workers in the labour force: Provincial retention after transition to permanent residency among work permit holders for work purposes

As the number of temporary foreign workers increases and more of these workers transition to permanent residency in Canada, provinces and territories—especially those with smaller populations—have been actively targeting foreign workers through immigration programs such as the Provincial Nominee Program as a strategy to attract and retain new immigrants. This article examines the geographic retention of permanent residents who previously worked in Canada on work permits for work purposes and became landed immigrants from 2011 to 2020.