Immigrants from China

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Background
Database
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How to Interpret the Results
How to Obtain Copies
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Background

By Order-in-Council (P.C. 1622, 1 September 1885), the Department of Customs was made responsible for the administration of the new Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 (48-49 Vic. Chap. 71), which placed special controls on the immigration of Chinese persons and provided for the registration of Chinese immigrants in Canada. The Order-in-Council allowed customs officers in port offices to act as controllers of Chinese immigration. The Chief Controller of Chinese Immigration in Ottawa, to whom the controllers reported, was to maintain a general register of all Chinese immigrants entering Canada. In 1947, the Chinese Immigration Act was repealed (C.S., 11 Geo. VI, Chap. 19). Specific regulations discriminating against "Asiatic" immigrants (including the Chinese) continued, however, to be applied until the passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1967.

Each controller was to maintain a register of Chinese immigrants who had entered Canada through the relevant port, recording among other details the payment of or exemption from the head tax. Each month, the controller sent lists of immigrants to the chief controller in Ottawa to be centrally registered in the General Registers of Chinese Immigration. Identifying certificates were issued to each immigrant upon entry to Canada. These could also replace lost entry documents. The certificates were retained by the immigrant, not by the Government of Canada. A selection of Chinese Immigration (C.I.) certificates is held at Library and Archives Canada.

• The C.I.6 certificate was issued, in certain circumstances, to persons of Chinese descent who had entered Canada prior to 1885 and hence had paid no head tax.
• The C.I.5 certificate (often called the "head tax receipt") was issued to all Chinese immigrants who arrived after 1885 and paid the head tax.
• The C.I.28 certificate was issued either to replace destroyed or lost identifying certificates (C.I.5, C.I.30 and C.I.36), or to identify native-born persons without such certificates.
• The C.I.36 certificate was issued to replace the identifying C.I.5 certificate issued before 1912.

The Records

General Registers of Chinese Immigration

The General Registers of Chinese Immigration, 1885-1949 (RG 76 D2a) were created at the headquarters of the Chinese Immigration Service in Ottawa. These registers list all immigrants of Chinese origin arriving in Canada between 1885 and 1949. Some entries for residents arriving in Canada date back to 1860. The names in the registers are arranged numerically by serial number, in approximate chronological order by the date the notice of the immigrant's arrival was submitted to Ottawa.

The registers contain columns for the following information:

• Column 1: Ottawa Serial Number; Port C.I.4 Number; or Port Number Statement and Declaration
• Column 2: Names
• Column 3: Port or Place Where Registered
• Column 4: Date of Registration
• Column 5: Certificate Issued C.I.5
• Column 6: Certificate Issued C.I.6 or File Number
• Column 7: Fees Paid-Amount
• Column 8: Sex
• Column 9: Age
• Column 10: Place of Birth: City or Village
• Column 11: Place of Birth: District
• Column 12: Place of Birth: Province etc.
• Column 13: Title, Official Rank, Profession or Occupation
• Column 14: Last Place of Domicile
• Column 15: Arrival in Canada-Port or Place of
• Column 16: Arrival in Canada-Name of Vessel, Railway or Other Conveyance
• Column 17: Arrival in Canada-Date of
• Column 18: Physical Marks or Peculiarities
• Column 19: Remarks

Port of New Westminster Register of Chinese Immigration

The Port of New Westminster Register of Chinese Immigration, 1887-1908 (RG 76 D2bi) contains names of Chinese immigrants who registered and paid the head tax at the port of New Westminster, British Columbia, in the years 1887 to 1898, 1907 and 1908. This is the only port register known to have survived. Names in this register should also be found in the General Registers of Chinese Immigration created by headquarters in Ottawa. The names are arranged in numerical sequence by declaration number.

