Mauritian diaspora in Canada: a valued resource grows

For many years now,  Canada has been host to one of the largest number of Mauritian migrants across the globe.  In those years, the vast majority of the Mauritian diaspora in Canada have developed the right skills and accumulated assets also valuable for Mauritius.

There are about 16,000 migrants of Mauritian origin in Canada. Of these, some 5,000 live in Quebec, mostly in Montreal.

It’s easy to see why many Mauritians chose to migrate to Canada. Both Mauritius and Canada are Commonwealth and Francophonie countries. This commonality is a result of the respective British and French influences in the history and culture of Canada and Mauritius.

Bilateral ties in perfect harmony

Because of this common heritage, harmonious bilateral relations comes naturally for Canada and Mauritius.  The two countries share similar stand on important global issues such as the climate change action, environment, and good governance. Notably, Canadian parliamentarians in 2017 established the Canada-Mauritius Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Significantly, several scholarship programmes in Canada are also open to students from Mauritius. These opportunities are offered under the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship Program, the Canadian Francophonie Scholarship Program, and the African Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship Program. The Quebec government also offers five scholarships to Mauritian students annually.

The growth of picked up momentum sometime in 2008. This was the time when the government of Mauritius undertook its Circular Migration Programme. It was primarily aimed to help displaced workers in the Mauritian sugar and textile industries.

Circular migration strategy

The Circular Migration Programme was undertaken through the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a UN–related agency.  The programme’s main driver was an IOM-funded project called Enhancing the Development Impact of Migration: Developing an Overseas Employment and Diasporas Mobilisation Strategy in Mauritius.

These initiatives enabled Mauritius to embark on a labour migration project with several companies in three provinces of Canada. As a result, about 300 trade-skilled Mauritians have been contracted as migrant workers in Canada.

Besides their trade skills, it also helped that the Mauritian workers understand and speak Canada’s two official federal languages: French and English. This is a key factor that has facilitated in general the flow of Mauritian diaspora into Canada.

The Mauritian government’s Circular Migration Programme goes beyond helping seek overseas job placements for Mauritius workers. The  Mauritian diaspora are also encouraged  to return and invest in the country under this programme.

In addition, the government of Mauritius has initiated a separate homecoming incentive programme and elsewhere. This programme offers generous tax exemptions not only to qualified Mauritius-born migrants but also to their descendants born overseas.

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