Immigrants coming from relatively poor countries, including Romania, are keener to send money home, compared to other groups of immigrants.
Among those who sent money home, the average amount was CAD 2,500 (€1,580) in the first two years after immigrating, and CAD 2,900 (€1,840) in the following two to four years.
According to World Bank figures for 2004, remittances represent an important source of revenue for people in developing countries. They accounted for about 20-30 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in countries such as Haiti, Lesotho and Jordan, and for about 10-19 percent in others, namely Jamaica, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic, the report indicates.
The incidence of remittance was highest among those from countries with lower GDP per capita. Some 36 percent of immigrants from countries with per capita GDP of less than CAD 4,000 (€2,540) sent money home, compared to only 11 percent from countries with per capita GDP of CAD 15,000 (€9,560) or more, according to Statistics Canada.