The registers contain columns for the following information:

• Column 2: No. of Statement and Declaration
• Column 3: Name
• Column 5: Date of Registration
• Column 6: Certificate Issued C.I.5
• Column 7: Certificate Issued C.I.6
• Column 8: Fees Paid-Amount
• Column 9: Sex
• Column 10: Age
• Column 11: Place of Birth: City or Village
• Column 12: Place of Birth: District
• Column 13: Place of Birth: Province etc.
• Column 14: Title, Official Rank, Profession or Occupation
• Column 15: Last Place of Domicile
• Column 16: Arrival in Canada-Port or Place of
• Column 17: Arrival in Canada-Name of Vessel, Railway or Other Conveyance
• Column 18: Arrival in Canada-Date of
• Column 19: Physical Marks or Peculiarities
• Column 20: Remarks

Newfoundland Register of Arrivals and Outward Registrations

The Newfoundland Register of Arrivals and Outward Registrations (RG 76, Volume 1071) consists of two separate lists. The first list includes the names of Chinese persons entering Newfoundland as immigrants under the Newfoundland Chinese Immigration Act of 1906, who were issued identifying NF 63 certificate Nos. 1 to 384 from June 4, 1910 to March 26, 1949. The second list gives the names of persons leaving Newfoundland temporarily or permanently under Newfoundland C.I.9 certificate Nos. 1 to 436, issued from September 6, 1906 to February 24, 1950. Both lists are typed.

The first list for people entering Newfoundland includes the following information:

• Date
• Name
• Age
• NF 63 Certificate Number
• Conveyance (Ship)
• Birthplace
• Occupation
• Amount of Head Tax Paid
• Case File Number

The second list for people leaving Newfoundland includes the following information:

• Date
• Name
• Alias
• Age
• C.I.9 Certificate Number
• Date of Readmission
• Birthplace
• Original Year of Entry

Other Records

Library and Archives Canada also holds other registers for Chinese immigrants. Consult Chinese Immigration Records to learn more about these records. They have not been digitized, but most are available on microfilm and can be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

How to Access Library and Archives Canada Records

Database

This research tool provides access to 98,361 references to the General Registers of Chinese Immigration, the Port of New Westminster Register of Chinese Immigration and the Newfoundland Register of Arrivals and Outward Registrations held at Library and Archives Canada. The registers were consulted in order to verify the names of immigrants. The records have been digitized and are searchable by name.

The database entries reflect the original language used in the documents. This information was not translated.

Important note: Given that some of the names are very difficult to read, some information in the database may be incorrect and/or incomplete. In your search, consider using slight variations on the spelling of the name. For example, if you are searching for the name "Low," you might also try "Lon" or "Lor."

Search Screen

The search screen allows you to search by the name of the immigrant, the year of registration and/or the certificate number.

Names were input as they appear in the register; no distinction was made between given name(s) and surname. Try searching by surname only.

When you have entered your search terms, click on "Submit." The number of hits found will be shown at the top of the results screen.

How to Interpret the Results

Your search results will be posted as a results summary list from which you will be able to obtain more detailed descriptions.

Results Summary List

The results summary list contains the following fields:

• Name of the Immigrant (given name(s) and surname)
• Age
• Year of Registration
• Type of Records

You can export the results to a portable storage device or to your computer.

Click on the underlined name of the person of interest to you to access the detailed description.

Detailed Description

The detailed description contains the following fields:

• Name
• Age
• Year or Date of Registration
• Certificate Number (including C.I.5, C.I.6 or other)
• Type of Records
• Reference
• Volume
• Microfilm

Click on View PDF to see a digitized image of the page of interest to you.

How to Obtain Copies

You can print the images or save them on your computer. Use the following access link for other options, such as borrowing microfilm.

How to Access Library and Archives Canada Records

Other Resources

Other archival records exist for Chinese immigration. Consult Chinese Immigration Records to obtain more information about these records.

We suggest that you also consult Census and Enumerations and Passenger Lists. Please note that there are no passenger lists for the West Coast before 1905.

In partnership with Library and Archives Canada, the Vancouver Public Library hosts a Chinese-Canadian Genealogy website (www.vpl.ca/ccg/index.html) that provides research tools and information in English and Chinese. The site includes a newly launched wiki (http://ccgwiki.vpl.ca/index.php/ccg_wiki) that enables community members, researchers and genealogists to contribute interactively to a greater knowledge of early Chinese immigration and settlement in Canada. Their contributions enhance information reflected in original records and add historical accounts about the lives of these early immigrants and their families.