Why do immigrants from Hong Kong to Canada stay or leave?

A significant percentage of Hong Kong immigrants to Canada have now left Canada to return to Hong Kong. In this study, survey data generated by the Chinese Stayer-Returnee Project is used to compare “stayers” and “returnees” originally from, and those who may have returned to, Hong Kong to examine the gap between their expectations and their realities faced in Canada and Hong Kong. Evidence from the survey suggests that substantial demographic differences exist between the “stayer” and “returnee” groups. However, their responses to the key questions regarding their degree of integration into Canada’s economy and society are similar. Finally, a logit analysis is used to try to identify the underlying factors that help explain the differences between the stayer’s and returnee’s expectations and realities.