Immigrants now make up 12.4% of FSJ population

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — There were 2,630 immigrants living in Fort St. John in 2021, which is 12.4 per cent of the population, according to new census data.

The total number of immigrants living in the Energetic City is up from 2,215 people reported in 2016, which made up 11.1 per cent of the population.

In 2021, 84.2 per cent of Fort St. John’s population were Canadian-born, and 3.4 per cent were non-permanent residents.

Over 800 immigrants were from the Philippines, 31.7 per cent of the immigrant population in Fort St. John, up from 500 in 2016.

There were 405 immigrants from India last year, twice as many as in 2016.

In 2016, 175 people from the United States lived in Fort St. John, and in 2021, there were 190.

Last year, there were 150 german-born immigrants reported, down from 160 in 2016.

United Kingdom immigration also went down, with a local population of 120 in 2016 and 105 in 2021.

Nigerian immigrants saw an increase from 35 in 2016 to 100 in 2021.

In 2016, there were 10 immigrants from Jamaica in Fort St. John, and in 2021 there were 85.

Statistics Canada says there were 35 immigrants from the Russian Federation in 2016 and 60 in 2021.

There were 75 people from Pakistan residing in Fort St. John in 2021, up from 30 in 2016.

South Korea has the smallest immigrant population in Fort St. John, with 35 in 2016 and 55 in 2021.

Statistics Canada says 855 newcomers came between 2016 to 2021, which made up 32.5 per cent of the immigrant population.

Statistics Canada says 92.7 per cent of recent immigrants can have a conversation in either English or French, which are Canada’s national languages.