DCHP-2

landed immigrant DCHP-2 (September 2016)

• n. & adj. — Administration

  a person admitted to Canada as a potential citizen of Canada.

  Type: 1. Origin — Landed immigrant is derived from the act of landing in a Canadian port. The term appears to have been defined initially in the Immigration Act of 1910 (see the 1910 quotation). Note that "land" and "landing" were defined in the previous Immigration Act of 1906, although "landed" was not included (see the 1906 quotation). Shortly after the designation of these terms, landed immigrant began to be applied to those entering Canada with official permission to stay permanently and to qualify for citizenship under certain conditions. The term is most prevalent in Canada (see Chart 1).
  See also Gage-1, s.v. "landed immigrant", which is marked "Cdn.", ITP Nelson, s.v. "landed immigrant", which is marked "Canadian, and OED-3, s.v. "landed", adj.2 (3), which is described as Canadian.

  See also: land  landed  

  • The term has been officially replaced by "permanent resident", although landed immigrant continues to be used in general speech, and, as the 2016 quotation shows, occasionally in government contexts.