Do newcomers to Canada believe home ownership is a good financial investment?

80% of recent newcomers to Canada believe home ownership is a good financial investment, according to the Royal LePage 2026 Canadian Newcomers Survey, while 18% disagree.

Do newcomers to Canada own property?

34% of recent newcomers to Canada own property, including 33% who own their primary residence, while 66% do not own any property in Canada.

Do newcomers who don't yet own a home in Canada intend to buy one?

76% of newcomers who do not own their primary residence intend to buy a primary residence in Canada, while 20% do not.

What is the biggest barrier newcomers face when buying a home in Canada?

Saving for a down payment is the top barrier, cited by 61% of newcomers who intend to buy, followed by securing more stable or higher-paying employment at 50% and learning more about the home buying process at 28%.

Did newcomers expect buying a home in Canada to be easier or harder than in their home country?

39% of newcomers expected buying a home to be harder in Canada than in their home country, 27% expected it to be easier, and 23% expected it to be similar.

Have newcomer homeowners in Canada worked with a real estate agent?

73% of newcomers who own their primary residence have worked with a real estate agent to purchase a home in Canada, while 27% have not.

Are newcomers to Canada familiar with rent-to-own programs?

52% of newcomers to Canada are at least somewhat familiar with rent-to-own programs as a path to home ownership (17% very familiar, 35% somewhat familiar), while 47% are not familiar.

Do newcomers to Canada tend to buy a home in the same city where they first settled?

68% of newcomer homeowners bought their first primary residence in the same city or town where they first settled after arriving in Canada, while 31% bought in a different city or town.

Royal LePage 2026 Canadian Newcomers Survey

Name: Royal LePage 2026 Canadian Newcomers Survey
Creator: Royal LePage
Published: 2026-09-04
License: https://www.royallepage.ca/en/realestate/legal-notice/

[ALL RESPONDENTS] Do you believe home ownership is a good financial investment?
	National	Provincial						Home ownership status before immigrating
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL	I owned my home	I rented my home	I lived with family or friends	Other	I prefer not to say
Yes	80%	78%	82%	80%	79%	79%	85%	86%	76%	79%	67%	33%
No	18%	18%	16%	17%	19%	19%	12%	14%	21%	16%	33%	44%
I prefer not to say	3%	3%	2%	3%	3%	2%	3%	1%	3%	5%	0%	22%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] How important is home ownership to your sense of being established in Canada?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Important	53%	57%	57%	55%	54%	43%	52%
Somewhat important	37%	33%	37%	38%	37%	37%	36%
NET: Important	90%	90%	94%	93%	91%	80%	88%
Not important	9%	10%	5%	7%	8%	19%	11%
I prefer not to say	1%	0%	2%	0%	1%	1%	1%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] Do you own property in Canada?
	National	Provincial						Length of residency in Canada
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL	Less than one year	At least one year, but less than three years	At least three years, but less than five years	At least five years, and up to ten years
Yes, I own my primary residence (the home where I/my family live(s) full time)	26%	19%	32%	29%	25%	25%	31%	6%	13%	18%	37%
Yes, I own my primary residence, as well as a recreational and/or investment property	7%	7%	10%	6%	8%	3%	7%	6%	7%	6%	8%
NET: Yes (including primary residence)	33%	26%	42%	35%	33%	28%	37%	13%	20%	24%	45%
Yes, I own a recreational and/or investment property, but I do not own my primary residence	1%	2%	0%	1%	2%	1%	0%	0%	2%	2%	1%
NET: Yes (overall)	34%	27%	42%	36%	35%	29%	37%	13%	22%	26%	46%
No, I do not own any property in Canada	66%	72%	57%	64%	65%	70%	63%	88%	78%	74%	53%
I prefer not to say	0%	1%	1%	1%	0%	1%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%

[NEWCOMERS WHO DO NOT OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE] Do you intend to buy a primary residence in Canada?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes	76%	71%	78%	81%	78%	71%	79%
No	20%	27%	14%	12%	19%	27%	17%
I prefer not to answer	4%	2%	8%	7%	4%	3%	4%

