OTTAWA -- The number of immigrants who come to Canada speaking neither English nor French has dropped dramatically over the past few years.

Immigration department statistics for 2008, quietly posted to the department's website, show 28.3% of the 247,243 permanent residents accepted last year spoke neither English nor French -- down from 45.9% in 2002.

At the same time, the number of immigrants who speak English has been steadily climbing. In 2008, 56.6% of those accepted spoke English, up from 53.7% in 2007 and 43.4% in 2002.

The department says 5.1% spoke French while 10% were bilingual.

The 61,302 economic immigrants were among those most likely to speak Canada's official languages. Only 8.7% spoke neither English nor French -- 64.2% spoke English, 4.5% spoke French and 22.7% were bilingual.

Those least likely to speak either official language were the 21,860 refugees accepted in 2008. According to the department's figures, only 43.3% spoke English, 7.8% spoke French, 2.8% were bilingual and 46.1% spoke neither.

Immigration department spokesman Kelli Fraser said the shift in the language ability of immigrants is in part the result of changes Canada made in 2002 to put more emphasis on being able to speak one of Canada's official languages.

Increases in the number of live-in caregivers and immigrants selected by the provinces have also played a role, she said.

While there was a modest increase in the number of new permanent residents to Canada, rising to 247,243 in 2008 from 236,754 in 2007, there has been a sharp rise in the number of temporary workers. In 2008, Canada admitted 363,494 temporary workers, up from 300,896 in 2007 and 255,989 in 2006.

Where Canada's immigrants are coming from is also changing.

While China is still the number one source country for immigrants, the number of permanent residents from China has dropped to 29,336 from 42,292 in 2005.

Immigration from India and Pakistan has also steadily decreased during that period. India is down to 24,549 from 33,146 in 2005, while Pakistan is down to 8,052 from 13,575 in 2005.

Immigration from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Philippines is on the rise, as is immigration from Korea, France and Iran.

NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow said economic growth in China and India is the likely explanation for the decrease in immigration from those countries.

Chow said she is concerned about the rapid growth in the number of temporary foreign workers, adding she would prefer to see immigration by families who will build a life in Canada.

ELIZABETH.THOMPSON@SUNMEDIA.CA