Amidst the turmoil of the worldwide recession, Canadian immigration is going from strength to strength.

In the first nine months of last year alone, a total of 8,000 new migrants began theirn new lives living and working in Canada, with 12,000 applications for Canadian immigration being made over the same period.

Skilled tradespeople with young families form the bulk of Canada’s new migrants, leaving the shores of the UK in search of better education for their children, nicer weather and cleaner, crime-free cities, not to mention cheaper food and fuel prices.

OE Visas affiliate Erik Katz cites the recent recruitment drive headed by Alberta’s Immigration Minister Hector Goudreau as a primary reason for the recent influx of skilled migrant workers from the UK.

From January to September, 2008, British nationals had filed 12,020 applications for Canadian immigration, CIC statistics show. In 2007, the total was even higher, at 24,182.