[NEWCOMERS WHO DO NOT OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE AND INTEND TO BUY] What is your timeline for a primary residence purchase?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Less that 6 months from now	3%	1%	4%	0%	3%	1%	8%
Between 6 months and one year from now	9%	6%	13%	18%	8%	9%	14%
One to two years from now	36%	40%	36%	45%	35%	30%	35%
More than two years from now	21%	16%	13%	13%	24%	27%	19%
My timeline to buy is uncertain, but home ownership is a priority	24%	27%	26%	16%	24%	24%	22%
I don’t know/I prefer not to say	7%	10%	9%	7%	6%	10%	3%

[NEWCOMERS WHO DO NOT OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE] What is your current living arrangement?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
I rent my primary residence (the home where I/my family live(s) full time)	80%	86%	81%	78%	80%	78%	79%
I live with family or friends	13%	7%	11%	19%	14%	13%	11%
My living situation is temporary or in transition	3%	2%	2%	0%	4%	4%	4%
I live in student housing or a residence	1%	1%	2%	1%	0%	1%	2%
I live in employer-provided housing	1%	3%	2%	0%	0%	1%	2%
Other	2%	1%	1%	1%	1%	3%	2%
I prefer not to say	0%	0%	1%	0%	1%	0%	0%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] Prior to immigrating to Canada, did you own your home?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes, I owned my home	33%	31%	39%	42%	30%	31%	33%
No, I rented my home	49%	50%	44%	46%	52%	48%	48%
No, I lived with family or friends	17%	18%	15%	12%	17%	19%	19%
Other	0%	1%	1%	0%	0%	0%	0%
I prefer not to say	1%	1%	1%	0%	0%	2%	0%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] Before moving to Canada, did you expect it would be easier or harder to buy a home compared to your home country?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
I expected buying a home to be easier in Canada than in my home country	27%	26%	30%	28%	26%	29%	23%
I expected buying a home to be similar in Canada to my home country	23%	18%	25%	26%	23%	24%	19%
I expected buying a home to be harder in Canada than in my home country	39%	42%	34%	31%	41%	33%	48%
I don’t know	11%	14%	10%	13%	9%	14%	11%
I prefer not to say	1%	1%	1%	2%	1%	0%	0%

[NEWCOMERS WHO DO NOT OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE AND INTEND TO BUY] In your experience, what is the biggest barrier to buying a home in Canada? (Select all that apply. Percentages may not sum to 100%.)
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Saving for a down payment	61%	51%	54%	60%	65%	63%	59%
Securing more stable or higher-paying employment	50%	53%	56%	62%	49%	41%	43%
Learning more about the home buying process in Canada	28%	20%	33%	29%	30%	21%	43%
Building my credit score or credit history in Canada	27%	26%	22%	27%	27%	27%	43%
Deciding on a community where I want to live	26%	24%	32%	18%	27%	25%	19%
My source of income is unconventional/hard to document	18%	25%	29%	15%	17%	15%	8%
Other	6%	8%	6%	5%	5%	8%	8%
I prefer not to say	1%	1%	0%	0%	0%	0%	5%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] When you first arrived in Canada, where did you live?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Ontario	47%	2%	7%	4%	94%	4%	5%
Quebec	16%	1%	1%	0%	2%	96%	1%
British Columbia	13%	95%	2%	0%	1%	0%	0%
Alberta	12%	1%	87%	1%	1%	0%	0%
Saskatchewan & Manitoba	8%	1%	2%	94%	0%	0%	0%
Atlantic Canada	6%	0%	1%	0%	2%	0%	92%
The territories	0%	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%	0%
I prefer not to say	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	1%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] When you arrived in Canada, what kind of community did you first settle in? (If the respondent moved shortly after arriving, they were asked to think of the first place they lived for more than three months.)
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
In or near the downtown core of a major city	46%	38%	49%	43%	46%	56%	29%
In a suburb of a major city	35%	41%	36%	27%	39%	23%	36%
In a smaller city or town	14%	17%	9%	26%	12%	15%	23%
In a rural area	4%	4%	6%	4%	2%	5%	12%
I prefer not to say	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	1%	0%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] Do you live in the same city/town as when you first arrived in Canada?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes, I still live in the same city/town	71%	70%	74%	84%	69%	70%	69%
No, I have moved to a different city/town	28%	30%	26%	16%	30%	30%	31%
I prefer not to say	0%	0%	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%

