156 THE NATURALIZATION OF IMMIGRANT PEOPLES
SPEED OF NATURALIZATION

No adequate record is at present available of immigrants whe have come to
Canada and, after remaining a time, have returned home or passed on to some other
country. So when it is stated that 59-4 pc. of the Austrians in Canada on June 1, 1921,
were naturalized citizens, reference is made only to those who were actually here at that
time and no direct account is taken of the thousands of immigrants from that country
who during the preceding years had come and gone. Certain individuals we know come
0 Canada to stay; others come with the idea of remaining only a short time. It is
popularly assumed, for instance, that the Italians and Greeks are of the latter type. While
not a direct measure, the low percentage naturalized for such peoples indirectly reflects the
xendency of large numbers to leave the country after a few years, as well as being directly
related to the average time required for naturalization on the part of those who remain.
The reason for that is explained below. The crude percentage naturalized is thus the result
of several factors. An attempt is made in this subsection to eliminate the time element and
to present a rough idea of what may be called, for want of a better term. the speed of
naturalization.
When immigrants from a given country show relatively high proportions naturalized
lor the specified dates of arrival, the inference is mot only that they naturalized more
-apidly but, because of that fact, that larger proportions come to the country to stay. Unless
4 happens that there has been a radical change in the type of immigration from a country,
she one type coming to stay and the other to leave after a short time, the validity of the
above inference seems beyond question. One knows of no such change taking place during
the. latter part of the period under review. Of course; it is possible that, say, larger
proportions of the Russians or Poles immigrating between 1880 and 1900 and perhaps during
she early years of the present century came merely to build railways and left in greater
numbers than the more recent immigrants from those countries. If such be the case, their
oresence in Canada at that time is not reflected in the percentage naturalized among those
resident in Canada in 1921. Consequently in certain exceptional cases the percentages
naturalized for the earlier years may be somewhat unreliable in so far as they are expected
0 reflect the presence of temporary immigration. By the same token they would measure
more accurately the speed of naturalization of those who remained.
Aside from such a possibility, it is a matter of common knowledge that some immigrants
 in most groups come to this country with the idea of leaving after having won the
smile of fortune. Many find that the winning takes 10, 20 or more years. They are not
permanent settlers. Canada is not their home and the presence of such a group reduces the
sercentage naturalized all along the line. Certain immigrant peoples, as has been said, have
iarger proportions of this temporary type than have others, and when one speaks of speed
of naturalization, the influence of such classes must be kept in mind, as well as the rapidity
with which those who come to stay take out naturalization papers.
Another point should also be made clear in connection with the speed of naturalization,
Up to 1914 the law required a minimum of three years’ residence in Canada prior to
naturalization. In that year the residence requirement was changed to five years, and after
;he war a ten year clause was inserted to apply to all subjects of enemy States, Further,
naturalization was arrested during the war period for all enemy peoples. Thus the percentages
 naturalized from 1914 on must be interpreted with great caution.
It may appear strange that in spite of the five year requirement Table 85 (p. 159) shows
that certain proportions arriving after 1919 were naturalized by 1921. The majority of such
zases are women and children who have joined their husbands and fathers who had previously
some to this country, and had by that time completed all necessary residence requirements.
There are also a certain number of repatriated Canadians in the group, but no new male
‘mmigrants of foreign birth.
Passing now to the analysis and comparison of the speed of naturalization of the various
immigrant peoples, we have in Table 95 the percentage naturalized of foreign born. in