[NEWCOMERS WHO DO NOT OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE AND INTEND TO BUY] When you buy a primary residence, do you plan to purchase in the same city/town where you first settled after arriving in Canada?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes, I plan to buy in the city/town where I first settled	47%	49%	53%	71%	44%	38%	54%
No, I plan to buy in a different city/town	27%	21%	27%	15%	29%	31%	19%
I don’t know yet	26%	29%	21%	15%	26%	32%	27%
I prefer not to say	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%

[NEWCOMERS WHO OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE] When you purchased your first primary residence, did you buy in the same city/town where you first settled after arriving in Canada?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes, I bought my first primary residence in the city/town where I first settled	68%	71%	73%	92%	65%	59%	68%
No, I bought my first primary residence in a different city/town	31%	29%	27%	8%	34%	41%	32%
I prefer not to say	1%	0%	0%	0%	1%	0%	0%

[NEWCOMERS WHO OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE] Did you purchase your first primary residence through a rent-to-own program?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes	20%	11%	22%	24%	28%	2%	11%
No	79%	89%	78%	76%	72%	98%	89%
I prefer not to say	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%

[NEWCOMERS WHO OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE] Have you ever worked with a real estate agent to purchase a home in Canada?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes	73%	64%	64%	73%	77%	71%	79%
No	27%	36%	36%	27%	23%	27%	21%
I prefer not to say	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	2%	0%

[NEWCOMERS WHO OWN THEIR PRIMARY RESIDENCE] Where did you get information about buying a home in Canada? (Select all that apply. Percentages may not sum to 100%.)
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
A real estate agent	55%	64%	58%	46%	51%	58%	61%
Family or friends	42%	33%	45%	51%	42%	41%	43%
Online research (websites, blogs, forums)	37%	44%	27%	35%	37%	49%	29%
A bank, mortgage broker or financial advisor	35%	27%	32%	43%	35%	42%	29%
Social media (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook groups, etc.)	23%	20%	27%	27%	27%	14%	11%
Government resources (CMHC, provincial or federal websites)	16%	9%	14%	8%	19%	17%	14%
Immigrant settlement services or newcomer organizations	12%	7%	7%	16%	17%	7%	7%
My employer or colleagues	10%	9%	8%	24%	8%	14%	4%
Other	2%	0%	1%	0%	2%	3%	4%
I prefer not to say	1%	0%	0%	0%	1%	2%	4%

[ALL RESPONDENTS] Are you familiar with rent-to-own programs as a path to home ownership in Canada?
	National	Provincial
	Total	BC	AB	SK/MB	ON	QC	ATL
Yes	17%	20%	21%	20%	16%	13%	12%
Somewhat	35%	41%	35%	34%	37%	25%	37%
NET: Yes	52%	61%	57%	53%	53%	38%	49%
No	47%	39%	42%	47%	46%	60%	49%
I prefer not to say	1%	1%	1%	0%	1%	2%	1%

Burson used the Leger Opinion online panel to survey 1,400 recent newcomers to Canada (i.e., immigrated within the past 10 years) between August 25th and September 8th, 2026. Representative sampling was done across all provinces (Atlantic provinces were aggregated and Saskatchewan was aggregated with Manitoba) as well as Toronto CMA, Montreal CMA, Vancouver CMA, and Calgary CMA. The survey was administered in English, French, Arabic, Chinese, Tagalog and Punjabi. No margin of error can be associated with a non-probability sample (i.e., a web panel in this case). For comparative purposes, though, a probability sample of 1,400 respondents would have a margin of error of ±3%, 19 times out of 20.

All percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number. Where data is not available, sample size was not statistically significant.

Royal LePage® 2026 Canadian Newcomers Survey